Sunday afternoon saw Downpatrick's 1st XI travel to Mallusk for their latest Ulster Bank League Section 1 match against Cliftonville. Club Captain James Magowan lost the toss, and Cliftonville opted to bat.

Faced with a wicket that favoured the batsmen, Downpatrick's bowling attack found the going tough in the early stages, with the hosts reaching 56 without loss after just 8 overs. Worse was to follow when skipper, and opening bowler, Magowan sustained a back injury with only a handful of his overs bowled.

Downpatrick's bowlers rallied, with minimal success. Cliftonville opener Neil Cahill reached 110 before being run out, thanks to some excellent fielding from substitute fielder Jordan Adey. Dale Mullan and Phil Moreland chipped in with a wicket apiece. Spinners Muhammad Farrukh and Daniel Carson bowled with great control in the middle overs. A further run out saw Cliftonville finish their innings on 292-4 off 50 overs. Surely this would be an insurmountable total considering the injury worries surrounding James Magowan.

The Downpatrick opening partnership of Jeremy McCready and Dale Mullan produced just 13 runs before Mullan was dismissed by Brian Anderson. This brought Downpatrick club professional Muhammad Farrukh to the crease. Following sterling batting performances in recent weeks, including 150 runs against Donaghcloney, hope remained high in the Downpatrick camp.

The wickets of McCready (13), Ben McIlroy (10) and Paul Tate (17) fell in quick succession before Gavin Ringland joined Farrukh in the middle. A century partnership between the two resulted in a significant upturn in Downpatrick's fortunes. With 10 overs remaining, Ringland was dismissed for a quick-fire 50, bringing Aaron Ferris to the crease.

Not long after, Farrukh reached his second century in consecutive league games. Needing 66 runs off 8 overs, victory had become a definite possibility. A valuable score of 11 from Ferris, coupled with runs from Farrukh pushed Downpatrick closer to the total.

With 4 overs remaining, Downpatrick required 40 runs for victory. The maginficant Muhammad Farrukh was joined by youngster Jamie Thompson for the final overs.

Against all odds, Downpatrick reached the allotted total with just three balls remaining. A crucial 8 runs by Thompson, along with a 144-run haul for Farrukh saw Downpatrick over the line by 4 wickets.

The scenes at the end of this match showed the cohesiveness of the Downpatrick unit, and proved just how much this victory meant to the Strangford Road men.

The victory moves Downpatrick up to 4th in the table, with critical fixtures against Saintfield and Millpark to come this weekend.