Adair back to lead attack on Lightning after Knights recall

MARK Adair has been recalled to the Northern Knights squad for today’s Inter-provincial Cup game against Leinster Lightning at The Hills (10.45am).

Adair missed both last week’s games, the Cup defeat to North West Warriors at Stormont and the Championship game against Lightning at Comber, but has been passed fit to lead the attack against the holders.

He is one of three changes to the team that lost heavily last Monday with Mark Ellison getting another chance at the top of the order, after his two failures in the three-day game, and James McCollum set to return after top scoring with 80s in both innings at Comber; he was forced to sit out the Stormont game after pulling up in the warm-up. Ally Shields and Adam Dennison make way.

Adair (below) was released by Warwickshire last year and is still determined to return to the county scene but, for now, he is playing in Section One of the Robinson Services League with Holywood and like everyone else involved in the inter=pros, hoping for a call-up to either the international side or, at least, the Ireland Wolves.

After the eight wickets defeat to the Warriors, it was a good response by the Knights in the Championship game, taking Lightning to the third last over before going down by five wickets, after a sporting declaration by Shane Getkate who retains the Knights captaincy, although James Shannon continues in the ranks.

Lightning, captained this year by George Dockrell, include the usual large quota of internationals for their opening defence of the 50-over competition, with only Leinster bowler Joe Carroll and Stephen Doheny uncapped – and the Rush batsman, as he was in Comber, likely to be 12th man today.

Kevin O’Brien, who missed last week’s three-day match as he was at a coaching course in Scotland, returns to the side — one of three Test players included — while the two to miss out are David Delany, despite taking 3-29 in Clontarf’s victory over YMCA in Saturday’s big league game, and Jarred Barnes who hasn’t recovered from the groin problem which forced him out of the Championship game after the first day.

Squads: Lightning: