Warriors edged out by Lively Lightning
The North West Warriors were unable to build on an impressive win last week when they lost out by 3 wickets in a terse affair against Leinster Lightning at Bready this afternoon.
The visitors won the toss and invited Andy McBrine’s outfit to bat first but a 49-run stand between Stephen Doheny and Ani Chore helped the home side to start well.
After Chore (16) and then skipper McBrine fell in quick succession, Doheny and Scott Macbeth (23) repaired the damage to take the score to 103-2.
Lightning’s bowlers once again seized back the initiative however- Fionn Hand (3-51), Gavin Hoey (2-20), Samuel Harbinson (2-25) and Barry McCarthy (2-30) firmly pulling the brake on the Warriors’ innings.
Doheny was out for a well-made 46 (6 fours and a six) and after that, only William McClintock (23) offered much by way of resistance as the innings closed on 183.
It looked light at halfway, however a decent fightback with the ball kept the contest alive through the late afternoon.
Opener Jack Tector made 39 and Greg Ford 37, but wickets for Ryan Macbeth (2-45) and Craig Young (2-46) brought the hosts back into the contest.
From 83-2, Lightning found themselves 96-5, however Harbison was making his presence felt with the bat as well as the ball.
Hand added a valuable 24 but an unbeaten 48 from Harbison saw him and Barry McCarthy finally get their side over the line with those three wickets in hand.
This was a first win of the season for Nigel Jones’s charges and a result that sends Boyd Rankin’s team into Thursday’s home game with the Northern Knights needing victory there to take them back into contention at the top of the table.
The North West Warriors are kindly sponsored by – Fleming-Agri Products Ltd
Originally set up in Donegal in the northwest of Ireland by Robert John Fleming in 1860, ownership of the company has remained in the Fleming family to the present, ranking as one of the oldest agricultural machinery companies in the UK and Ireland. The company trades in over 20 countries and employs over 100 people in their modern 6-acre site in Newbuildings. They specialise in agricultural, countryside and ground care machinery with over 100 products on offer: https://www.fleming-agri.com/
