logo
Waringstown and Instonians locked at summit as duo back up Cup wins with League triumphs

Waringstown and Instonians locked at summit as duo back up Cup wins with League triumphs

The Shaw's Bridge side again opted to bowl first in their clash with third-placed Lisburn, and once again their bowlers responded to the challenge by restricting them to 186 in an innings that never really got going.
Ross Adair (20) and Nigel Jones (26) got starts, but only when Ben Calitz was in full flow did Lisburn get a foothold in the contest.
The Irish passport-holding South African hit three sixes and fours in a 42-ball 47, adding 83 for the fourth wicket with skipper Neil Whitworth (36).
However, Cian Robertson spun his left-arm magic, claiming four wickets for just 23 to put the home side firmly in control. Shane Dadswell (three for 30) and two wickets for Ben Rose reaffirmed the advantage, and a final total of 186 looked to be well short of challenging.
Cade Carmichael had missed out in Saturday's Cup win, but the Irish international cashed in with a brilliant 77-ball 117 that included 15 fours and four maximums to break the back of the chase.
His century means that he is the leading run-scorer in the League with 473 runs, just ahead of Jason van der Merwe.
Carmichael added 112 with Rob McKinley (24), and that allowed Inst to coast to a six-wicket win in the 28th over – Dadswell bringing the game to a hasty conclusion by thumping three fours and a six in the final four balls.
For Lisburn, a 2025 season that promised so much is in danger of falling apart, with their main hope for silverware now resting on the Irish Senior Cup where they travel to play Balbriggan in the last-four.
Waringstown kept pace with Instonians thanks to an emphatic seven-wicket win at Cliftonville Academy in a match reduced to 25 overs.
Abhishek Raut hit a 32-ball unbeaten 56 as the home side posted what looked a competitive 174 for five – Varun Chopra making a run-a-ball 36 (five fours) and Hayden Melly 27.
The Topping brothers, though, made light work of the chase as they shared an opening stand of 125 in just 80 balls.
Morgan hit eight fours and six sixes in a 56-ball 87, while younger brother Sam's 36-ball 53 included five fours and three maximums.
John Glass claimed two wickets, but the seven-wicket win was sealed in the 19th over.
Woodvale and North Down shared a dramatic tie in a see-saw game at Ballygomartin Road – a result that saw both happy to get something from the match in the end.
Stevie Saul just missed out on a century, getting two from the final ball of the North Down innings to end on 99 – seven fours, four sixes – adding 127 for the fourth wicket with Mickey Copeland as they made 193 for five in 35 overs.
Woodvale looked beaten as they slumped to 78 for six, but Carl Robinson's 51-ball 64 got them right back into contention as he added 104 in 17 overs for the seventh wicket with Zara Khan (49 not out).
Some 17 were still needed from the last two overs when last man Anek Anil joined Khan, but they chipped away and the equation came down to three from the final ball. Anil managed to scramble two, ensuring a share of the spoils.
North Down finished in the top six for the split, while Woodvale's two points meant they moved off the bottom above Templepatrick.
Meanwhile, in the North West, there was a real shock as leaders Donemana lost by 42 runs to bottom side Bready in a rearranged game.
David Rankin top-scored with 64 as Bready posted 194 for seven – four wickets for Jordan McGonigle, who came out of retirement to compensate for Andy McBrine's unavailability.
Teenager Travis Faulkner took three wickets as the League leaders slumped to 62 for seven, and although they rallied with runs for brothers Billy (38) and DJ Dougherty (28), Faulkner returned to claim his fourth in a victory that lifted Bready off the bottom of the table.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The Open winner pulls out of Championship just days before start as replacement is named
The Open winner pulls out of Championship just days before start as replacement is named

Scottish Sun

time4 hours ago

  • Scottish Sun

The Open winner pulls out of Championship just days before start as replacement is named

Replacement had his best result at a Major this year by tying with some huge names RUSH OUT The Open winner pulls out of Championship just days before start as replacement is named Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FORMER The Open winner pulled out of the 2025 Championship just days before the start. And his replacement in the field has been named. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Ernie Els has pulled out of this year's The Open at Royal Portrush Credit: Getty Ernie Els, 55, lifted the famous Claret Jug twice. The South African reigned supreme at Muirfield in 2002 after a four-man play-off. He then added his second Open win a decade later with a storming comeback to pip Adam Scott at Royal Lytham. Els also has two US Opens to his name - in 1994 and 1997. READ MORE ON GOLF SCOT TO GO 'What is the point' - Emotional Scheffler reveals reason he could quit golf But those Open victories earned him an exemption into the tournament every year until he is 60. However, Els will not tee it up at Royal Portrush this week. That is because he withdrew from the starting list during Sunday's final round of the Genesis Scottish Open. No official reason for his late decision at the final Major of 2025 has been given. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Els played at En-Joie in Endicott, New York in the DICK's Open on the PGA Tour Champions last weekend. He finished T16 on eight-under-par. Emotional Scottie Scheffler reveals reason he could QUIT golf in worrying interview at The Open But with Els not featuring at Royal Portrush, first alternate Si Woo Kim has been called in. Kim came T34 at The Renaissance Club for the Scottish Open. A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, the best Major result of his career came at this year's PGA Championship. Kim's four-under-par score saw him in T8 alongside the likes of Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick and US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley. 3 The South African lifted the Claret Jug in 2002 and 2012 Credit: PA:Press Association

‘The bigger the better': Wallabies' hopes against Lions rest on broadest shoulders
‘The bigger the better': Wallabies' hopes against Lions rest on broadest shoulders

The Guardian

time5 hours ago

  • The Guardian

‘The bigger the better': Wallabies' hopes against Lions rest on broadest shoulders

The British & Irish Lions' last three-nil series victory in Australia was in 1904, but the heavily fancied tourists already have one eye on replicating that feat. Lions back-rower Henry Pollock, in all the wisdom of his 20 years, boasted this week that a whitewash 'is definitely on the table'. But in the coming feast of rugby, Australia's forwards will have read the menu differently. They are led by Rob Valetini, perhaps Australia's only truly world-class player. Last year he won a second successive John Eales Medal – Australian rugby's most prestigious individual accolade – becoming the third player after Michael Hooper and Israel Folau to achieve the feat. The 26-year-old has been nursing a calf injury in the lead-up to Saturday's first Test but Australians and neutrals alike hope he can play. 'It'd be a huge blow if he wasn't there,' Australia's former No 8 Toutai Kefu said on Tuesday. 'He's been one of our most consistent players for the last three to five years.' The man they call 'Bobby V' offers power in his 113kg frame, as a defender, ball-runner or operating around the ruck. 'I really love the way he plays,' Kefu said. 'He's aggressive, he's direct and we certainly need his brutality around the ball carrier and the defence.' Faced with the athleticism, speed and skill of the Lions' varied array of forwards, the Australian rugby community hopes strength can provide a counter. Former Wallaby Matt Burke said the 140kg-plus Will Skelton must start in the second row, even if only for 50 minutes. 'Get him in there, the bigger the better,' Burke told Stan Sport. 'That concept of size is such a crucial part of rugby and to be able to dominate.' Skelton, who – like Valetini – also missed the Fiji Test with a calf injury declared himself fit on Monday. 'I just want to try to be myself,' said the 33-year-old, who was captain at the 2023 World Cup. 'They've got some great players, but we've also got some weapons in this team.' Much of the hope in the broader Australian sporting community for the Lions' series has been pinned on centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, given his high-profile switch from rugby league and promising showing against England at Twickenham on debut last year. But in truth the Wallabies must match the tourists at the breakdown if there is to be any chance of an upset given their back-row is – at least on paper – one of Australia's few areas of relative strength. Alongside Valetini, the two other finalists for the 2024 John Eales Medal were also loose forwards. No 8 Harry Wilson was captain against Fiji two weeks ago, and scored the winning try in the dying stages. That display represented a new peak in the 25-year-old's slow-but-steady revival after he was overlooked by Eddie Jones for the 2023 World Cup. Reds and Wallabies scrum-half Tate McDermott said playing alongside Wilson gives him confidence. 'He's quick up off the deck, he's flying into contact, he wants to run the ball, so he gets himself always in a position to either run the ball or be there,' McDermott said. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Their Reds team-mate, breakaway Fraser McReight, has been on a similar trajectory to Wilson. The 26-year-old was dropped from the starting line-up for the World Cup pool match against Wales in 2023 following the shock less to Fiji the week before, but since then has emerged as the man most likely to become the next great Australian flanker in the tradition of David Pocock and Hooper. '[Wilson] and Fraser and that combination that we've developed over a number of years is a real strength of his, and ours as well,' McDermott said. In this part of the field Australia boasts perhaps more depth than in any other. The Brumbies' Tom Hooper and the Force's Carlo Tizzano were part of the Super Rugby Pacific team of the season. Kefu wants another man, Waratahs No 8 Langi Gleeson, to get his chance before either of them. 'Langi Gleeson has had an unbelievable year,' Kefu said. 'I just thought his work rate's improved a lot, his ball carrying has been really good this year for Waratahs, I thought he's been fantastic.' Gleeson was uninvited from a Wallabies' training camp early in the year, prompting a period of introspection for the 23-year-old, but his subsequent form has won back his place. His inclusion in the Australian side may be contentious given his commitment to move to French rugby next year. But the future of the Wallabies, and players' appetite for overseas money and opportunity, is the topic for another day. The Lions are here now, and they're hungry.

BREAKING NEWS Wrexham star rushed to hospital in Sydney after suffering worrying injury as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's men slide to defeat
BREAKING NEWS Wrexham star rushed to hospital in Sydney after suffering worrying injury as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's men slide to defeat

Daily Mail​

time6 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

BREAKING NEWS Wrexham star rushed to hospital in Sydney after suffering worrying injury as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney's men slide to defeat

A Wrexham midfielder was rushed to a local hospital in Australia after the Championship side's second match on their pre-season tour. The Dragons, who finished second in League One last season to earn promotion, were beaten 2-1 by A-League side Sydney FC on Tuesday morning. Wrexham opened the scoring when Corey Holman turned James McClean's wicked delivery into his own net, but his blushes were spared by Alexandar Popovic and James Lacey, who turned the game around for the home side. If the result was not bad enough for the Hollywood-owned club, key midfielder Ollie Rathbone was forced off through injury just before half-time. The 28-year-old landed awkwardly on his left ankle and could be seen on the floor in major discomfort, before managing to hobble off the pitch, aided by medical staff. And now Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has confirmed that Rathbone has been taken to hospital in order to undergo an X-ray to assess the extent of the damage. Rathbone was a key part of Parkinson's squad as they secured promotion last season, featuring a total of 41 times in League One. While he is known for his ability to break up play in the middle of the park, due to his remarkable work rate, the midfielder also pitched in at the top of the pitch, scoring eight goals and providing two assists last term. Wrexham will start their Championship season on the road at Southampton in just over three weeks' time, and Parkinson will have his fingers crossed that Rathbone has not done any significant damage that will rule him out of that fixture. The Welsh side will now travel to New Zealand for the final match of their pre-season tour, where they will face Wellington Phoenix at the Sky Stadium.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store