Cup exit for Derriaghy despite blitz from captain

CSNI batted first and looked set for a total well in excess of 250 when they reached 175 for 2 in the 38th over.

However, once VD Merwe (64) and Cowden (74) were dismissed in the space of 10 balls the Derriaghy bowlers pegged the home side back well and restricted the home side to 228 for 9.

Lewis and Curtis Moorhead were again the main wicket takers with figures of 3 for 29 and 3 for 45 respectfully, although none of the 8 bowlers used could really be faulted for their performance.

The Queensway men made a slow start losing 2 wickets for 6 runs and a third at 34. Andrew Kenny and Craig then had a partnership of 30 before the former was caught for 25.

Another 4 wickets fell relatively quickly and at 94 for 8 it looked over for the visitors. However, Lewis was still occupying the crease and as many clubs have found to their cost previously he can be a very destructive bat.

With the assistance of C Moorhead he began to fire and in the space of 11 overs brought his team to within 60 runs of victory.

Unfortunately when on 98 he nicked one behind and was caught by Park. His innings included 8 x 4s and 6 maximums.

There were nearly 12 overs left at this point but the last pair only managed another 5 runs to give CSNI a win by 56 runs and a place in the semi final.

This weekend sees two Ulster Bank games scheduled for Queensway. On Saturday the home side will be hoping to gain revenge on CSNI, with a 12pm start, while on Sunday Lisburn are the visitors for their third and final attempt to complete the fixture.

Should no result be gained on the day then the fixture is declared void with no points to either team. Hopefully the weather will be kinder that the previous two efforts and a result is achieved.

Meanwhile, the Seconds progressed to the semi final of the Intermediate Cup with a nervous 3 wicket win at Templepatrick in a low scoring affair.

Nowman Khan was the star with the ball when the home side batted first removing 5 men for just 10 runs. Jonny Bell also showed off his all-round skills taking 3 for 17 while Simon Gilmore was unlucky not to get reward bowling 8 overs for just 16 runs.

Derriaghy openers Stephen Cairnduff and Jonny Bell showed their intend to knock off the required runs quickly hitting 38 in just 6 overs before Bell was out for 17.

Cairnduff continued to score freely but wickets tumbled at frequent intervals at the other end with 3 batsmen failing to trouble the scorers. Cairnduff was 7th out for a brilliant 52 but 10 were still required for victory. Captain Stuart Hegarty and Scott Hughes held their nerve and got their side home. They now travel to Waringstown III in the semi final next month.

This week the Seconds are away to CSNI III.

The highest individual score for the club at the weekend was recorded by Abdul Kaiwai who just joined the club recently. He hit exactly 100 not out in an impressive 121 run win over Dundrum Thirds.

Derriaghy totalled 195 for 3 with Ben Nelson 41 and captain Michael Fell 21 the other main contributors to this large total.

A young home side were no match for the visitors whose side also included 7 under 15 players. The wickets were shared between Zack Benson 3 for 18, B Nelson 2 for 12, Ben White 2 for 9 and Jamie White 2 for 17.

This win keeps Derriaghy at the top of the table in Junior League 5 with 6 wins out of 6. On Saturday the Thirds have a derby against neighbours Lisburn in Wallace Park at 1pm.