The second highest total in the Inter-provincial Cup was relegated to third place four hours later in an 832 runs feast in Sydney Parade as Leinster Lightning chased down Northern Knights 414 for nine with two wickets and three balls to spare. The match, played under a cloudless sky had 86 fours and 33 sixes – the Knights actually hitting 65 boundaries to Lightning’s 54.
Ross Adair started the fireworks with 95 from 41 balls (11 fours, seven sixes) sharing a powerplay of 122 with James McCollum who also scored at better than a run-ball. Morgan Topping then picked up the mantle with 86 from 81 and with Ruhan Pretorius (76 from 53) put on 125 in 15 overs for the fourth wicket. Both were dismissed in the space of five balls but the Knights were not finished and while Dadswell was in the middle, Lightning's record total in the competition of 425 was under threat, especially after he had taken 32 off Gavin Hoey's last over. With Carson McCullough (28 not out off 16) they put on 64 from just 22 balls, but the South African was caught on the boundary at the start of the 49th over for 41, off 16 balls, and David Delany and Byron McDonough restricted Knights to eight off the last two overs.
On a day to forget for the bowlers – not one of the 13 used went for less than six an over - Jai Moondra, in his first representative game since his heroics against India, had figures of 7-0-94-0.
Half-centuries for Topping, Adair and Pretorius in the Knights total
The Lightning batters responded in kind, however, led by Chris de Frietas (116 off 76 with 17 fours and three sixes) and Harry Tector, caught behind two short of a century, with 37 still needed from the last five overs.
Harry Tector (98) and Chris de Freitas (116) led the Lighning chase
The champions were not to be denied and although David Delany (41 off 24) did not quite see them them home – he was caught seven short of the winning post – his eight wicket partnership with Gavin Hoey (26 off 18) allowed Moondra to hit the winning boundary. It was the sixth highest aggregate in all 50-over List A cricket and the second biggest chase, after the famous ODI when South Africa chased Australia’s 434.
