Lisburn find themselves short of runs once again this season

The game was delayed for two hours because of heavy overnight rain but when the sun came out at 1pm, Lisburn chose to bat when captain, Davey Simpson won the toss.

Openers Davey and Richard Simpson could not get their team off to a decent start as Richard was bowled off his pads having scored just 4 and he was followed just two overs later by Robert Rankin who was also bowled by Davison with the score on 12.

Worse was to come for Lisburn as Darryl Brown was caught off a loose shot for 13 in the 10th over and when Davey Simpson clean bowled, again by Davison for 19 in the 13th over Lisburn were in real trouble on 51 for 4 with the best part of their batting order already back in the pavilion.

James Magowan once again available looked as if he could steady the Lisburn innings with Glen Halliday as they batted for the next five overs adding 16 for the 5th wicket before he was very well caught for 15 and again Lisburn were struggling.

Richard McConkey came in at number seven and he and Halliday tried hard to rectify the situation. They batted for nine overs adding 23 precious run taking the Lisburn score to 90 before Halliday was bowled by professional Malan for 14 in the 27th over .

Richard McConkey was keen to strike the ball and he and Mark Berry added a further 18 runs in six overs before he was caught and bowled off the spin of Eakin for a useful 19. Berry continued to look at ease scoring a number of boundaries as Lisburn stumbled to 121 when Graeme Brown also fell to Eakin for 2. Just an over later the spinner accounted for Neil Kilkpatrick leaving Berry to be last out for top score of 27 and Eakin had figures of 3 for 12 to mop up the Lisburn innings.

Lisburn had again failed to occupy the crease even for their allotted 38 overs and with a score of 136 needed to pressurise the North Down batting order at an early stage if they were to cause an upset.

This they did briefly as Darry Brown had Daniel Graham lbw in the 6th over but from that point onward the class of Andrew Sutherland and Pieter Malan proved too much for the Lisburn attack. The pair batted for the next 21 overs in a stand of 124 to win the game comfortably for the visitors in the 28th over.

Opener Sutherland finished with 51 not out while the star of the day, Malan completed the match with a superb 69 not out from 68 balls with eight boundaries and three large sixes reducing the Lisburn bowling to an unimpressive unit.

Lisburn have no match this week end and after the July holiday break they travel to Waringstown at the Lawn and must raise their game significantly if they are to compete with the Premier League title contenders.

Billy Jamieson kindly sponsored the match.