Brigade closed the gap on leaders Bready to just six points – and they have a match in hand – after winning the top of the table clash yesterday by 73 runs.

David Barr batted through the Brigade innings – he was run out off the last ball – for 77 although it was Ryan Macbeth who took the game away from the visitors with 39 from 27 balls and then took two wickets in his first over before Bready had scored. When Ifti Hussain followed up with the wickets of David Rankin and Kyle Magee in successive overs, it was effectively game over.

Ardmore bounced back from Saturday’s defeat by Eglinton to stay in third place with a three wickets victory over Bonds Glen but it was a bad weekend for early pacesetters Killyclooney who lost by seven wickets to Coleraine, the day after a heavy defeat by St Johnston.

North West Warriors captain Andy McBrine made a rare appearance for Donemana on Sunday and took four wickets to help them to a nine wickets victory over Burndennett.

Warriors start the second half of the Inter-provincial Cup on Monday when they travel to Milverton to take on Leinster Lightning (10.45am).

Warriors share the lead with Northern Knights after the first round of games but Harry Tector has been named in the Lightning squad, the day after he hit 37 off 17 balls for Gloucestershire in their One-Day Cup game against Somerset for whom Curtis Campher hit 32 off 27.