It was a case of mission accomplished for Strabane who not only ensured their survival in the top flight for another year, but managed to pick up a trophy along the way.
Jose Mourinho has said statistics are for those who don't understand the game, but while that may be true of football, for cricket it's an entirely different story.
A look at Strabane's stats and you wonder just how on earth they survived. I'm reminded of the old joke which I've paraphrased a little below.
Three cricket teams are walking through a jungle . Suddenly, they see a lion in the distance, running towards them.
They turn and start running away. But then one of the teams stops, takes running shoes from their bag, and starts putting them on.
“What are you doing?” says the other teams. “Do you think you will run fast than the lion with those?”
“I don’t have to run faster than the lion,” they say. “I just have to run faster than you.”
And so it was for Strabane - while they weren't great in truth, over the course of the season they were better than Eglinton and Ardmore and that was enough.
They battled fiercely from the off - you would expect nothing more from a side coached by John Mooney, and what they lacked in quality and depth made up for in sweat and spirit.
Three players passed the 400 runs mark, with overseas professional Ranitha Liyanarachchi leading the way making 541 runs at 25.76 - including their only senior hundred of the year.
Aaron Gillespie scored four fifties on his way to 523 runs at 26.15, while Rhys Logur chipped in with 400 at 18.18.
Others who contributed were Subhan Shirzad (296), skipper Kevin Gallagher (249), John Mooney (192) and Ryan Gallagher (182).
With the ball, Andrew Mullen's left-arm spin picked up 36 wickets to top the charts, ahead of Ranitha's 31 wickets at 18.06.
Rhys Logue's spin claimed 24 wickets at 22.63, while others who made it to double figures were TJ Boyd - 16 at 24.13, and John Mooney - 15 at 22.07.
What does 2026 hold for the Tyrone club? If they can add another player or two to the squad they may well enjoy a season without the fear of relegation, or it may just be a case of running faster than two others again..
STRABANE BATTING
- Ranitha Liyanarachchi 541 runs at 25.76 (1 hundred, 1 fifty)
- Aaron Gillespie 523 runs at 26.15 (4 fifties)
- Rhys Logue 400 runs at 18.18 (1 fifty)
- Subhan Shirzad 296 runs at 18.50 (2 fifties)
- Kevin Gallagher 249 runs at 14.50
- John Mooney 192 runs at 24.00
- Ryan Gallagher 182 runs at 13.00
STRABANE BOWLING
- Andrew Mullen 36 wickets at 16.11
- Ranitha 31 wickets at 18.06
- Rhys Logue 24 wickets at 22.63
- TJ Boyd 16 wickets at 24.13
- John Mooney 15 wickets at 22.07
