In the end it was much closer than anyone expected but Waringstown stayed top of the Premier League table after beating North Down by 29 runs, in a match reduced to 40 overs.

The Villagers don’t like rain interrupted games. They lost their second league game of the season on Friday night to Civil Service North, a 10-over slog at Stormont, and the only other match they have lost was back in May at Moylena when rain slashed the match to 24 overs.

This time, batting first, they were well on target for a winning score when the rain arrived arrived at the start of the 34^th over and with just three wickets down, DLS was always going to significantly boost the North Down target.

From 168 for three at the break, Waringstown added another 65 in the remaining 41 balls and the home side’s target was, indeed, 25 runs more than the first innings total of 233 for seven.

Waringstown's Centurion James McCollum

When North Down were 22 for one after 10 overs and 63 for one at halfway, more than one spectator left the ground expecting a predictable conclusion. Mike Erlank and Mo Aahil had different ideas.

Needing 10 runs an over for the last 20, it still proved a slow burner with only 33 from the next five overs but then the South African professional took 13 off an over from opposite number Steve Stolk, 10 came off the next and then Aahil, who had used up 70 balls for his first 42 runs, changed gear and hit Stolk for four successive boundaries.

Erlank than helped himself to four boundaries in successive overs from Ross Allen and Graham Hume and suddenly the target was down to 88 off the last nine overs, still with nine wickets in hand and the bowlers under pressure.

That pressure had already got to Hume when he dropped a skyer from Aahil, off his own bowling, but the Ireland international got his man in his next over – even then it looked as if there would be a collision between team-mates but Matthew Halliday got his gloves there first and held the vital catch.  

Three balls later, Kian Hilton pulled Stolk straight to Josh Froggatt at deep square and when captain Tyron Koen lasted only four balls, the momentum was back with the league leaders.

Harry Zimmermann, who had already taken five wickets, threatened a man of the match performance when he hit Tom Mayes for back-to-back boundaries, clearing the rope with the second, but after hitting Stolk for another six he was out next ball and this time with just two overs left, and still 38 needed, it was game over.

Erlank accepted as much and holed out to long-off next ball to give Hume his third wicket but he deservedly received a standing ovation for his 106 from 85 balls, with 11 fours.

It could be said that North Down lost the match – or Waringstown won it – in those first 10 overs when Gavin Anderson, the leading run-scorer in North Down II, scored just five from 31 balls, but it was always going to be a huge ask stepping up from Junior League One to facing a Test match opening attack of Hume and Mayes.

Not that the Waringstown openers fared any better than Anderson, indeed they faced only 10 balls between them as Zimmermann bowled Stolk in his first over, a full toss that he seemed to lose in the flight, and Adam Dennison in his second with a nip backer which trapped him in front.

Morgan Topping continues to be out of sorts and the Northern Knights batter was even slower than Anderson, scoring just six from 37 balls before he was put out of his misery by 16-year-old Jaxon Dines.

However, that only let in Hume to join James McCollum and the experienced pair were still there at the break, having added 117 with both just short of personal landmarks. McCollum got to his century first, from 97 balls with 11 fours and three sixes and Hume reached his 50 next ball with his fifth four.

McCollum fell immediately afterwards to give Zimmermann his third wicket and after Hume had hit his third and fourth sixes, the Australian had him caught as well with Waringstown happy to lose wickets in the late charge for quick runs. They ultimately had enough.

The victory guarantees Waringstown a share of the lead, at least, at the split. Muckamore with two matches still to play, can overtake them on run-rate but no team will take forward more than seven wins.

North Down went into Sunday’s match still sweating on their placing at the split. Victory at Muckamore would secure it but a big defeat and a win for Woodvale would leave them both on 16 points with nett run rate set to decide the sixth place.