Muckamore fade after promising Premiership challenge

Muckamore will look back on 2026 with a mixture of satisfaction and frustration after a season which, for a time, promised considerably more than their eventual fifth-place Premiership finish.

The Moylena side were firmly in the title conversation during the first half of the campaign and produced some excellent cricket, but their challenge lost momentum during the run-in as the stronger and deeper squads began to assert themselves.

Their batting was dominated by the outstanding Neil Brand. The South African professional enjoyed a remarkable campaign, scoring 1,007 runs at an average of 67.13 and a strike rate of 133.38, with four centuries and four fifties. He was equally influential with the ball, taking 36 wickets at just 13.47 while conceding only 3.40 runs per over.

Jason van der Merwe provided excellent support, making 593 runs at 42.36 and claiming 29 wickets at 19.52. The pair were the driving force behind much of Muckamore’s best cricket, including several substantial partnerships during their strong opening months. 

Beyond them, however, the batting returns dropped away sharply. Marco Bates was next with 308 runs, while Mark Gleghorne’s unbeaten 109 was a notable contribution when opportunities came. 

The bowling perhaps highlighted where improvement is required. Aditya Adey and Allen Coulter each took 23 wickets, giving Muckamore four genuine wicket-taking options alongside Brand and Van der Merwe, but beyond that the attack lacked the depth and penetration required to sustain a title challenge over an entire summer. 

There was also an emotional end to an era as long-serving Neil Gill bowed out at senior level. He still contributed 13 wickets and showed his enduring quality with three for 15 against Instonians. 

Fifth place was ultimately a little disappointing given where Muckamore had positioned themselves, but the foundations remain strong. Finding greater support for Brand and Van der Merwe, particularly with the ball, could be the difference between another promising challenge and a sustained assault on silverware in 2027.

MUCKAMORE BATTING

Top Run Aggregates
 
# Name Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s
1 N Brand 18 18 3 1007 139 67.13 755 133.38 4 4 103 40
2 J van der Merwe 20 18 4 593 90 42.36 646 91.80 - 4 47 26
3 Marco Bates 18 18 2 308 50 19.25 512 60.16 - 1 34 5
4 Luke Allen 19 14 3 197 32* 17.91 236 83.47 - - 13 6
5 M Gleghorne 9 8 3 174 109* 34.80 198 87.88 1 - 16 5
6 A Shields 15 12 1 173 44 15.73 199 86.93 - - 19 3
7 A Adey 19 13 - 161 27 12.38 257 62.65 - - 12 3
8 S Gordon 15 11 - 141 46 12.82 204 69.12 - - 9 1
9 C Dakhana 11 9 2 141 51 20.14 218 64.68 - 1 14 2
10 L Bates 20 10 3 101 25* 14.43 136 74.26 - - 6 4
11 N Gill 13 6 5 99 35* 99.00 123 80.49 - - 6 6
12 A Coulter 17 11 3 94 30* 11.75 142 66.20 - - 19 -
13 Jamie Jackson 9 8 1 37 24 5.29 49 75.51 - - 5 1
14 M Bates 2 2 - 28 20 14.00 43 65.12 - - 4 1
15 S Magee 4 3 - 13 9 4.33 22 59.09 - - 1 -
16 Ryan Dakhana 2 1 - 10 10 10.00 19 52.63 - - - 1
17 J Keates 2 2 - 9 9 4.50 21 42.86 - - 14 1
18 J Wilaon 1 1 - 8 8 8.00 26 30.77 - - - -
19 Pavan Karthik 3 1 1 5 5* - 3 166.67 - - 1 -
20 P Kane 1 1 - 5 5 5.00 6 83.33 - - 1 -
.

MUCKAMORE BOWLING

Top Wicket Takers
 
# Name Mat Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI Ave Econ SR 5WI wds nbs
1 N Brand 18 142.5 20 485 36 4-13 13.47 3.40 23.81 - 14 1
2 J van der Merwe 20 144.1 14 566 29 5-29 19.52 3.93 29.83 1 10 1
3 A Adey 19 106.3 5 617 23 3-24 26.83 5.79 27.78 - 25 10
4 A Coulter 17 115.5 6 617 23 3-31 26.83 5.33 30.22 - 56 9
5 N Gill 13 62 4 367 13 3-15 28.23 5.92 28.62 - 16 -
6 L Bates 20 62 1 410 7 2-25 58.57 6.61 53.14 - 15 1
7 S Gordon 15 6 - 24 2 2-24 12.00 4.00 18.00 - - -
8 S Magee 4 6 - 48 2 2-31 24.00 8.00 18.00 - 9 -
9 A Shields 15 13 - 75 1 1-45 75.00 5.77 78.00 - 2 -
10 C Dakhana 11 13 - 90 1 1-9 90.00 6.92 78.00 - 9 4
11 Marco Bates 18 4 - 20 - 0-20 - 5.00 - - - -
12 D Steen 1 4 - 21 - 0-21 - 5.25 - - - -
13 Pavan Karthik 3 7 - 41 - 0-13 - 5.86 - - 3 -
14 Luke Allen 19 7.3 - 54 - 0-1 - 7.20 - - 4 3