Waringstown complete clean sweep but Premier League title is still in CI’s hands

WARINGSTOWN have all six available senior trophies at the Lawn but their grip on the Robinson Services Premier League trophy is loosening.

Their chance to close the gap on leaders CIYMS to four points, albeit having played a game extra, was washed out yesterday when their scheduled game against Civil Service North at Stormont was abandoned after the overnight rain got under the covers.

The game will be rearranged, probably as a 20 overs a side, but CI show no sign off giving up their commanding lead.

While Waringstown were winning the rain-interrupted All-Ireland Twenty20 final on Saturday — beating Clontarf to complete the clean sweep of trophies in the last 12 months — CIYMS were making a superb recovery against CSN at Stormont, to keep their eight points lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Professional Matt McGillivray was their all-round star, taking 3-35 in CSN’s 195-8 and then saw CI home in the 46th over with 64 not out.

At 82-5, a second defeat of the season looked the most likely outcome but McGillivray, in partnership with Jacob Mulder (38) put on 94 for the sixth wicket and James Cameron-Dow stayed with the South African to seal what could turn out to be a championship-winning victory.

Greg Thompson, the Waringstown captain, admits the title is in CI’s hands. “All we can do is keep winning our matches and hope CI slip-up. But the Irish Cup (final) is the big one on September 1st, that’s ring-marked in the diary.”

Of the scheduled 120 overs at All-Ireland T20 finals day, only 42.3 overs were played across the three games.

Waringstown reached the final, beating Brigade 3-2 in a bowl-out at Beechgrove while Clontarf won a 10 overs game, after a delayed start, beating Cork County by 16 runs.

The final started 30 minutes early to get in as much play as possible but the rain arrived after 14 overs and the game was reduced to 15 a side with openers Adam Dennison (61 not out) and James McCollum (66 not out) taking Waringstown to a final total of 134-0.

Clontarf managed only half their allocated overs before the rain returned and at 73-5, they were seven runs behind the DLS par score.

At the other end of the Premier League table, Armagh have four games left and are ‘just’ 12 points adrift, but their relegation seems certain after crashing to a 171 runs defeat by Carrickfergus yesterday — in a 20 overs match!

Michael Gilmour hit 136 not out and Max Burton 103 in an opening stand of 186 before Carrick finished on a huge 276-2.

In the North West, Ardmore gave themselves a lifeline at the bottom of the Long’s SuperValu Championship when they leapfrogged Fox Lodge, with a two-wicket win, reaching their revised target of 200 in 30 overs with 19 balls to spare. Yesterday’s score: The Mall: Carrickfergus 276-2 (20 overs, M Gilmour 136 not out, M Burton 103) Armagh 105 (S Lester 32; M McCord 3-17, R Hood 2-11). Carrickfergus won by 171 runs. Wicket down: Ben Stokes leaving the field after being dismissed