Carrickfergus won their first match of the season on Sunday, to join four other teams on four points, inspired by an all-round performance from Ashwin Shetty.

Shetty and top scorer Alex Haggan put on 53 for the seventh wicket against Muckamore as Carrick finished on 188 for seven in their rearranged home game, reduced to 40 overs by a delayed start.
 

With the new ball, Shetty then removed both Muckamore openers before taking the huge wicket  of in-form Jason van der Merwe for two and at 39 for three it was always going to an uphill task for last year’s Section One champions. They fell 35 runs short.

Instonians all-rounder Andrew White – last season’s leading wicket-taker – failed to strike for the first time this year but his patient, undefeated 63 from 100 balls guided the Shaw’s Bridge side to a three wickets victory over Civil Service North.

Victory looked a formality when Instonians needed 16 from the last seven overs with six wickets left but James West, son of White’s former international team-mate Regan, took three wickets in five balls to set up a nervous finale. 

There was no panic from White, though, as he hit West for the winning boundary with 13 balls to spare.

Meanwhile a mile away at Belmont, Amy Hunter’s first game as (UIster) Dragons captain ended in a 21 runs victory over Super Series 50 holders Typhoons.

While wickets fell around her, Hunter led from the front to score 69, with just six boundaries, although after her dismissal, the North West pair of Alana Dalzell and Kia McCartney added a vital 24 for the ninth wicket as Dragons finished on 184 for nine.

Cara Murray then took over with the ball, her five-wicket haul reducing the visitors to 129 for seven and Arlene Kelly finished the job, bowling Typhoons captain Rebecca Stokell for 60.