On the same pitch that 832 runs were scored on Tuesday, 521 were enough for Leinster Lightning to end North West Warriors winning start to the inter-provincial Cup on another scorching day in Sydney Parade.

Chris de Frietas fell 10 runs short of back-to-back centuries as Lightning chased down Warriors 259 in the 40^thover, claiming the bonus point with four balls to spare. They still needed 33 at the end of the 37^th over but Lorcan Tucker hit Gareth Delany for 18 in the over and although Andy McBrine restricted the captain and Harry Tector to seven in the next, Tector won the match in style with a six and four off Scott Macbeth, his first over of the match to finish 34 not out from 24 balls. Tucker was even quicker with 41 from 22.

The groundwork had been done by de Freitas who hit 10 fours and three sixes in his 84-ball innings and Stephen Doheny who made 87 (eight fours, two sixes) in a second wicket stand of 151.

Chris de Freitas and Stephen Doheny

Jake Egan  with a patient 85 from 116 balls  - he moved from 67 to 81 entirely in singles in a 10-over period – was the backbone of the Warriors innings but only Ben Calitz, who hit four sixes, not in the same over, in his 40 scored at better than a run a ball as the Lightning bowlers remained in control.

Fittingly, the man of the match went to Byron McDonagh,  who recorded his best Cup figures of 4-50  while Curtis Campher, George Dockrell and David Delany all went at less than four an over, each of them picking up a wicket. Gavin Hoey took the other three, including Calitz and Warriors skipper Andy McBrine for 37.

There was an unscheduled eight minutes stoppage during the Lightning innings when the players and umpires dived to the ground as a swamp of bees crossed the pitch.

The competition resumes next Tuesday at Lisburn when Northern Knights host Lightning, when a win for the visitors will set up a final against Warriors on July 23.