The first day of the Newstalk 106-108 FM Inter-pro championship match at College Park finished with honours even. Leinster Lightning batted first and declared on 289 for 9 wickets four balls into the hundredth over. Northern Knights made 11 without loss in their three overs before the close of play.
There are few better places to watch cricket on a hot sunny day than in the beautiful setting of Trinity. A crowd of several hundred basked in the sun on the grassy banks that surround the ground.
On a slow wicket that generally inhibited free flowing stroke play Lightning will be happy to get a total that will be competitive while the Knights never allowed the game to get away from them although they would have been even happier if they had been able to curtail the last wicket stand that added 48 runs in nine overs.
Lightning recovered after losing two wickets by the end of the seventh over, Ben Ackland falling LBW to Shane Getkate for 4 while Pat Collins was bowled by Mark Adair for3 with the score on 10. However John Anderson joined Fintan McAllister and they added 74 to the total although it was not exactly scintillating batting as it took them almost 40 overs of hard graft. The stand was punctuated by a couple of dropped catches and more particularly by numerous appeals for LBW which at one point were running at the rate of two per over. One appeal from Knights skipper Andrew White found him alongside the batsman and he was still pleading in vain with the umpire which resulted in an extended discussion between White and the umpire at the end of the over.
When McAllister fell caught at square leg off the impressive left arm spin of James Cameron-Dow for 35 from 145 balls it brought to the wicket Andrew Poynter and the Clontarf man immediately upped the tempo. Together with Anderson seventy runs were added off the next 76 deliveries before Anderson became Cameron-Dow’s second victim when he was adjudged LBW. The Merrion man made 60 from 150 balls which included 7 fours and yet again demonstrated his steadiness under pressure.
Ireland hopeful Simi Singh made just four when he also fell LBW to Cameron-Dow and Poynter then became the 4th of five LBW victims when trapped by White for 54 from, by the standard of the day, a mere 74 deliveries with included 8 very well struck fours. Tyrone Kane and skipper John Mooney kept the score ticking over adding 53 runs before a clatter of 3 wickets for two runs had Knights ahead of the game.
However that last wicket partnership between Max Sorensen and Albert van der Merwe evened things up and both sides will go into the second day believing that they can still win the match.
The young opening bowlers Adair and Getkate both impressed with figures of 2 for 46 and 3 for 47 respectively. Cameron-Dow continuously caused problems with his flight and although he suffered in the late onslaught from Sorensen he finished with 3 for 77 off 24 overs.
The games resumes tomorrow at 11AM and admission is free.
NEWSTALK INTER-PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP
At College Park, Trinity, Day 1 close
LEINSTER LIGHTNING 289/9 DEC (99.4 overs, J Anderson 60, A Poynter 54, J Mooney 36, F McAllister 35, M Sorensen 28*, A van der Merwe 21*, S Getkate 3-47, J Cameron-Dow 3-77, M Adair 2-46)
NORTHERN KNIGHTS 11-0 (3 overs)
