ST JOHNSTON are back at the bottom of the North-West Premiership, but there was enough about them in a 40-run loss to Brigade on Saturday to suggest that they could make a fist of top flight survival this season.
With Bready and Strabane both winning on Saturday, defeat means St Johnston are now at the basement again, but Ian Macbeth’s (pictured above) men battled to the finish at the Railway Road.
Brigade batted first and Iftikhar Hussain landed an unbeaten 90 that included nine fours and four sixes to take the Beechgrove outfit to 230 in their 39 overs.
Ryan Hunter (39), Ian McGregor (37), Andy Britton (23) and 22 from Gareth McKeegan were the others who shone for the Derry side.
A total of 230 for 5 looked beyond the Saints but they didn’t seem to think so as the dangerous Khushpal Singh hit 3 fours and 5 sixes in his 52 before he was stumped by McKeegan off Britton’s bowl.
Rammohan Goud and Ethan Lapsley opened for a combined 39 with Goud hitting 24, while Kevin Martin hit 19 and David Lapsley stepped up with 16, but St Johnston fell just short with Jassi Wallia’s gallant 44 bringing them close, but not close enough.
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