Rain was never far away on Saturday, but Fox Lodge, Donemana, Coleraine and Brigade all sealed wins.

Newbuildings lost to Fox Lodge by 29 runs (DLS)
Fox Lodge 198-5 (32 overs; Gayan Maneeshan 87, Jason Milligan 53, Charlie Simpson 33; Ross Hunter 2-40)
Newbuildings 184-9 (32 overs; Ross Dougherty 78*, Peat Salmon 49, Josh Wilson 25; Levi Kerr 3-32, Swarnim Jha 2-47) (Target 214 in 32 overs)

Fox Lodge continued their strong form with a 29-run DLS victory over Newbuildings in a rain-affected 32-over contest. 

The Foxies built their innings around a superb third-wicket partnership of 119 in just 16 overs between Sri Lankan professional Gayan Maneeshan and Jason Milligan. 

Maneeshan’s prolific early-season form showed no sign of slowing as he hammered 87 from 70 balls, striking 12 fours and three sixes. 

Milligan provided excellent support with a powerful 53 that included four boundaries and three maximums, while Charlie Simpson laid the early foundations with 33 featuring five fours. 

Skipper Ross Hunter picked up two wickets for the hosts. 

Set a revised target of 214, Newbuildings collapsed to 92-7 despite an explosive 28-ball 49 from Peat Salmon before he was removed by Johnny “Bap” Robinson. 

Ross Dougherty battled gamely with an unbeaten 78 and shared a half-century stand with Josh Wilson, but the required rate proved beyond them. 

Levi Kerr claimed three wickets, while teenager Swarnim Jha took two in Fox Lodge’s surprisingly comfortable win.

Donemana beat St Johnston by 4 wickets (DLS).
St Johnston 185-6 (29 overs; Jack Macbeth 57, Conor Olphert 36, David Lapsley 32, Mark Pollock 32; Awais Zafar 2-20, Gary McClintock 2-47)
Donemana 190-6 (26.2 overs; Gary McClintock 62, Raymond Curry 59, Levi Dougherty 26*; Nathan Cole 3-18, Scott Devenney 2-34)

Donemana edged a rain-affected contest against St Johnston after surviving a mid-innings collapse to chase down 190 in 26.2 overs. Reduced to 29 overs, the Saints made an impressive start through Jack Macbeth and Mark Pollock, who shared an opening stand of 77 in 12 overs. 

Macbeth led the way with an accomplished 57 from 61 balls, striking seven fours and two sixes, while Pollock added 32. 

The innings accelerated late on thanks to Irish international Conor Olphert, better known for his seam bowling, who blasted 36 from just 21 deliveries with three fours and three sixes. 

Alongside David Lapsley’s 32, he added 58 in six overs as the Donegal side posted 185-6. Awais Zafar and Donemana skipper Gary McClintock both claimed two wickets. 

Donemana’s reply began shakily with Jamie Huey and Zafar dismissed cheaply, but McClintock and Raymond Curry transformed the chase with a stunning 106-run partnership in only 12 overs. 

McClintock smashed 62 from 48 balls, while Curry hammered 59 from 43 deliveries. 

Nathan Cole and Scott Devenney sparked panic by reducing Donemana from comfort to chaos as four wickets fell for five runs, but brothers Levi and Ricky-Lee Dougherty steadied nerves with an unbroken stand of 45 to seal victory.

What could have happened if Graeme McCarter had been available or Conor Olphert's groin injury had allowed him to bowl? The Saints can be proud though of their efforts despite being understrength.

Coleraine beat Strabane by 6 wickets (DLS).
Strabane 176 (36 overs; Mohammed Mohsin 43, Rhys Logue 38, Aaron Gillespie 31; Gareth Burns 2-28, Matthew Smyth 2-28, Louren Steenkamp 2-34, Scott Campbell 2-37)
Coleraine 201-4 (30.5 overs; Louren Steenkamp 101*, Varun Chopra 32, Scott Campbell 21; Andrew Mullen 2-49) (Target 201 in 36 overs.)

Coleraine eased to victory in a rain-affected clash after South African professional Louren Steenkamp produced a superb unbeaten century to guide the Bannsiders home. 

Reduced to 36 overs per side, Strabane posted 176 with several batters making starts but none able to push on. Rhys Logue and Aaron Gillespie added 51 for the second wicket, scoring 38 and 31 respectively, before overseas player Mohammed Mohsin injected late momentum with a quickfire 43 from just 33 deliveries, clearing the ropes four times. 

Coleraine’s bowlers shared the workload impressively, with Gareth Burns, Scott Campbell, Matthew Smyth and Steenkamp all taking two wickets each. 

Set a revised target of 201, the hosts recovered from two early blows by Andrew Mullen to take control through Steenkamp. He blasted an unbeaten 101 from only 69 balls, striking six fours and seven sixes in a dominant innings. 

He shared an 80-run stand with Varun Chopra, back from the NCU, before adding an unbroken 66 with Matty Smyth as Coleraine sealed an emphatic win.

Bready lost to Brigade by 4 wickets (DLS)
Bready 145-5 (36 overs; Josh van Heerden 51, Kyle Magee 25; Ryan Macbeth 2-17)
Brigade 153-6 (33.3 overs; Gavin Roulston 51, Scott Macbeth 45, Ifty Hussain 34*; Matthew Campbell 2-27) (Target 152 in 36 overs)

Defending champions Brigade overcame tricky batting conditions and a brief mid-innings wobble to secure a four-wicket win over Bready in another rain-reduced 36-over contest. 

Runs proved hard to come by throughout the day, with only ten fours and one six struck in the entire Bready innings. South African professional Josh van Heerden anchored the effort with a patient 51 from 77 balls, while Kyle Magee contributed 25 in support as Bready closed on 145-5. 

Ryan Macbeth was the standout bowler, finishing with impressive figures of 2-17 to keep the scoring under control. 

Brigade’s chase started poorly with David Barr and Adam McDaid both falling early, but former Bready players Gavin Roulston and Scott Macbeth swung the momentum firmly in the visitors’ favour. 

The pair added 73 for the third wicket, with Roulston compiling a composed 51 featuring three fours and a six. Macbeth was the aggressor, blasting 45 from only 43 deliveries with three fours and three sixes. 

Although Bready threatened a comeback with a couple of quick wickets, Ifty Hussain’s unbeaten 34 alongside Andy Britton guided Brigade safely home with 15 balls to spare to help ease the pain of their forfeiture last Sunday.