West savours the day CSNI’s young guns came of age

For James West, lifting the NCU Challenge Cup at Stormont was about much more than one innings, one match or even one trophy.

The 18-year-old walked away with the Player-of-the-Match award after top-scoring with 70 in CSNI’s emphatic 108-run victory over Instonians, but his thoughts afterwards quickly turned to a journey that began long before Saturday’s final.

“This is one of those days that will live long in the memory,” said West.

“It feels like for this group it’s been so long coming. This project started when my first game for the ones was when I was 14, four years ago.

“It’s been pretty much the same group of boys and now to finally be able to pay back the club with some silverware feels really rewarding. It feels like it’s been worth it.”

That sense of collective achievement was impossible to miss.

West may have supplied the headline innings, striking eight fours and two sixes in his 64-ball 70, but fellow youngsters Adam Leckey, Harry Dyer and Finn Lutton all played their part as CSNI claimed their first Challenge Cup success since 2016.

For a group who have grown up playing together in club and representative cricket, sharing the occasion made it even sweeter.

“We play a lot of cricket together and in a lot of different environments together, but we all love coming back and playing for the club,” said West. "To see them contribute as well as me is awesome.”

There was experience alongside that youth too.

West shared a crucial opening stand of 91 with Marc Ellison, whose 39 helped CSNI establish the platform for their eventual 258 for nine.

“Ellie was awesome,” West added. “And Stuart is just brilliant with all the things that don’t necessarily show up in the scorebook.

“He gets around the lads in the changing room and even mentioned in the speech that he gave us a bit of a bollocking at half-time. All that stuff goes into making the team what it is.”

West admitted there was some frustration that neither he nor CSNI were able to fully capitalise after reaching 160 for one.

The teenager had ambitions of turning his 70 into something significantly bigger, while the home side briefly threatened a total beyond 300.

“I would have been looking to kick on and get a really big one,” he admitted. “We maybe faltered slightly through that middle period and didn’t finish exactly how we wanted to. But then we came out with the ball and did exactly what we needed to do.”

For a while, Instonians threatened to make things uncomfortable.

Sully Gould’s rapid 34 helped the Premiership champions race to 93 for one, but CSNI refused to panic.

“We know we’re a good side,” said West. “We know if we put the ball in the right areas and field well, we’re as good as anybody. They have a few boys who can definitely take the game away from you, but thankfully that didn’t happen and we bowled really well.”

There was one final moment waiting for West.

With Instonians’ resistance all but broken, the last ball was launched high into the Stormont sky — and dropped towards the man who had already done so much to decide the final.

“I called it and then it went up and I thought, ‘Jeez, that’s gone quite high’,” he laughed. “I was just glad to hang on and finish it when we did.”

The catch completed a remarkable personal afternoon — top scorer, Player of the Match and the man who held the catch that confirmed CSNI as cup winners.

Yet West’s focus remained firmly on what the victory represented for the wider group. Years of patience, faith in youth and difficult lessons had finally produced silverware.

There will not be much time to dwell on it. CSNI face Dublin giants Pembroke in the Irish Senior Cup final next weekend, with the possibility of another major trophy suddenly very real.

That challenge can wait.

For one night at least, West and his team-mates were determined to enjoy a moment four years in the making.

“Exactly,” he smiled when asked whether the immediate priority was simply to celebrate.

For CSNI’s young guns, they had earned the right.