Muckamore pulled off one of the great escapes at Moylena, defending just 107 to beat North Down by four runs and keep their Premier League title charge alive.

In a rain-affected contest reduced to 43 overs, North Down appeared to have done the hard work when Harry Zimmermann claimed five wickets for the second day running, ripping through the middle order to leave Muckamore in ruins at 81 for nine.

Zimmermann’s 5 for 28, backed up by Craig Young’s 2 for 14, looked set to be decisive, but Chinmay Dakhane stood firm. His unbeaten 29, allied to Josh Wilson’s stubborn 8, produced a last-wicket stand of 26 that dragged Muckamore to 107 all out. At the time it looked merely useful; by the end it was priceless.

North Down’s adjusted target was 108, but Jason van der Merwe immediately set the tone in the field, running out Tom Crothers before he had faced a ball. Michael Erlank soon followed, bowled by Aidan Coulter, before Kian Hilton counter-attacked with a blistering 30 from 16 balls.

At 59 for three, North Down were still in control, but Van der Merwe removed Hilton and then Harry Zimmermann as the innings began to unravel. Mohamed Aahil made 21 and Tyron Koen threatened to finish the job with 33, including three sixes, but wickets tumbled around him.

Neil Brand’s superb 3 for 19 tightened the squeeze as North Down slipped from 68 for four to 83 for eight, then 99 for nine.

Koen struck Van der Merwe for four at the start of his seventh over, but two balls later he holed out to long-off, giving the South African 5 for 29 and sealing a sensational sixth league win for Muckamore.