It was a landmark day for the Dragons at Lisburn on Sunday as they beat the Typhoons in the Arachas Super 50 Cup to record their first win of the season.
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There were no weather problems on Sunday across the North West as the season’s first week of 40-over league cricket fixtures were replayed in glorious sunshine.
And there were plenty of runs scored too- as well as another odd surprise result- notably at the Bleachgreen where Brigade lost for the second time in 24 hours.
Having been knocked out of the Sports Hub senior cup on Saturday afternoon, the Beechgrove side’s batting again gave way as they were dismissed for just 72 in reply to the hosts’ total of 160-8.
The highest scoring game of the day was at Foyle View where Ryan Hunter and Ross Dougherty both made centuries in a 99-run victory over Coleraine.
Hunter hit 17 fours and a six is his 104 while his batting partner had 11 boundaries and 4 sixes in his 100- the pair sharing a 167-run stand for the third wicket. Jared Wilson’s quick-fire 58 not out included 6 sixes and 2 fours as Newbuildings made 330-5 from their 40 overs.
The Bannsiders, fresh from Saturday’s batting collapse at home to Ballyspallen fared much better in their reply this time, albeit without really ever threatening to chase down the win.
Tanuj Chopra made 51 and Matthew Hutchinson 48, while there were also cameos from Ravindra Karunaratne (35), Varun Chopra (26) and Rory Knox (24) in a total of 231 all out.
A brilliant effort with the ball from Gary Mitchell (6-39) with support from Ross Hunter (2-26) steered the hosts to a comfortable win.
Closest game of the afternoon was at Burndennett where the home side failed by just two runs to get past Ballyspallen.
Demith Perera top scored with 47 and Zak Guy added a late unbeaten 23 as the Roe Valley outfit posted what looked like a modest 113 all out.
Mark Roulston (2-11), Mark Snodgrass (2-22), Marcello Piedt (2-26) and Mark Pollock (2-27) all bowled well, but the home side contrived to get themselves in a tangle in reply.
Andy Barr fared best as he made 23, Eddie McGettigan added 20, but Corey Roulston (13 not out) could find no-one to stay with him as the innings closed on 111.
Stephen Kennedy (4-13) and Perera (4-22) took full advantage as ‘Spallen secured a narrow win.
Eglinton posted a 4-wicket win over Killyclooney in an entertaining game at the village.
Darren Moan made an aggressive 58 (6 sixes and a four) while Timmy Dougherty added an unbeaten 55 and William Finlay 38 in ‘Clooney’s very respectable 202-5.
Brothers Robbie (2-35) and Andy Millar (2-54) fared best with the ball while the reply was down to the brilliance of Tommy Orr.
The Warriors player batted beautifully, hitting 7 sixes and 6 fours- carrying his bat for an unbeaten 127.
Mark Averill weighed in with 42 while Jason Wallace helped himself to 4-42 for the bowling side; however Orr’s superb knock ensured his side sealed a deserved win.
Bready stayed at the top of Group A as they beat Strabane by seven wickets.
Bready’s bowling attack was once again to the fore as they dismissed Strabane for just 108, with only Tanvir Hasan (25) offering any opposition.
Skipper David Scanlon took three wickets, while there were two apiece for Conor Olphert, Gregory McFaul and Gavin Roulston.
Roulston (24) was in the runs too as Bready made light of the early loss of David Rankin to ease to a seven wickets win – Scott Macbeth (40*) and Jamie Magee (29*) sharing an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 57.
Brigade’s batting woes continued as they crumbled to an 88-run loss at The Bleachgreen.
Ardmore’s total of 160 for 8 looked modest, which owed much to Tyron Koen (37), an unbeaten 33 from Rachit Gaur against his former club, and a late, quickfire 23 from Dave Bezzant.
The Brigade attack was badly hampered by injuries, but Ryan Macbeth bowled well in his 3 for 16 from six overs.
The chase was soon in tatters with Koen (2-20) and Gaur (2-22) making early inroads, and Conor Brolly (4-9) then mopped up the middle and late order – Brigade all out for 72 with only skipper Andy Britton (21) showing any serious resistance.
There was a run feast in the other two matches with nearly 1000 runs scored between them.
High flying Fox Lodge won again but were pushed all the way by Glendermott.
Dean McCarter top scored with 61 (7 fours, 4 sixes), sharing a fourth wicket stand of 76 with Luke Hayes, who made 53.
Marco Marais (38) was also in the runs, while Johnny Robinson clubbed 5 sixes in a 16-ball 36 as the Foxies posted 253 for 8 – four wickets for home skipper Ben Mills.
Glendermott gave it a right go, but despite a half century from Pakistan professional Jamal Anwar (50) and 47 from Nathan McGuire, they fell short by ten runs.
St Johnston completed a dream weekend as they won by 45 runs at Bonds Glen after making 259 for 9.
Michael Rankin top scored with 70, while David Macbeth made 54, and Sabin Babu 37 in a solid batting display.
The Bee Gees made a right fight of it, with Johnny Haslett top scoring with 42, Simon Killen making 37 and young Sam Kincaid scoring 35.
In the end though they left themselves just too much to do, with Nathan Cole taking four wickets and Ian Macbeth two in another impressive display.
Glorious sunshine greeted the start of this season’s Sports Hub NW senior cup on Saturday with plenty of thrills and spills for the decent crowds who turned out to watch.
The biggest story of the day and indeed the season so far was the defeat of cup holders Brigade who were well beaten at home by St Johnston. The visitors posted a very competitive 198-9 from their 50 overs- father and son Ian and Jack Macbeth combining to do much of the damage.
Ian hit 6 fours and 4 sixes in his match-defining 71 not out with Jack adding 34. David Anthony and Jacob Maroske both chipped in with 25 while Nick Gray (4-27) and David Barr (2-26) were best with the ball for the hosts.
Brigade’s reply just never got going and they were in trouble for most of the afternoon.
Graeme McCarter fared best with 28 while skipper Andy Britton added 23, but once the Saints had them down, they never let them back up.
Anthony bowled really well to claim 4-23 with Macbeth senior completing a man-of-the-match performance with 3-14. Nathan Cole weighed in with 2-14 as Brigade were all out for 130- a famous 68-run win for the Donegal men.
Donemana are safely through to the quarter-finals after a comfortable win at Strabane Park.
Ryan Gallagher top scored with 42 and Conor Graham made 20 in a disappointing 119 all out for an under-strength home side.
In-form William McBrine (4-13) and Dean Mehaffey (2-12) were best with the ball for the Holm men, who had little trouble knocking off the required runs.
Gary McClintock (35), William McClintock (34*), Andy McBrine (21) and Kyle Dougherty (20) proved to be as much as they needed to get over the line- Ehtesham Ahmed (3-30) bowling well in defeat for Strabane.
Coleraine’s home defeat by Ballyspallen was something of a surprise as well, however the Bannsiders have only themselves to blame.
Sitting on 127-3 chasing 180, the north coast side contrived to lose their last 7 wickets for a mere 15 runs as the wheels well and truly came off on North West 200 day.
Demith Perera had earlier top scored for ‘Spallen- 5 sixes and 4 fours in his 75 with support coming from Stephen Kennedy (31), James Thompson (23*) and Luke Gilfillan (21).
Stephen Hutchinson (3-19) was the pick of the Bannsiders’ attack, before that spectacular collapse sent them crashing out of the cup.
Ravindra Karunaratne hit 8 fours and 4 sixes in his 75 but Perera turned provider with the ball for the Roe Valley men as his 5-45 and Kennedy’s 3-24 turned the game completely on its head.
A brilliant partnership between Marco Marais and Jason Milligan sent Fox Lodge into Monday’s draw as they beat Killyclooney by 9 wickets.
The South African smashed 17 sixes and 4 fours on his way to 138 not out with Milligan adding an unbeaten 67 (8 fours, 1 six) at the other end.
Earlier, Alan Colhoun had crashed 12 sixes and 3 fours in his 104 with Richard McMorris weighing in with 45 in Clooney’s total of 248.
Adam Walker (3-19) and Alistair Doherty (3-34) were best with the ball as the Ballymagorry side cruised to the win.
Glendermott were no match for Bready at Magheramason as the home side recorded an 8-wicket win.
Nathan McGuire’s 36 was the best of the Rectory men’s 97 all out as Gregory McFaul (3-12), Davy Scanlon (3-15), and Conor Olphert (3-23) proved too hot to handle.
Davy Rankin made 36 at the top of Bready’s order as they reached the quarters with bundles to spare.
And Burndennett progressed too after a cracking first round tie at home to Ardmore.
Marcello Piedt top scored for ‘Dennett with a hard-hitting 48 (5 fours, 3 sixes) but only after Eddie McGettigan (37) and Marty Mehaffey (28) had given their side an ideal platform with an opening stand of 78.
Dharm Singh (5-45) and Harry Zimmerman (4-29) combined brilliantly for the Bleachgreen boys to restrict Burndennett’s total to 154.
Zimmerman was in good form with the bat too- his 43 (7 fours) keeping Ardmore in the contest throughout; but they just couldn’t get over the line in reply.
Ciaran Curley added 22 and Mark Chambers 16, but Mark Pollock’s 4-26, 3-41 from Mark Snodgrass and 2-28 from Piedt was enough to restrict the visitors to 143 all out- an 11-run defeat.
The highest scoring game of the day was up at the Glen where Newbuildings and the Bee Gees shared nearly 550 runs.
Ryan Hunter made 70 (7 fours, 3 sixes) and Johnny Thompson 60 (4 fours, 4 sixes) as the visitors set a target of 301.
Ross Dougherty (49), Ross Hunter (39) and Jason Dunn (36*) were also among the runs- the latter pair posting a late 72 run stand that gave Newbuildings the edge at half-way.
David Cooke (3-48) was best with the ball for the hosts with David Robinson and Mattie Barr chipping in with two wickets apiece.
Overseas man Heinrich Roberts hit 11 fours and a six on his way to 61 in the reply, while Cooke also made a half century (52) and skipper Jonny Haslett an unbeaten 38.
It wasn’t to be enough in the final reckoning however- Thompson (3-25) and Ross Hunter (3-62) on the mark as the Bee Gees came up 62 runs short.
In the final game, Eglinton had a walk-over after The Nedd were unable to field a team.
The draw for the quarter-finals is provisionally set for Monday lunchtime.
It was to prove a hugely frustrating afternoon for the home side at Bready today as the North West Warriors lost by 12 runs (DLS) to the Northern Knights in a game ultimately decided by the weather.
Andy McBrine’s men must have felt they had the contest firmly in their grasp at half way, having won the toss and bowled the visitors out for a modest 123. Graham Hume was in scintillating form with the ball early on- the former Coleraine man eventually returning figures of 4-18 from his 10 overs.
Ryan Macbeth (3-29) was bang on the money as well, with only debutant Ani Chore (48) offering much in the way of resistance from the Knights. The North Down ‘keeper/batsman played really well, hitting 5 boundaries in his knock, with Ross Adair’s 14 the next best effort with the bat.
Granted, conditions were far from ideal, however the home side were soon struggling themselves in the chase.
Ruhan Pretorius was proving particularly troublesome and the South African sent down an impressive straight ten over spell to finish with figures of 3-21, including the wicket of Graham Kennedy from his final delivery.
Credit Matthew Foster too though; his 1-9 from 6 overs also helped to really put the brakes on the Warriors’ chase.
Andy McBrine (15) and William Porterfield (13) tried to give their side a foothold in the innings but the rain arrived with William McClintock (12*) and Hume looking to get them back into the match at 61-5.
And despite the odd chance of things clearing up, the players never got back out after that- the Warriors still 12 short of the par score of 73 in the final reckoning.
A disappointing defeat for Boyd Rankin’s charges if truth be told on a day when both sides found it hard to get going.
At Magheramason, the North West Warriors lost to the Northern Knights by 12 runs (DLS)
Northern Knights 123 all out in 45 overs (A Chore 48, R Adair 14, J McCollum 13, G Hume 4-18, R Macbeth 3-29)
North West Warriors 61-5 in 23.2 overs (A McBrine 15, W Porterfield 13, W McClintock 12*, R Pretorius 3-21)
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/
There is no shortage of action this coming weekend with a double-header of league and cup cricket for supporters to enjoy across the two days.
The North West Warriors have kept faith with the same squad that lost their opening tie in Leinster last week for Thursday’s Interprovincial Cup clash against the Northern Knights at Bready (10.45am).
Hand injuries to Craig Young and Shane Getkate meant that selectors could have been faced with a dilemma, but Head Coach Boyd Rankin said he had absolutely no issues in sticking with the new faces in his panel.
“Obviously it’s not ideal to lose key players of the calibre of Craig and Shane, but the likes of Scott, Gavin and Trent deserve to be involved at this level. They are quality players, but just as importantly they have worked hard over the winter and it’s vital that we have a clear pathway for them.”
“I know how much it meant to me to get my chance at that age and although maybe you don’t always get the runs or wickets that you want to, being involved in senior representative squads is a real part of your development.”
“These lads really impressed, not just in their level of commitment over the winter but in the warm-up games as well, and I would have no worries about playing any of them.”
“We’re really looking forward to what should be a decent game between two well-matched teams.”
North West Warriors v Northern Knights, IP50, 12 May, 10:45am, Bready CC
The squad in full is-
Andy McBrine (capt)
William Porterfield
Nathan McGuire
Gavin Roulston
Scott Macbeth
William McClintock
Graham Hume
Stephen Doheny
Conor Olphert
Jared Wilson
Ryan Macbeth
Trent McKeegan
Graham Kennedy
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/
It may have been a week later than planned, but the Long’s SuperValu league programme got under way across the North West this afternoon with plenty of impressive performances to mark the occasion.
Donemana began with an impressive win- William McBrine in excellent form for the Holm side as his 6-46 helped Willie McClintock’s team to an 8-wicket victory over Eglinton
Batting first, the villagers could only muster 94 all out with Tommy Orr making 41 of those (7 fours). Gary Neely claimed 2-16 to help tidy up but the visitors were hardly at the races if truth be told.
Kyle Dougherty hit 5 sixes and 4 fours in his 27-ball 53, with Joe Robinson adding 21 as Donemana cruised to an 8-wicket win in 10 overs.
Ballyspallen caused something of a surprise as they left Newbuildings with a 48-run success.
Steven McCloskey made an unbeaten 54 while Jacob Logan-Wilson added 24 and James Thompson 23 in the visitors total of 150 all out.
Johnny Thompson (5-39) starred with the ball for Newbuildings with Peter Allen and Jordan McCorkell picking up two wickets each, but it was to prove too big an ask for the Foyle View side.
Despite ‘JT’ making 35 and Jared Wilson adding 25, Damith Perera (4-14), Stuart Kennedy (2-28) and Josh Wilson (2-29) saw the hosts bowled out for just 102 in reply.
And just up the road in Burndennett, the home side got the better of Killyclooney in an entertaining and high scoring affair.
Kenzie Hall and Alan Colhoun both made 47 in the visitors’ total of 209- skipper Timmy Dougherty weighing in with 37 as well, while Mark Snodgrass showed he has retained plenty of his form returning figures of 4-30.
Aaron McDermott and Conan Pollock claimed two wickets apiece and ‘Dennett then gave themselves a great start in reply as Marty Mehaffey (42), Mark Doherty (40) and Eddie McGettigan (33) were all among the runs.
Andrew Neill (4-25) kept ‘Clooney well in the game before Andy Barr’s quick-fire 29 got Burndennett home with 3 wickets to spare.
Strabane posted an impressive win over Bonds Glen at the Park- David Cooke’s 70 not out and 38 from Simon Killen helping the Bee Gees to a very respectable 182-6 in their 40 overs.
Tom Harper (3-32) and Ehtesham Ahmed (2-28) helped keep things in check and ‘Shami’ was in great form with the bat as well as he scored 77 (6 fours and 3 sixes) in the reply.
Shami and Kevin Gallagher (65) looked as if they were going to chase down the target without losing a wicket, but their 163-run opening stand did ensure a comfortable 8-wicket verdict for the Red Caps.
Marco Marais made an unbeaten 61 as Fox Lodge saw off Ardmore by 5 wickets at Ballymagorry.
Marais along with Travis Nicholl (47) did the bulk of the damage as the Foxies made light of a target of 146- Nicholl hitting 6 sixes and 2 fours in only 16 balls- sharing in a 55-run opening stand with Jason Milligan who made just four of those.
Earlier, Dave Bezzant had made 49 and Conor King 34 while Aaron Heywood (3-26), Levi Kerr (3-35) and Marais (2-16) managed to keep the Bleachgreen side at arm’s length.
Brigade won the Waterside derby by 4 wickets in a real nail-biter at Beechgrove.
Alan Johnson scored an unbeaten 78 (3 fours, 2 sixes) while there were cameos from Nathan McGuire (14), Scott Laird (14) and Dylan Lynch (15) in Glendermott’s total of 159-7.
Andy Britton (4-16) was the pick of the home bowlers and the skipper was also instrumental in getting his side over the winning line with just 3 balls to spare.
David Barr hit 69 at the top of Brigade’s reply and Graeme McCarter chipped in with 23 before Britton’s 22 not out closed the deal. Alex Boyd (2-20) and Curtis Ross (2-31) kept Glendermott in the hunt right to the end.
And in the day’s final game an under-strength St Johnston lost by 81 runs to Bready at the Boathole.
Davy Scanlon’s men posted 196-9 from their 40 overs courtesy of 66 from Irosh Samarasooriya and a few late runs from Ian Young (33*) as well as 23 from former Saint Scott Macbeth.
The hosts were missing their share of the Macbeths due to a wedding but Dawie Barnard (3-39), Nathan Cole (2-29) and Michael Rankin (2-31) were all on target to keep the visitors from getting too far away.
It was in the batting department that the Donegal side struggled however with another former player, Khyat Bhavsar, claiming 4-25 as the reply was contained to 115. Jacob Marowske, co-incidentally a former Bready player, top scored with 18 while Gavin Roulston (3-10) helped ensure a comfortable away win.
Three North West Warriors have been named in the Dragons squad for their opening game of the IP50 Super Series tomorrow against the Scorchers.
Leinster Lightning started the Interprovincial T20 Cup campaign in a fairly familiar manner this afternoon as the Dublin side posted a 7-wicket win over the North West Warriors at Sydney Parade.
In fairness the game was a pretty turgid affair for most of the day; the weekend’s persistent rain ensuring that any rewards would have to be earned with both bat and ball.
The Warriors innings had a stop-start feel to it with openers William Porterfield and Stephen Doheny posting a 67-run stand and the last two wickets adding a very valuable 64. In between however, proceedings were dominated by Leinster skipper George Dockrell and his fellow spinners Harry Tector and Simi Singh.
In difficult scoring conditions, Porterfield (44) and Doheny (29) dug deep to give the visitors an excellent base. Once Dockrell brought himself into the attack however, the balance shifted Lightning’s way.
The Ireland International had Doheny caught from just his second delivery and 67-0 soon became 121-8 as the innings ground to a halt. Scott Macbeth (14) and Andy McBrine (12) were the only batsmen to make it to double figures before the tail wagged for the Warriors.
Jared Wilson (18) and Ryan Macbeth added 38 for the 9th wicket while Macbeth (29*) and Conor Olphert (7) found 26 more for the last, to close on 185 all out.
Dockrell’s 5-24 from 10 overs was innings-defining as Tector (2-21) and Singh (2-54) maintained the pressure at the other end.
The home side’s reply started tentatively enough too, but despite losing Simi Singh and Andrew Balbirnie cheaply, a 74-run stand between the Tector brothers kept their noses in front.
Tim played really well at the top of the order, the 19-year old making 47 before falling to Graham Hume while Harry was in brilliant form as he and his captain sealed the win from there. Harry hit 5 fours and 4 sixes in his unbeaten 76 with Dockrell adding 21* in an unbroken stand of 70.
To their credit, Boyd Rankin’s side battled hard throughout; Hume again outstanding as he claimed 2-20 from his 10 overs.
In the end though it was a comfortable win for the reigning champions as they had those seven wickets and more than six overs to spare. And in this mood, Lighting are already looking like they will take all the stopping once again.
Next up for the Warriors is a home game against the Northern Knights at Bready on Thursday week (May 12).
North West and Irish umpire Roland Black has flown to England to stand in two four-day matches as part of an umpire exchange initiative with the England and Wales Cricket Board.