Fox Lodge make history

FOX Lodge won their first Senior Cup with a deserved five-wicket win over Newbuildings in one of the best finals in a generation.

The Ballymagorry side went into the decider as underdogs, but produced a display full of determination, quality, and guts to lift the trophy. It was a memorable occasion on so many levels, and skipper Aaron Heywood was rightly proud of his side.

“I thought the final was a great advertisement for North West cricket,” Heywood told the Chronicle. “It was so close and hard to separate two very good teams over two days. It was the smallest margin after the first innings in 134 years of the final, and that just added to the tension and excitement.”

Fox Lodge looked in trouble in the first innings as they were reduced to 83 for 5, with professional Geeth Kumara one of the wickets. Did he feel the game was slipping away at that stage?

“It was certainly a crucial stage. We still had plenty of experienced players there. Johnny Robinson made it very easy to bat with him. The big partnership was that between Brian Allen and Johnny, as Newbuildings smelt blood. They put on 60, as did myself and Johnny to claw our way back into the game. We set our stall out to bat 50 overs and that’s all we were focusing on. We showed so much fighting quality, and that’s something I’m very proud of. They all fight for the badge, and never let me down. That attitude just sums up Fox Lodge. Many other teams would have rolled over and laid down, but not this group of players, who are a credit to themselves and the club.”

Having looked as if they would be facing a first innings deficit for much of the first innings, what was the mood in the camp after taking a narrow lead?

“One thing I’d talked to the team about before the final was the importance of body language. I stressed the need for us to show positivity so they knew they were still very much in a contest. We noticed that their body language dipped as we clawed our way back into the game. We won the first day, and that gave us a huge psychological advantage over them, as they expected to be leading by around a hundred.”

While the team all contributed, three individual displays stood out for Fox Lodge, with Geeth Kumara, Brian Allen and Johnny Robinson immense.

“I didn’t say it out loud, but when Geeth was dismissed cheaply on Friday, I knew there was no way it was going to happen a second time on the Eglinton pitch with his quality. What a treat he put on for us in the second innings. He timed it to perfection. A few of us were getting a little concerned as the required rate climbed that we may be giving ourselves too much to do in the back end of the game. I’d said to him that if he batted to the end of the game we would win. But I admit I was panicking a little. He knew what he was doing in seeing off their strike bowlers, then targeting their weaker bowlers.

“What a player he is, and not just with the bat. I did say at the start of the week, watch what he can do with the ball too. I think it’s fair to say he bamboozled a few of them, leaving them with nightmares about the googly. He is an incredible player.

“We shouldn’t forget about the contributions from Brian and Johnny. ‘Bap’ has shown in the final just how good a player he is. I can be quite hard on him, but he knows my heart is in the right place and I’m just looking to get the best out of him. That’s what I know he can do on a regular basis, and it was great to see him there at the end as we clinched the win.

“This is the best and most motivated I’ve ever seen Brian Allen. He wanted this so much. The fight and determination he showed was just incredible. His will to win was exceptional and I can’t thank him enough for what he has done for this club. He deserved the win more than anyone.”
What have the celebrations been like?

“It’s been crazy. Check out the Facebook video of when we got back to the club. It was such a special memory that we will have for the rest of our lives. What a party we had. My uncle Adrian said that’s the biggest crowd they ever had, and they had some big parties in the 90s. We couldn’t get to the bar, so we ended up celebrating in the kitchen for an hour, and taking a few drinks out of the cup.”

The challenge now for Heywood is to build on this success and make this the first of many triumphs. “I had to make a few tough calls last week telling players they hadn’t made the 11. I can’t promise them we will get to another final, but we will certainly be trying our hardest. We have one of the youngest squads in the region, and I don’t see any reason why we can’t push ourselves and challenge that this is not to be a one-off. The lads are hungry for more after experiencing the occasion.

“We have shown just how good we can be, and our form has been good, especially playing most of the season without a professional. To be sitting where we are in the league is testament to how well we have played. We train hard and I’m proud of the standards we set. Our success is down to hard work on and off the field.”
Much had been made beforehand of the Newbuildings support, but they were outnumbered and out-shouted by the Ballymagorry faithful, buoyed by the neutrals too.

“Our supporters were incredible, and played a major part in what helped us win the game. They made more noise and outsung them the whole weekend, and that really lifted the team, especially when we needed it the most. They did put pressure on Newbuildings and it probably got to a few of them. They certainly motivated us, and helped our bowlers, firing us up. I know they enjoyed the weekend as much as us, and I can’t thank them enough. I’ also like to thank everyone for their messages of support over the past few days. It’s probably a reflection of how popular we are as a club that we have received well wishes from all over the region. We had players from other clubs celebrating with us, wanting to share in our happiness, which is great on so many levels.”

As fate would have it, Fox Lodge and Newbuildings meet again on Saturday, with both teams still in with an outside chance of the title should Bready slip up.