Fox Lodge stayed in the Premiership title race with a seven-wicket win over defending champions Brigade. Brigade were bowled out for 138, with Andy Britton making 41 and Scott Macbeth 29. Adam Walker led the Fox Lodge attack with 4 for 35, while Levi Kerr took 3 for 16 and Swarnim Jha 2 for 18. Charlie Simpson struck 45 and Brian Allen 35 in a 75-run opening stand before Alastair Doherty finished unbeaten on 31. Fox Lodge reached 141 for 3 in 35.3 overs, leaving Brigade’s title defence in serious trouble at the halfway stage.

Brigade's encounter at bottom side St Johnston was abandoned by rain with the visitors on 78 for 2 after 29 overs. Gavin Roulston anchored the innings with an unbeaten 32 as a torrential downpour of biblical proportions brought an early end to proceedings, forcing a replay.

Brigade secured a comfortable 65-run victory over Coleraine after a disciplined all-round display. David Barr top-scored with 61, including six fours and a six, while an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of 65 between skipper Andy Britton (38*) and Ryan Macbeth (20*) lifted Brigade to 192-7. Scott Campbell, Gareth Burns and Matthew Hutchinson each claimed two wickets. Coleraine's chase never recovered from a disastrous start as Trent McKeegan ripped through the top order, reducing the Bannsiders to 7-4 and removing key man Louren Steenkamp. McKeegan finished with excellent figures of 4-22, while Ryan Macbeth took 3-19. David Cooke (39) and Matthew Hutchinson (27*) resisted bravely, helping Coleraine secure valuable bonus points.

Strabane maintained their place at the top of the table with a dramatic 18-run victory over defending champions Brigade, securing their fourth league win of the season. After being asked to bat, Strabane posted 197 in 46.2 overs. Rhys Logue (30) and Aaron Gillespie (24) shared a useful second-wicket stand of 50 before overseas professional Mohammed Mohsin dominated a fourth-wicket partnership with Ryan Gallagher (17). Mohsin struck an aggressive 70 from just 60 balls, including five fours and five sixes. Scott Macbeth returned impressive figures of 4-32 for Brigade. The chase appeared under control at 165-4, with Adam McDaid (40), Macbeth (34) and David Barr (27) all contributing. However, Strabane produced a stunning fightback as Brigade lost their final six wickets for just 14 runs. Ryan Gallagher claimed 4-37, while Mohsin took 3-20 to seal victory the Red Caps.

Champions Brigade suffered a damaging three-wicket defeat to Donemana in a tense Premiership encounter at Beechgrove that went right down to the penultimate over. Batting first, Brigade posted 216 for 8 from their 50 overs with David Barr leading the way with a battling 64 that included five boundaries. Ifty Hussain added a composed 44, while Scott Macbeth chipped in with 34 in an innings built on steady partnerships rather than outright acceleration. Awais Zafar was the pick of the Donemana attack with 3-32 as the visitors kept Brigade from pulling away in the closing overs. Donemana’s chase began disastrously as Brigade seized early control. Trent McKeegan had DJ Dougherty and Ray Curry caught behind by Simon Olphert off successive balls, before Awais Zafar shuffled across his stumps and was trapped lbw by Ryan Macbeth, leaving the visitors reeling at 17 for 3. Jamie Huey countered impressively with 46, striking six fours and a six, as he and Gary McClintock rebuilt the innings with a fourth-wicket stand of 69. Yet when more wickets fell and Donemana slipped to 121 for 6, Brigade looked firm favourites to close out victory. McClintock, however, produced the decisive innings of the match. The Donemana skipper struck 73, including eight fours and a six, and shared a match-defining seventh-wicket stand of 64 with Levi Dougherty. Even after McClintock departed with 32 still needed, Dougherty remained calm, finishing unbeaten on 42 alongside Luke Marillier’s run-a-ball 21 not out to guide Donemana home and keep their title challenge firmly on course.

Defending champions Brigade overcame tricky batting conditions and a brief mid-innings wobble to secure a four-wicket win over Bready in a rain-reduced 36-over contest. Runs proved hard to come by throughout the day, with only ten fours and one six struck in the entire Bready innings. South African professional Josh van Heerden anchored the effort with a patient 51 from 77 balls, while Kyle Magee contributed 25 in support as Bready closed on 145-5. Ryan Macbeth was the standout bowler, finishing with impressive figures of 2-17 to keep the scoring under control. Brigade’s chase started poorly with David Barr and Adam McDaid both falling early, but former Bready players Gavin Roulston and Scott Macbeth swung the momentum firmly in the visitors’ favour. The pair added 73 for the third wicket, with Roulston compiling a composed 51 featuring three fours and a six. Macbeth was the aggressor, blasting 45 from only 43 deliveries with three fours and three sixes. Although Bready threatened a comeback with a couple of quick wickets, Ifty Hussain’s unbeaten 34 alongside Andy Britton guided Brigade safely home with 15 balls to spare to help ease the pain of their forfeiture last Sunday.

THERE was a controversial conclusion to the NW Premiership clash at Beechgrove between defending champions Brigade and expected challengers Newbuildings. Chasing 233, the contest was evenly poised with David Barr’s unbeaten 80 having the hosts 160 for 4 in the 39th over when a shower stopped play. Brigade failed to produce a DLS sheet which calculates revised targets in the event of stoppages, with the umpires automatically awarding the match to Newbuildings. It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Brigade, but Newbuildings will care little as they get their season up and running. Earlier, a century stand between Jason Dunn (66) and Ryan Hunter (61) laid an excellent platform before Jamie Millar’s five-wicket haul saw them falter to 232 for eight.