Leinster Lightning skipper John Mooney made 110 not out off just 68 balls to help his side regain the Hanley Energy Interprovincial Twenty20 Cup despite suffering a 15-run defeat to holders North West Warriors at Eglinton on Friday night.
Leinster went into the final game with a five-point lead after winning their three previous games and knew that if they denied the home team a run-rate bonus point they would take the trophy back to Dublin having lost it to the Warriors last year.
The Warriors were put in to bat by Mooney and went hell for leather from the start in a bid to make enough runs. Opener David Rankin led the way with 76 from 44 balls, while Stuart Thompson (36) and Graeme McCarter (32) scored quickly as the Warriors set a new competition record of 200 for six from their 20 overs.
A score of 155 would be enough for Leinster but Mooney looked intent on making it a clean sweep of wins in the competition. Stands of 82 with John Anderson (23) and Andrew Poynter (34) put them on course to chase down that target but momentum slowed later in the chase despite Mooney going on to claim the first century in the competition’s three-year history as Leinster closed on 185 for four.
Meanwhile, the United States will be allowed take part in next month’s World T20 qualifier in Ireland and Scotland despite the International Cricket Council having suspended the USA Cricket Association because of what the ICC say are “significant concerns about the governance, finance, reputation and cricketing activities of USACA”.
