Warriors coach Bobby Rao was full of praise for his team after they kept alive their chances of retaining the T20 Trophy with a 13 run win against the Northern Knights at Belmont.

Craig Young's 3 for 13 was the highlight of a superb bowling and fielding display as they defended 136.

David Rankin top scored with 35, while there were useful contributions from Graeme McCarter, Ricky-Lee Dougherty and William McClintock.

"We were caught out a bit by the pitch to be honest- it looked dry and hard so the decision was to bat first if we won the toss but during the match the ball wasn't coming on," said Rao. "David and Ricky-Lee gave us a great start and William (McClintock) did really well at the end".

"Our bowling unit is as good as any and Graeme McCarter has done an amazing job with both bat and ball since he came in. He keeps everybody on their toes in the field and is great to have around the camp. His innings was vital to the win".

"When you have Craig, Stuart, Graeme and Andy Britton as a strike attack you always have a chance of beating anyone and I'm delighted for the boys- they deserve this. They have played so much cricket already this season and we're off again on Saturday night to Dublin. It is tiring but you can see how far we have come in a short space of time".

"There is no secret to it. Andy (McBrine) is an excellent captain and he has the respect of everyone. We have a superb spirit in the camp and everybody has a job to do and they know exactly what it is. There is no fuss. The boys just go about their work and every one of them have been fantastic ambassadors for North West cricket".