Ruhan Pretorius and Ben Calitz produced a late-order surge that set up a 25-run win for the Northern Knights in their T20 inter-provincial clash with Munster Reds.
Ireland white-ball captain Paul Stirling returned to form with a 33-ball 40 (four fours, two sixes), while Cade Carmichael continued his consistent vein of form with a 34.
Josh Manley’s two wickets had the contest very much in the balance at 101 for five in the 15th over, but the complexion of the game changed entirely with the arrival of Pretorius to join Calitz.
The pair pummelled the Munster attack, sharing a stand of 75, of which 73 came from the last five overs.
Pretorius cleared the ropes three times and also hit four boundaries in a 20-ball 40, while Calitz almost matched him blow for blow in an 18-ball unbeaten 34 (four fours, one six) as they took 23 from the final over bowled by Liam McCarthy in a final Knights total of 177 for six.
Munster hopes rested on the shoulders of Stephen Doheny, who was the Knights nemesis in Cork with a competition record 150.
What a difference a week makes as this time he was dismissed by stand-in skipper Matthew Humphreys for 0, well caught by James McCollum.
Kian Hilton made a quick-fire 35 but at 62 for four just before the midway point, Munster were well behind the required rate.
John McNally showed why he is so highly rated in Irish circles with a top-score of 38, adding 58 for the fifth wicket with Sulieman Safi (26), but just as they looked to be threatening a late charge, Pretorius broke the stand, quickly followed by Humphreys’ second wicket which accounted for McNally.
The only downside for the hosts was the failure to secure a bonus point, as late runs from McCarthy and Zubair Khan brought the winning margin down to just 25 runs, ending on 152 for six.
In the first match of the day, leaders Leinster Lightning secured their fourth consecutive bonus-point victory to extend their lead at the top.
The Warriors had started well with the opening duo of Andy Balbirnie and Sam Topping (25) adding 64 in eight overs.
The dismissal of Balbirnie for a top-score of 44 (six fours) was the turning point in the contest as 78 for one suddenly saw a flurry of wickets and at 89 for five, the Warriors were in trouble.
They consolidated to finish at 143 for eight, with two wickets for the impressive duo of Barry McCarthy and Matthew Hollard.
Leinster set about the chase in positive fashion with openers Tim Tector (34) and Chris de Freitas (22) adding 63 before both fell in consecutive balls.
Any hopes the Warriors entertained of a collapse were quickly dispelled as the international duo of Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker set about their attack.
They shared an unbroken third-wicket stand of 84 in 49 balls, with both making 39.
Tucker was especially destructive hitting three maximums and two fours in his 21-ball knock, while Tector’s 28-ball innings included three fours and one six, sealing the eight-wicket win in the 16th over.
The final day of the Stormont series starts on Thursday with the Warriors facing Munster while in the afternoon match, the Northern Knights will be hoping to close the gap at the top with leaders Leinster Lightning.
Meanwhile, on the lower ground at Stormont, the Under-15 girls’ inter-provincial series began with a clash between the two Ulster sides.
The North West scored 138 for four, with Mansi Bhavsar and Jodie Spence both scoring an impressive 47 in a fourth-wicket stand of 84.
Ella Wasson then went and took three wickets, with a further two apiece for Erin Mowbray, Anna McGurk and Mansi Bhavsar to clinch a convincing 68-run win.
