NW CRICKET: Bready out of title running while Fox Lodge Women lose All-Ireland final

The Saturday matches will be rescheduled, however Sunday's games are now washed out as they were second attempts, making it a double whammy for Bready. Davy Scanlon's side lost to Eglinton on Saturday and could only sit and watch at Bond’s Glen the following afternoon as a waterlogged pitch never looked likely to dry.

Killyclooney took their turn to sit it out this weekend while Ardmore's match against Fox Lodge is one of two that will go to a replay.

All of that left the way clear for Brigade to pull further clear at the top as they hosted Newbuildings in a repeat of this year's Senior Cup final. However the Beechgrove side were beaten by a single run to throw the title race wide open again.

Man-of-the-moment for Newbuildings was Ross Hunter who, with the home team only needing three runs from the final four deliveries, restricted thm to just two leg byes.

Gareth McKeegan's side had set a target of 171-8 from their 29 overs. Ross Dougherty top scored with 44 with cameos from Jason Dunn (30), Mark Hanna (24) and Johnny Thompson (24). Skipper Andy Britton (3-13) was the pick of the hosts' bowling.

Half centuries from Cameron Melly (71 from 42 balls) and David Barr (56) had taken their side to 155-4, needing 17 from 23 balls, but wickets tumbled as Newbuildings refused to give in.

Melly looked dangerous but the visitors got him in the nick of time while Barr was out to a quite spectacular catch from 'Bull'. Gregory McFaul (3-18) was best with the ball for the cup finalists with Charlie Downey adding 2-24, but it was Hunter's last over (2-34) that proved the difference.

Bready were undone by a brilliant opening stand of 155 between Eglinton's Liam Doherty and Andy Millar. Doherty looked really composed for his 86 not out (8 fours, 2 sixes) while Millar was the perfect foil, adding 53 in a total of 169-2 from 35 overs.

The Magheramason outfit never really got ahead of the rate, Ryan Clarke and Jamie Magee faring best as they scored 25 apiece in the reply.

Doherty was in fine fettle with the ball as well- his 4-8 from 7 overs topping off a superb individual effort as Bready were bowled out for 116. Mark Averill and Mattie Mills claimed two wickets each. Indeed had the villagers started the way they're finishing, they would have been right in the title race.

There was never likely to be a Premier Division next season without Donemana and the Holm side made the trip to Sandel Lodge on Saturday and came away with a fairly comfortable 42-run (DLS) win that moved them into the top half.

Andy McBrine (45) and DJ Dougherty (30) fared best with the bat on a day when scoring was far from easy. Karl Birkenstock chipped in with 18 not out in a 28-over total of 136-7; James Bell (3-26) and Rory Know (2-8) best with the ball for the Bannsiders.

Matty Smith's 29 was best of Coleraine's reply but led by Ireland International McBrine (3-12) and Dwayne McGerrigle's 2-22, the hosts were well short of their revised target of 155.

St Johnston's chances of a top-half finish was dealt a real blow when they were hammered by Glendermott at the Rectory. Batting first, the home side posted 208 all out after their innings had twice been reduced.

Manav Chhabram, issing for the last six weeks, blasted a 26-ball 58 that included 4 fours and 6 sixes while Jake Montgomery added 30 and Jason Lynch 27. Michael Rankin picked up 4-38 for the Saints with Graeme McCarter adding 3-33 and David Anthony 2-19, but they weren't at the races with the bat. David Macbeth was best with 36 in a a reply of 104 all out.

Jake Montgomery looks like a real prospect for the Bond’s Street side and he added 3-7 to his earlier runs. Chhabra was also on the mark with 3-27, while Charlie Elder took 3-30 in a big win for the home team.

And Burndennett came agonisingly close to a first league win before going down by just two runs at Ballyspallen. Zeeshan Malik made 45 and Kyle Morrow 41 as the Roe Valley team posted 156-7 from 33 overs; a total subsequently revised to 169 by DLS.

Mark and Conan Pollock both collected two wickets apiece, but despite hitting 38 runs in the last two overs of their reply, it wasn't enough.

Despite no wins, Burndennett's bonus points total of 29 is joint-highest of the bottom half, alongside Strabane so they haven't been coming up too short. At the other end, Brigade's 51 bonus points is by some way the best and could yet be a deciding factor.

The Women's All-Ireland final was played at Malahide on Sunday where Fox Lodge came off second best against a quality Merrion outfit.

A brilliant unbeaten century from Irish International Leah Paul set the tone as the Dublin side posted 230-3 from their reduced 19 overs. The Ballymagorry girls were up against it after that and only Sarah Black (29) offered much in the way of resistance as Merrion won by 170.