Warriors on receiving end as Lightning flex their muscle
It was a day to forget for the North West Warriors at The Hills on Monday as Leinster Lightning belatedly found their form in this season’s Rario Interprovincial series.
George Dockrell’s side has been a little below par so far in 2023, but they were in scintillating form at Milverton and the visitors certainly paid the price.
It had started well for Boyd Rankin’s charges as a couple of early wickets for Craig Young reduced the batting side to 46-3 early on, but there was to be little else to shout about after that.
Lorcan Tucker and Chris De Freitas added 123 for the 4th wicket before the debutant was out for 50 and then the real fireworks began.
Tucker and skipper Dockrell combined for a 5th wicket partnership of 154- the former hitting 15 fours and 6 sixes in his 93-ball 133 while his batting partner needed just 49 deliveries for his 88 (5 fours, 8 sixes).
Samuel Harbison blasted 43 not out off 16 (3 fours, 4 sixes) with Fionn Hand adding 40 from 15 as that pair rubbed salt in the wound with an unbeaten 87-run stand in the last five overs, for a mammoth total of 425-7.
Young (4-61) fared by far the best of the bowlers- although the spinners, Andy McBrine and Scott Macbeth bowled tidily to go for less than six an over.
Openers Liam Doherty (30) and Stephen Doheny (26) got starts, as did Cameron Melly (21) and Andy McBrine (20), but the shell-shocked visitors were never at the races in reply.
Simi Singh (4-39), Gavin Hoey (2-29) and Hand (2-43) saw the innings close on 181 on a day when the only way is up for the North West lads.
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/
