A compact, high-octane Royal Challengers Belfast's T10 festival at Downpatrick Cricket Club delivered big hitting, tight bowling, and one rain-curtailed semi-final as eight teams battled across 16 scheduled fixtures.
The tournament attracted sides from across England as well as Northern Ireland, raising the competitive bar and providing cricket fans with edge-of-the-seat action.
The tournament was executed on the ground by Royal Challengers Belfast committee members Dr. Raghuram Satyanarayan, Dr. Darshan Kumar, and Ravi Ningegowda, with background support from Vijay Santanam, highlighting T10 cricket at its thrilling best.
Downpatrick Cricket Club’s management—Chairman Jack McCleron, President Norman Ferguson, Groundsman and main contact Jeremy McCready, Convenor Jeff Maguire, Treasurer Correna Coburn, and Club General Manager Ravi Ningegowda—ensured class conditions and smooth operations throughout the event.
Tournament Snapshot
Format: T10 (some matches shortened due to weather)
Teams: 8 (Cotswold Eagles, England, Belfast Super XI, Dunmurry Lions, Belfast Gladiators, DIMA Dungannon, Namaste Thunders, Laurelvale Lions, Royal Challengers Belfast)
Semi Finals 1: Belfast Gladiators vs Belfast Super XI
Semi Final 2: Cotswold Eagles, England vs Laurelvale Lions
Registered Umpires: Alan Neill, Davy Russell, Derek Bailey, Dr. Raghuram Satya, Ravi Ningegowda, Darshan Kumar, Jeffrey Maguire
League Stage — Highlights
Matches saw a mix of dominant batting displays, tight bowling, and a few rain-affected finishes.
The League stage had Group Gold and Group Bold, each having 4 teams, All teams within the group played against each other and the top two teams qualified for the Semi Finals stage.
Some known names playing under Northern Ireland Cricket Union participated in the tournament including former Ireland International James Shannon . Ireland Under19 players Harry Dyer and Carson McCullough.
Century by Ruhan Pretorius, Multiple Half centuries
Hat Trick by Lalu from DIMA Dungannon team
Bowl Out action between teams Namaste Thunders vs Cotswold Eagles, England
Belfast Gladiators, Belfast Super XI, Cotswold Eagles and Laurelvale Lions teams progressed through to the Semi Finals stage
Semi-Finals & Rain Drama
The semi-final between Belfast Gladiators and Belfast Super XI was abandoned after rain at Downpatrick Cricket Club, UK, leaving the fixture recorded as abandoned (match stopped after 2.0 overs for Super XI while Gladiators had completed 10.0 overs). It was a disappointing curtain-raiser to the knockout stages and denied fans and players a proper finish to an entertaining tournament.
Semi Finals and Finals have been postponed with the committee working on a new date to suit ground , weather and Teams availability.
Final Word
The RPL-4 T10 showcased thrilling, fast-paced cricket, from power hitting to tight death bowling.
Despite a rain-abandoned semi-final, the seamless collaboration between Downpatrick Cricket Club and the Royal Challengers Belfast committee ensured a memorable tournament. With cash prizes of £1,000 for the winners and £400 for the runners-up, and teams traveling from across England, the festival promises to grow even bigger in future editions.
Royal Challengers Belfast committee wants to thank all the Team players, Match Ball sponsors Castle Sports World, Namaste Belfast and Samosa King Cafe for the food arrangements, AdRi ventures for all the tournament coordinations and overseas teams hospitality
RCB also would like to thank all the players who have been travelling year on year for our Flagship annual tournament.
LIVE streaming the matches on Youtube was another success story for Royal Challengers Belfast .
