The North West Warriors won two of their three IPT20 fixtures for the second weekend in a row and will go in to the final round of fixtures in September with a four point lead at the top of the table, however Gary Wilson’s charges will definitely feel it could and probably should have been more.
All the hard work looked to have been done when the home side restricted Leinster Lightning to 127-8 in their innings in Sunday’s early game, however the Dubliners dug deep to defend their total and secure a 16-run victory in the end.
Not for the first time, George Dockrell was on hand to bail his team out- the skipper’s unbeaten 55 (5 fours) by a long way best for them. Openers Kevin O’Brien and Simi Singh chipped in with 16 and 12 respectively but elsewhere it was all about the North West attack.
Craig Young (2-21), Ryan Macbeth (2-24) and Graham Hume (1-29) bowled with decent heat up front while Andy McBrine (3-19) ensured there were few dramas in the middle and late overs.
it looked a golden opportunity for the home side to take a real hold of the competition, but the Lightning aren’t champions for no reason. Barry McCarthy (3-20), Josh Little (2-16) and Simi Singh (2-20) were on it early as the reply slumped to 20-3. Shane Getkate (20) and William McClintock (35) pulled it back with a 41-run stand, but the pressure really told in the middle.
Only skipper McBrine with 13 made it to double figures after that as Gareth Hoey (2-12) joined the party for Lightning. To be fair to the visitors they bowled and fielded superbly and the writing was on the wall three overs out with the run-rate climbing steeply.
Still, going into the final round of matches on top of the pile will give the Warriors plenty to look forward to as the show rolls into Belfast at the end of the season.
