CRICKET: Ulster University, Jordanstown retain Indoor title

The Jordanstown side defeated Dublin City University in their semi-final despite the best efforts of Tom Anders - the tournament’s stand-out player.

Anders hit 48 and Kashif Ali 39, as DCU set a potentially tricky target of 110. Kris Lyness (3-19), Peter Eakin (2-23) and skipper Matthew McCord the wicket takers.

A soid batting display saw Ulster University, Jordanstown reach the final with 11 balls to spare, losing just two wickets along the way.

Peter Eakin and Ryan Dennison both made 25, with Ross Bryans (21) and Kris Lyness (18) all chipping in.

The other semi-final was won by Dublin Institute of Technology. They beat NU Galway with a 31 run win. They ran up an impressive 127 for five in their 10 overs, with fine batting displays from Michael Hogan (38), Jack Balbirnie (33), and Shane O’Neill (31).

Syed Jaffery (37) and Sheraz Ul Hasan (25) gave Galway hope, but tight bowling restricted them to 96 for four - Murali Rajendran (2-33) amongst the wickets.

The final proved a one-sided affair as Peter Eakin smashed seven sixes and three fours in a whirlwind 83 to propel Jordanstown to a mammoth 161 for four.

Ross Bryans (22), Kris Lyness (17) and Conor Olphert (13) all chipped in as the DIT attack got pummelled.

In reply there was a brief counter-attacking cameo from Shane O’Neill who hit three sixes in an entertaining 47, while Michael Hogan scored 23, but they fell 62 runs short.

Tom Anders was the MVP of the competition, top scoring with 223 runs at 74.33, and leading the wicket taking charts with 14 victims.

Peter Eakin had the incredible average of 177, being dismissed just once in the competition and taking ten wickets, while the Jordanstown skipper, Matthew McCord came second in the bowling with 11 wickets.

The tournament ran very smoothly over the three days, with 12 universities from all over Ireland enjoying the superb facilities on offer at Ulster University, Jordanstown.