Good weekend for Foxies as they move into top spot

Drummond, Burndennett and Creevedonnell playing their re-arranged National Cup ties, three league matches over the two days and then Sunday’s Sam McConnell Charity Cup final.

The Foxies will have been disappointed to have given best in the first of those despite the fact that this competition quite clearly wouldn’t have been high on Brian Allen’s wish list.

A superb 87 from Ben Speake, who bizarrely also plays club cricket for Terenure was enough to get the westerners home in a rain-reduced game.

The hosts simply didn’t bat well enough with only Mattie Clarke (56), skipper Allen (47) and Jason Milligan (25) offering any sort of resistance.

Had it not been for 52 extras from the visitors you sense the margin of defeat would probably have been heavier.

Much was expected of our three National Cup hopefuls as well however only Drummond survived, taking the number of North West representatives in the second round to just two following Newbuildings’ earlier win over Lurgan.

The Roe Valley men posted 245 all out at home to North Kildare with Chris Moore hitting 3 fours and 4 sixes in his 64, backed up by knocks of 36 from Steve Moore, 32 from Richard McDaid and 24 from Kyle Morrow.

The visitors had reached 55-3 in reply before the rains came but crucially they had used almost 17 overs to get them.

When the DL calculator produced its numbers, Kildare were 32 runs short as Drummond progressed to the next stage - Jonny Martin (2-16) with the vital wickets.

Jean Symes announced his arrival at Creevedonnell as he made 76 in their game at Dundrum but it was to be nowhere near enough.

The home side had earlier posted a massive 341 for 9 with Medwin Hippolitus hitting 12 fours and 7 sixes in his 140 while Srikanth Boddu and Sanuv Thomas also added half centuries.

Ryan Barr and Kyle Culbert picked up three wickets apiece but it was damage limitation after Hippolitus’s knock.

Symes’s effort was the best of ’Donnell’s 241-8 in reply although skipper Barr made 39 and Dale Thomas chipped in with 37. Nithin Thambi (5-52) was best with the ball for the home side as they won cosily.

Burndennett were undone by a good spell of bowling from Mitchell Dixon (4-19) after Mark Pollock (29) and Mark Doherty (22) had given them a decent start at home to Belfast side, Academy.

Lee Pollock’s late 26 not out got Mark Roulston’s team up to 150 but it never looked anywhere near enough.

Andre Halbert claimed three wickets and Matthew Atkins two more for the visitors and the latter then turned his hand to batting and very quickly took the game away from Burndennett.

Atkins blasted 7 fours and 9 sixes on his way to 97 not out and he received good support from Rory Thompson (35 not out) as Academy romped to an eight-wicket win.

In the league, Newbuildings claimed their first points of the season after a Duckworth Lewis win at Killyclooney.

Peat Salmon and Peter Allen both hit half centuries for the visitors although four wickets for Ellis McGarrigle and three for Richard McMorris prevented the damage from being any worse.

Alan Colhoun (26) top scored for ’Clooney in their reply but Graeme Robb (3-17) and Ross Hunter (2-30) had helped reduce the batting team to 110-6 when the rains came.

No play was possible after that with the visitors 44 ahead on Duckworth Lewis when stumps were pulled.