Ben Calitz is expected to make his Lisburn debut for the Premier League leaders in their Irish Senior Cup second round tie against Civil Service North at Wallace Park today.

The Ireland Wolves batsman has joined Lisburn from Muckamore and is another powerful addition to a squad that has set the pace in the NCU this season.

He signed too late to be available for Saturday’s action but will slip easily into today’s line-up as Ireland internationals Mark and Ross Adair and Matthew Humphreys are all unavailable ahead of this week’s T20 series against West Indies. When all four are playing together they will continue to be the team to beat.

North Down were the latest to try – and fail – going down by eight wickets as Lisburn chased down the visitors 146 with almost nine overs to spare.

Opener Adam Berry hit the winning run to finish 87 not out (nine fours, three sixes) and shared an unbroken stand of 105 with skipper Neil Whitworth who added another 36 to his current run of not out scores.

Ryan Macbeth was the most successful bowler with four wickets but it was the five overs from Mark Adair, in his first competitive outing since February, that were the most encouraging. He had figures of one for 13 ahead of his return to the Ireland team.

CSN go into today’s game on the back of defeat by Waringstown. Mark Ellison scored 83 in the Stormont side’s 179 for five but Adam Dennison matched him run for run for the home side and Morgan Topping and Graham Hume with an unbroken stand of 55 from 34 balls hurried the champions to their revised target with 23 balls to spare.

CIYMS and Instonians are the other NCU teams in Irish Cup action today and both continued their winning form yesterday. Instonians swept aside Muckamore by 10 wickets after bowling their hosts out for just 87 – Ireland international Cade Carmichael scored 62 of them from 40 balls - and CI won by six wickets chasing Woodvale’s 159 for five. Jake Egan also hit 62 for CI but was run out 10 runs short of victory.

Templepatrick claimed their first ever Premier League victory, beating Cliftonville Academy, who are still winless this season, by eight wickets. Robert Smith hit 65 in the successful chase, sharing a century stand with Charlie Swart.