CIYMS look to be the team to beat in this year’s Premier League after easing past defending champions Lisburn in yesterday’s early season showdown at Wallace Park.

Admittedly Waringstown have yet to even take the field this season – a third successive game postponed yesterday – but CI have already shown they have strengthened from last season and are setting the early pace.

Lisburn can say they dropped T20 international Ross Adair in the first over before he had scored – he went on to smash 60 from 47 balls with 11 boundaries, five of them sixes – but when he was out Jason van der Merwe continued his impressive form with 48 from 37 balls and new signings Tyron Koen (pictured) and Theo van Woerkom were unbeaten when CI chased down their victory target of 181 before halfway.

New Zealander Van Woerkom’s slow left arm bowling is set to be a huge asset and he was the most impressive on view yesterday, finishing with three wickets including Neil Whitworth and Nigel Jones, last year’s CIYMS captain, in the same over.

Faiz Fazal was the only reason that Lisburn managed to take their innings into the 49th but even he was unable to accelerate with seven wickets down and 10 overs remaining. He went through the 90s entirely in singles to reach his century but he was caught at backward point in the same over off New Zealand professional Ed Nuttall.

Instonians and Carrickfergus were yesterday’s other top flight winners while in the North West, Donemana’s new captain Dwyane McGerrigle produced an astonishing all-round performance, rescuing his side from 39 for six with an 80-ball innings of 123 (10 fours and 11 sixes) and then taking six Eglinton wickets to claim a 42 runs victory.