Proud McDonnell Hails North West Warriors Fighting Spirit  in Thriller

North West Warrior's Niall McDonnell reacts to the breathtaking finish to the Warriors Exciting Interprovincial Clash with the Leinster Lightning, stressing the Warriors younger players will benefit hugely from playing best against best on a regular basis in these RSA Interprovincial matches.

Barry Chambers: Niall the Warriors season got off with a drawn game against Leinster, in a match that you look liked losing, but managed to scramble a draw in a dramatic fashion?

Niall McDonnell (North West Warriors): Yeah there's eleven Steve McQueen's in the changing room, it was a bit of `A Great Escape'. But you know, ok fair play Leinster, a great side and they have bountiful pickings to choose from. That means a great deal to us, because it shows a little bit about our character. We didn't give up and we stuck to it. And I think the main thing we wanted to do is try and not let ourselves down, not let the Union down.

With the star names they have in their team, it can be a bit intimidating. And to give them credit they really bowled fantastic, you know people will ah they got the best conditions to bowl in, but you still need that level of skill to executive the plans, and I can tell you from firsthand experience, it was fantastic bowling, and batting as well, showed extreme patience and a real obvious game plan that they stuck to and you know it was real hard work.

But you know, ok weather, you can mention loads of things. But I think anyone who saw, and anyone who was part of that, you know it meant so much, it felt like a win, you know it really did. And it just means a lot to us going forward. It's something to build on, it's a start. And after a start, you know the longest of journeys start with one step, and that's our first step. And there's a great feeling in the changing room.

Barry Chambers: You could really see the team spirit there and the pride at the end, and the determination, just all the best characteristics of North West Cricket.

Niall McDonnell: One thing I will say, and I was away from the North West for a long time, one thing that really grew this week was a real team spirit. As hard as Leinster made it for us, and they really made it hard, they really put us under pressure in every discipline.

There's a great atmosphere in the changing room, in the hotel, you know, even the taxi rides here, you know, there's a great deal of laughter, and it wasn't that we were not bothered about the result, but it was just personalities that seem to gel. And even watching the last few overs, the boys trying to see out with the bat. It's not something we're used to, I played a little bit of time cricket in England and it was like flashing back to then, any day we didn't lose was a great day.

Everyone got together and everyone got behind everyone else. And you know that speaks volumes. I will be honest and say I wasn't convinced that that would have always been the case, but you know, you say Barry that that's the way it was. We stuck together and you know every ball that was bowled in those four overs, and every time the ball was fielded, it was a big deal and the spirit was immense.

Barry Chambers: The whole RSA Interprovincial Series has got off to a great start. I mean it seems to be going to be a great success?

Niall McDonnell: It's the only way that the North West as a Union can learn and start to catch up on the other two Unions. Cricket is s simple game. It's about the team scoring runs and then taking wickets. And that's what we need as a Union to improve on. And by playing three day cricket, by playing best against best, it's so, I know the Leinster guys all play for clubs here, but you know the quality is top class. They had nine internationals playing today. And they have internationals not playing. That's how strong a Union they are.

And the Northern Knights are going to be exactly the same. So playing best against best, especially the young lads, the Scott Campbell's and the Andrew McBrine's and Rickey Lee Dougherty's, you know those guys, ten, fifteen years playing best against best, can only improve their game. Because the effort that we have to put in, not even to match, just to compete against the Leinster Lightning, you know it's real hard work.

We had been working hard under Bobby and Ian to try and raise our game. And we're going to have to go back now to the drawing board and raise it even more, because we're not going to get away as lucky in the future. But it can only be good. It can only be good for Irish Cricket as a whole. And even the buzz around College Park was fantastic, you know, right throughout the three days, it really really was.