Warriors Open IP20 Campaign with a Win

The North West Warriors built on their impressive start to this year’s Hanley Energy Interprovincial series with a clinical T20 win against the Northern Knights at Stormont.

An excellent effort with the bat was the catalyst for the visitors’ success- a 37-run opening stand between David Rankin and Stuart Thompson followed by another worth 91 between Rankin and William Porterfield sending the Warriors towards their competitive 166-5.

Thompson’s rapid 28 included three fours and two sixes before Rankin completed an impressive half century that contained two fours and three sixes.

Porterfield fell just four short of his 50 (5 fours and two sixes) while skipper Andy McBrine added a valuable 16 off seven balls late on.

Nigel Jones (2-21) was the pick of the bowling for the Knights who started on the front foot in their reply.

Jones and Alistair Shields racked up 81 in good time, but the match turned on its head when the latter was run out for 40.

Once they had broken through, the Warriors were rampant with two more quick wickets (Davy Scanlon and Andy Britton) followed by Craig Young removing the dangerous Jones for 57.

It was all one-way traffic after that; James McCollum with 12 the only player apart from the openers to reach double figures as the Knights lost all ten wickets for the addition of 60 runs to be all out for 141.

Craig Young served further notice to the Ireland selectors as he finished with figures of 4-21 while Scanlon showed once again how much he deserves his place on this stage taking 3-25.

Another impressive performance from Ian McGregor’s charges who look like being a match for anyone this summer.