CRICKET: Coleraine shock Donemana

Back in that summer Sir Alex Ferguson still hadn't won a league title with Manchester United, David Gower's England were losing the Ashes 5-0 to Australia and many of the players who took the field at The Holm on Saturday weren't even born.

With Coleraine not even being able to include professional Mohammed Salman on Saturday, you would have got long odds on the Bannsiders breaking that miserable sequence, but break it they did.

Firstly they bowled out last season's Senior Cup winners for 167 in little more than 30 overs, before knocking off the required target with more than two overs and five wickets to spare.

A mixture of youth and experience was the key to the Coleraine win. Rory Knox, good enough to be named in the 2009 North West Team of the Year, was unquestionably the bowling hero. He claimed the first three Donemana wickets, including the prize scalps of Andy McBrine and Pakistan professional Azhar Shafique, who only arrived in County Tyrone from his homeland late on the Friday night.

With Knox claiming 4-54, Donemana were all at sea on 57 for six at one stage, only for the home side to rally courtesy of veteran all-rounder James McBrine, who struck six fours and three sixes in a defiant 53. However, it was another Coleraine young gun, Stuart Campbell, who wrapped up the innings with 3-6.

The Coleraine run chase wasn't plain sailing though. Shafique, Donemana's only real pace option with the new ball with Stephen Dunn now in the opposition, claimed a double breakthrough and with the visitors wobbling on 41 for three, it was very much game on.

But just when Coleraine needed him most, Ian McGregor, the big winter signing from Limavady, delivered with a steady half-century on his debut. He struck six boundaries in his 54, sharing what was effectively a match-winning stand of 93 for the fourth wicket with Geoff Lockhart (37).

This performance was no mean feat considering the talent at the Holm and the absence of Coleraine's talismatic Muhammed Salman and was particularly sweet for team manager Gavin Craig and Chairman Alec Smith who have waited some two decades for such a result.

Next week should prove a tougher test as Coleraine head to Strabane but they'll go into the match full of confidence and should hopefully be strengthened by the imminent arrival of professional Muhammed Salman.

If Coleraine's victory was the shock of the day, then Limavady's demise at Strabane wasn't far behind. Strabane had been widely written off because of the winter departure of Niall McDonnell, and their odds would have lengthened in the absence of professional and captain Jonathan Beukes, and all-rounder Mark Gillespie. However, in a complete turn-up they defeated a dismal Limavady team by 40 runs.

Kevin Martin top scored with 52, but a total of 153 for eight surely shouldn't have been insurmountable for Limavady, even without the departed McGregor.

However, their reply was soon in tatters with Decker Curry bowled by Martin Deans for a duck, and the top score in Limavady’s top six was just 15 from Adam McDaid.

Mark McDaid briefly threatened to hold up Strabane with 26, but Rory Gallagher wrapped up the innings by claming three wickets for just three runs.

Elsewhere, Glendermott’s extraordinary record of losing on the opening day of the season continued as Fox Lodge inflicted an eight-wicket thrashing at Ballymagorry.

Brigade as expected got off to a winning start against Eglinton at Beechgrove.

The visitors managed just 153 batting first, with Johnny Thompson beginning his Brigade career with a three-wicket haul.

In the battle between two clubs expected to struggle, newly-promoted St Johnston were beaten by four wickets by Bready at Magheramason.

The visitors posted a respectable 206 for five, but an unbeaten 86 from Steven Clarke saw the home side home with four overs to spare.