CAMERON Melly blasted Brigade back into the NW Premiership title race with a brilliant century against a Newbuildings side that were at the summit at the start of the day. Melly top-scored with 121 from only 51 balls, a knock that saw him clear the ropes 12 times as well as hitting eight fours as Brigade racked up 317 for six. He shared a whirlwind stand of 110 in eight overs with Mark Hanna (31) in an all-out assault on the shell-shocked home attack. There were runs throughout the order with David Barr scoring 67 (12 fours) in a second wicket partnership of 111 with Adam McDaid, who made 61. Newbuildings had chased over 300 to beat Donemana on Saturday, but there was no repeat of those heroics as they were bowled out for 190. JP Millar and Scott Macbeth each took three wickets, with the latter getting the big fish – Peat Salmon. Johnny Thompson hit four sixes in a defiant 55, but the result was never in doubt.

Eglinton remain rooted to the bottom after a four-wicket loss at in-form Bready. Andy Millar hit seven fours in an excellent half century, while younger brother Jamie made 36, and there were twenties for Ryan Lamrock, Jack Martin and Lakshan Gamage in a total of 215 for six. Bready captain Ian Young led the way in the chase with an undefeated 62 (eight fours, one six), while there was also a half century for South African professional Josh van Heerden as the hosts won with two overs to spare.

Donemana regained the Premiership lead with an emphatic eight-wicket at Strabane in an all-Tyrone clash. Irish international Andy McBrine took four wickets as the Red Caps were skittled out for just 72 in a game reduced to 34 overs. There were wickets too for returning skipper Gary McClintock (three for 11) and Sri Lankan professional Anuj Jotin (two for 18). Raymond Curry’s unbeaten 20 eased Donemana to victory in the 16th over.

Strabane edged out Coleraine to gain a vital win in their battle to avoid relegation. Coleraine found the going tough as they made 172 for 7 with Louren Steenkamp making 52 and David Cooke an unbeaten 34 - two wickets each for Mark McNulty and Andrew Mullen. Kevin Gallagher made 48 at the top of the order (7 fours, 1 six) alongside Rhys Logue (24), There were runs too for Ranjitha (34*) and Aaron Gillespie (30) as the Red Caps won by four wickets despite the best efforts of James Bell (3-24).

Brigade still have an outside chance of the title and they kept themselves in the hunt with a seven wicket win against an Eglinton side devoid of confidence, Jamie Millar took four wickets as the villagers were bowled out for 146 - his namesake making 21 and Andy Millar 20 - extras (33) were actually their main source of runs. David Barr (55*) anchored the chase, sharing an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 62 with Cameron Melly, who hit 8 fours in a 28-ball unbeaten 39, while there were also 20's for Adam McDaid and Ifty Hussain.

Peat Salmon ensured Newbuildings leapfrogged Donemana at the top of the Premiership table as they chased 327 to win by seven wickets with 31 balls to spare, Salmon bludgeoned 18 sixes and 6 fours as he demonstrated incredible bat speed combined with wise shot selection as the hosts made light of what looked a tough chase. Jason Dunn (54) gave the reply a solid base, and from there Salmon shared two stands of 118 with Ross Dougherty (62) and Gregory McFaul (29*) much to the delight of the increasingly vocal home support. Earlier, William McClintock and David O'Sullivan each made 76 as they added 146 in 68 balls for the fifth wicket. There were runs too for Anuj Jotin (54), Ray Curry (49), DJ Dougherty (35) and Dwayne McGerrigle (20). If next week's Senior Cup decider is half as entertaining, the expected big crowd is in for a real bonanza of cricket.

Gavin Roulston hit a century as Bready's recent good form continued with a 74-run win over Ardmore. The left-hander top-scored with 116 (11 fours, 3 sixes) adding 142 for the second wicket with Jamie Magee 70 (8 fours) and a quickfire 81 for the third with Josh van Heerden (46*) in a total of 290 for 4 - Harry Zimmermann taking three wickets. The Ardmore skipper continued his decent year with the bat as he made 44, while there were runs too for Junaid Ali (41) , Sabin Babu (39) and Edrees 34 (4 sixes) in a total of 216. While Ardmore never threatened to chase down the target the two bonus points gained may well come in useful at the end of the season. The five Bready bowlers used all took two wickets - Travis Faulkner, Josh van Heerden, Ian Young, Gavin Rouslton and Nathan McCombe.

The game at Bready was the only Premiership one that managed to get underway. However, only 11 overs were possible with Eglinton having the home side in a bit of strife at 34 for 2.

Gary McClintock's unbeaten century ensured leaders Donemana got back to winning ways as they made light work of chasing down Eglinton's 222 to win by seven wickets. Eglinton skipper Jamie Millar top-scored with 57 (4 fours, 4 sixes), while Andy Millar hit 5 fours and 2 sixes in his 44. There were runs down the order too as Mark Averill made 32, and Jack Martin clubbed four sixes in his 25. Dave O'Sullivan took a hat-trick, while there were two wickets each for Andy McBrine and Levi Dougherty. Skipper McClintock hit 11 fours and 7 sixes in his 87-ball unbeaten 109, sharing stands of 76 for the third wicket with Anuj Jotin (38) and an unbroken 94 for the fourth with Andy McBrine - whose 53 not out from just 33 balls included 5 fours and 4 sixes. The Holm side go into the second half of the season in prime position now to defend their title having opened up a gap from the chasing pack. There are sure though to be a few more twists and turns before the end of the summer.

Brigade won the tightest game of the day, with skipper Andy Britton and Ryan Barr getting the six runs they needed off the final over to seal a three-wicket win at Ardmore. David Barr hit 7 fours and 2 sixes in a top score of 89, adding 99 for the second wicket with Adam McDaid, who hit 9 fours in a fluent 60. There was a mid-innings wobble as three wickets for Bobby Brolly and two for Vivek Dwivedi made things interesting. Simon Olphert (25) and James Smallwoods (20) along with Barr always had Brigade ahead of the game, but it was much tighter than they would have liked. Earlier, Ardmore's 226 for 8 owed much to Harry Zimmermann, who hit 10 fours and 3 sixes in his 107. He added 74 for the third wicket with Junaid Ali (33), and dominated a 7th wicket stand of 79 with Phil Patterson. Ifty Hussain took four wickets against his old club which keeps Brigade's outside title aspirations alive.

Bready continued their recent revival with an emphatic eight-wicket win at home to a Coleraice side whose title hopes are fading by the week. The Bannsiders were bowled out for just 108 with only Craig Averill (24) offering any resistance. The wickets were shared with three for Gavin Roulston, and two apiece for left-arm teenager Travis Faulkner, Conor Olphert and Josh van Heerden. Bready's reply saw two wickets fall in Stephen Hutchinson's opening over, but David Rankin and Van Heerden soon settled the nerves. Rankin made it back-to-back 50's hitting a 56-ball unbeaten 68 (12 fours, 1 six) as he and Van Heerden - who hit 8 fours in a 39-ball 43 not out - added 112 in 16 overs to clinch a win that takes them into mid-table.

Newbuildings are right in Donemana's slip stream after a convincing 81-run at Strabane. A solid batting effort saw them post 220 with Gareth McKeegan top-scoring with 48 (3 fours, 4 sixes), while Ryan Hunter hit five boundaries in his 36. Ross Dougherty made 20, while there were also late runs for Charlie Downey (22) and skipper Ross Hunter (23*). John Mooney (3-27) was best with the ball, while there were two wickets each for Andrew Mullen and Subhan Shirzad. Aaron Gillespie hit 6 fours and a maximum in a fluent 42, adding 56 for the second wicket with Rhys Logue (28). However, the game changed with Peat Salmon and Ross Hunter taking four wickets apiece. Some late blows from John Mooney (48) got Strabane a bonus point but the result was never in doubt.

There was a real shock as leaders Donemana lost by 42 runs to bottom side Bready in a rearranged game. David Rankin top-scored with 64 as Bready posted 194 for seven – four wickets for Jordan McGonigle who came out of retirement to compensate for Andy McBrine’s unavailability (workload being managed by Cricket Ireland - Jesus wept).Teenager Travis Faulkner took three wickets as the league leaders slumped to 62 for seven, and although they rallied with runs for brothers Billy (38) and DJ Dougherty (28), Faulkner returned to claim his fourth in a victory that lifted Bready off the bottom of the table.

Brigade returned to winning ways thanks to half centuries from Adam McDaid and Scott Macbeth. McDaid thumped a 49-ball 59 (6 fours, 3 sixes), while Macbeth top-scored with 65 (5 fours, 2 sixes) in a total of 228. Rhys Logue did well to pick up 4 for 19, while Aaron Mullen took two wickets. Aaron Gillespie made a fluent 55 from 53 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes) and at 76 for 2 the Red Caps were very much in the game. However, a spell of four wickets for just 12 runs ended the game as a contest, with Strabane dismissed for 140 - three wickets apiece for Scott Macbeth and JP Millar.

Junaid Ali and Conor Brolly starred as Ardmore gave their chances of Premiership survival a real boost, plunging Eglinton right into the relegation dogfight mix. It looked an unlikely scenario as four wickets for Mark Averill had Ardmore in real trouble at 53 for 6. Junaid though was able to marshall the tail, hitting an even time 71 (7 fours, 3 sixes). Robbie Millar took two for five and the consensus was a total of 129 looked respectable but not enough. The hosts had a tricky spell to negotiate before tea and lost three wickets as the realisation dawned this might be not be straightforward. In ideal bowling conditions Conor Brolly took 5 for 28 and skipper Harry Zimmermann 3-20 as the Bleachgreen side won by 69 runs, and with it claimed the Shaun Bradley Memorial Trophy.

Newbuildings maintained their recent good form with a 61-run win over neightbours Bready. Leeroy McKeegan (43) and Jason Dunn (42) laid the foundations with an opening stand of 67, and although they lost Peat Salmon first ball, 20s from Ryan Hunter, Ross Dougherty and Gregory McFaul allowed them up to 217. Gavin Roulston took four wickets, while there were three for Ian Young and two for Josh van Heerden. The South African top-scored with 43 in a chase that struggled to really get going. Ross Hunter took 3 for 25 as they warmed up for Sunday's Faughan Valley final at Ardmore with a win that keeps them in title contention.

The top of the table clash was the worst affected by the weather that hung around the North Coast for most of the day. An understrength Coleraine were well placed at 91 for 1 when an almost three hour delay happened. They had a further five overs to bat, but only added 18 for the loss of six wickets. Patrick Carson (49) and Louren Steenkamp (42) their main run getters, while Anuj Jotin and Andy McBrine each took three wickets. DLS gave Donemana a target of 152 in 29 overs, and they were made to fight to the last despite Gary McClintock making 42 and Anuj Jotin 27. It was getting interesting for the neutrals but David O'Sullivan's back-to-back sixes ultimately all but settled the contest. Donemana now sit top and can extend their lead when they play their rearranged match at Bready on Sunday.