BOYD Rankin is the notable absentee from the North West Warriors line-ups for this week’s inter-provincial clashes with Leinster Lightning, starting with the one-day Cup game at Eglinton today (10.45am).

The Ireland pace man played only one of the four Twenty20 internationals in Holland, as he is eased back from injury, and he will have another week’s rest ahead of the two T20s against India in Malahide next week.

The good news for coach Ian McGregor is that David Scanlon is available again after missing Warriors T20 clash against Lightning with back spasms. Brigade’s Ryan Macbeth, however, has just recovered from a hamstring injury and won’t be risked.

The other new face in the squad is Fox Lodge slow bowler Aaron Heywood who has played one T20 but is likely to be 12th man this week.

While Warriors have named the same squad for both games, Lightning will be without Kevin O’Brien and Eddie Richardson for the first-class game at Bready, which starts tomorrow and have been forced into a late change after Tyrone Kane was forced out with a badly cut finger, which required stitches, sustained in Merrion’s Irish Cup game against CIYMS on Sunday. No replacement had been announced last night.

Richardson is unavailable for the three-day clash, while O’Brien is resting his 34-year-old body between the trip to Holland and Sunday’s T20 game against Sussex at Arundel, a testimonial for recently retired international team-mate Ed Joyce.
Their replacements in the three-day team are Merrion left armer Tom Stanton and Jarred Barnes who was injured in the game against the Knights but has returned to action for YMCA.

William Porterfield, Craig Young and Stuart Thompson – the latter played in all four Ireland games – are the Warriors who flew back from Amsterdam yesterday while Andrew Balbirnie, Simi Singh and Peter Chase face a road trip after flying into Dublin, with all three expected in play all four days.

Niall O’Brien has no such travel problems, having made his club debut for Ardmore in their Senior Cup defeat on Sunday, the Ireland international stays on for both games as Warriors wicket-keeper.

Warriors and Lightning each won their opening 50-over game, against Northern Knights but the Leinster side have opened up a 19 points lead in the Championship after beating Northern Knights in their second game at Comber.

However, Warriors enjoyed the better of the Championship game in Pembroke against Lightning – albeit with Rankin in the side – and will be keen to prove they can do the same without their strike bowler, with the added incentive that a Lightning victory will put them in pole position to claim yet another inter-provincial trophy.

Meanwhile, Gallagher Challenge Cup holders CIYMS have been drawn at home to Irish Cup holders
Waringstown in the plum semi-final at the end of the month. Instonians are at home to Civil Service North in the other tie on Saturday week.