As expected the Interprovincial Championship game between the Knights and Leinster Lightning ended in stalemate at Stormont on Thursday but this was anything but a drab draw. Indeed had it not been for a lengthy delay to the start of play due to rain, there could easily have been a positive outcome to the contest.

The visitors had resumed on 19-1 when the teams finally got on after lunchtime, a lead of just 5 runs overnight, but the home side's bowlers used the testing conditions superbly to set up an entertaining afternoon of cricket.
It was Nikolai Smith who got the Belfast side on the front foot straight away on Day 3 as the Instonians man did for first innings centurion, John Anderson (2), and then new man Simi Singh the very next ball, this in the first over of play.

Graeme McCarter, who had breathed real life into the match on Wednesday evening then accounted for Sean Terry (9) and Tyrone Kane (7) to reduce the current champions to 51-5 before Shane Getkate really put the cat among the pigeons.

The Civil Service player proved very troublesome when called into the attack- having Joe Carroll caught by Gary Kidd for 11 and then Eddie Richardson (9) pouched by James Shannon as Leinster were pinned to the ropes on 78 for 7.

With plenty of time left and a lead of just 64 the visitors needed something quickly and while “quickly” is hardly the word, Andrew Poynter and George Dockrell provided it. The International duo dug themselves a trench and despite the best efforts of McCarter (3-41), Getkate (2-13) and Smith (2-18), the batsmen couldn't be separated.

Poynter made 42 from 136 balls and Dockrell 15 from 91 in a 39-run resistance that last one ball short of 30 overs before the captains agreed than an extra hour was unlikely to force a result.

It was a really good game in the circumstances and credit the Knights who refused to settle for a draw even when the chances of any other result looked remote at best.

Next up for both is a game against the Warriors- Leinster travelling to Bready on 31 May for another three-dayer while Andy McBrine's side will be at Comber for a T20 contest on the preceding Friday.

At Stormont

Leinster Lightning 306-3 declared and 117-7-57 (A Poynter 42*, G McCarter 3-41, S Getkate 2-13, Nikolai Smith (2-18)

Northern Knights 320-8 declared

Match drawn