As the threat of rain subsided, the Gallagher Challenge Cup quarter-finals saw thrilling performances and intense competition, with teams showcasing their skills and determination to secure their places in the prestigious semi-finals.
Highlights of the quarter-finals
- At The Green, Instonians batted first and posted 231-7 in 34 overs with Jack Dickson hitting 66 (66) supported by skipper Nikolai Smith (40) and an important 8th wicket partnership of 46 from Ben Rose (31*) and Cian Robertson (21*). North Down’s Tom Crothers and Ali Shields chipped in with 2 wickets each. Despite some contributions from Ali Shields (34) and the returning James Shannon (52) North Down were all out for 183 after 28.5 overs largely due to the effervescent Andrew White who bowled superbly to record bowling figures of 7-38- an incredible feat for the 43-year-old.
Instonians’ off-spinner and Gallagher Player of the Match Andrew White said:
“The guys set it up really well with the bat and it was probably just above par on a really good North Down wicket. The boys batted brilliantly and gave us something to defend and we fought hard with the ball as well so I’m really pleased. It’s always hard fought at North Down and with a few of our older guys in their ranks now, which adds a bit to it but delighted to be in the semi-finals. There are no easy teams left but let’s see what happens.”
- Lisburn came out on top in the Lisburn derby day clash at Wallace Park with Derriaghy batting first and posting 126 all out. Skipper Craig Lewis top-scored with 45* against a strong Lisburn attack. Ryan MacBeth recorded miserly figures of 3-11 off 7.5 overs with Gallagher POTM Adam Kennedy claiming 3-16. Matthew Humphreys and Neil Whitworth chipped in with 2 wickets each. Lisburn chased down the total in just 15.5 overs for the loss of 2 wickets with the experienced Nigel Jones in the runs once again with 61*. Derriaghy’s Renco Adams claimed the 2 Lisburn wickets.
- Onto Moylena where Muckamore pulled off an excellent win over Belfast side CSNI in a reduced game (31 overs). Muckamore batted first posting a competitive 186-6 from their allotted overs. Opening bat Sathish Suresh top scored with 39 and was supported by contributions from Mark Gleghorne (37), Jason Van Der Merwe (31) and Ben Calitz (25). CSNI youngsters Harry Dyer and Finn Lutton shared 2 wickets each. The reply went right to the wire but Muckamore defended their total with 2 balls to spare despite valiant efforts by Ireland U19 player Jordan Neill (50) and a late flourish of 35 by young-gun James West. Sathish Suresh and Jason Van Der Merwe bowled well to restrict CSNI’s batsmen claiming 3 wickets each.
- The close finishes didn’t stop at Moylena as in-form Woodvale got over the line by 5 runs (DLS) against competition holders Waringstown at Ballygomartin Road. Woodvale batted first and scored 217-9 off their reduced 47 overs with Carl Robinson (56) and skipper Harry Warke (37) contributing the most runs for their team. Greg Thompson, James Cameron-Dow and Jack Snell claimed 2 wickets each. Despite runs from James Cameron-Dow (63*), Greg Thompson (45) and James McCollum (30), Waringstown fell short of the 218 target as Ruhan Pretorius (3-31) and Aditya Adey (3-48) claimed the most wickets.
All in all, it was another fantastic round of fixtures and there will be some very exciting ties taking place in the semi-finals.
Summaries: Quarter Finals – 15th June
Instonians 231-7 (34 overs, J Dickson 66, C Carmichael 23, N Smith 40, A Ly 20, B Rose 31*, C Robertson 21*, T Crothers 2-33, A Shields 2-65)
North Down 182 (28.5 overs, A Shields 34, A Chore 22, J Shannon 52, P Davison 28, J Magee 2-32, A White 7-38)
Instonians beat North Down by 49 runs
Derriaghy 126 (44.5 overs, C Lewis 45*, R MacBeth 3-11, A Kennedy 3-16, M Humphreys 2-35, N Whitworth 2-33)
Lisburn 127-2 (15.5 overs, N Jones 61*, R Adams 2-39)
Lisburn beat Derriaghy by 8 wickets
Muckamore 185-6 (31 overs, S Suresh 39, M Gleghorne 37, J Van Der Merwe 31, B Calitz 25, H Dyer 2-44, F Lutton 2-16)
CSNI 177 (30.4 overs, J Neill 50, M Ellison 28, J West 35, S Suresh 3-34, P Karthik 2-32, J Van Der Merwe 3-38)
Muckamore beat CSNI by 8 runs
Woodvale 217-9 (47 overs, H Warke 37, R Restieaux 28, C Robinson 56, S Bunting 23, G Thompson 2-33, J Cameron-Dow 2-42, J Snell 2-26)
Waringstown 212-9 (47 overs, J McCollum 30, G Thompson 45, J Cameron-Dow 63*, R Pretorius 3-31, R Restieaux 2-33, A Adey 3-48)
Woodvale beat Waringstown by 5 runs (DLS)
DLS Par score was 216 in 47 overs
Full Scorecards: https://northerncricketunion.org/ncu-nv-play-match-zone/?tab=c_matches#cd04723e9-fce2-49cf-a092-825584ed5c7c
Gallagher Player of the Match Awards:
Thank you to Gallagher for their continued support and to their representatives for attending the games and presenting the awards.
The semi-finals draw will take place on Tuesday 25th June Live from Stormont on NCU’s Facebook Live (time TBA).