Has there ever been a finish to a title race like it? It was a three-team fight for two places for promotion to the Premier League, to be decided by two 20-over games.

Carrickfergus started the night as leaders on 52 points. But they had to travel to Lurgan (48 points but with a better run rate) in what was a winner-take all match, assuming Bangor, the third team in the race (also with 48 points and the best run rate) won at Saintfield.

In the end, none of the three teams won – yet none lost! Yes, both games were tied so the league table was unchanged with Carrickfergus, the team that refused to go up to the Premier League at the end of last season, winning Section One for the second year in a row and they will be joined in the top flight next year by Bangor, who pipped Lurgan on run-rate for the second place.

The last over of both games produced finishes which would have been worthy of a book of fiction but they played out in reality in front of four sets of disbelieving supporters.

First to Pollock Park where rain halted the Carrickfergus innings after 10.1 overs with the visitors on 79 for one. When the umpires declared the ground fit for a resumption, Lurgan were left with seven overs to score 83 for a return to the Premier League for the first time in 13 years.

With the help of 47 from 17 balls by Lurgan’s replacement professional, Australian Colin Dwyer they were on course after six overs on 74 for three. It was up to Carrickfergus captain CJ van der Walt to save his side. He bowled the first over and conceded just four and with Callum Gibson on strike, he scored just three from the first three balls.

So, six needed from the last three with Dwyer back on strike but he skied the next ball straight up and keeper Michael Gilmour held the catch. New batter John Guy took a single off the fifth ball leaving Gibson to hit a six off the last to win the game. It reached the boundary, but all along the ground so the game was tied to leave Carrickfergus as the champions.

Now all Lurgan could do was hope for a miracle at Saintfield in another rain interrupted match.

At The Demesne, Saintfield and Bangor almost completed the first innings before the rain arrived, the home team on 119 for nine after 19.3 overs. Conditions didn’t improve much but Saintfield agreed to the minimum five-over resumption and DLS gave Bangor a victory target of 40 to win promotion.

It looked all over bar the shouting when the visitors reached 37 for two after four overs but nothing can be taken for granted when so much is at stake.

Joe Davenport, Saintfield’s 2nd XI captain was given the last over, the fifth bowler to be used (as per the NCU regulations in a five-over game) but he nearly did produce that miracle – in fact you could say he did because he saved his side from defeat.

Crucially, although we didn’t know it at the time, the first ball was a wide, but he then dismissed Emerging Knights batter Seb Yeates and Ireland international Mark Hutchinson was run out from the next ball. Still Bangor needed just two to win from the last four balls - but Andrew Kirkpatrick failed to score from the next two and tied the scores with a single from the penultimate delivery.

But Devonport still wasn’t finished, he had Felix McMillan stumped off the last ball to produce another tied game, with Bangor fortunate that Lurgan did not win or they would have been playing Section One cricket again next year.

As it is, for the third year in a row it is Lurgan who have missed out but this definitely was the most cruel – and most painful because professional Liam Doddrell had to replaced after pulling a hamstring on Saturday which meant he could bowl only five overs and they went on to lose the game to Templepatrick.

Would he have made the difference? We will never know - but what a finish!