PETER Connell is out of the North West Warriors' three-day inter-provincial against the Northern Knights at Eglinton, starting on Tuesday, after pulling up after just 13 balls of yesterday's one-day game against the Leinster Lightning.

Connell's hamstring injury didn't help the Warriors' cause at Malahide but it was certainly not the difference between victory and a 149 runs defeat as the tournament favourites turned on the power at the next international venue.

Even a total of 272 for six was below par on an excellent batting pitch and outfield which did justice to Leinster's nickname but it was still far too many for a Warriors side which could not cope with an international bowling line-up.

Max Sorensen, in his first spell and Alex Cusack in his only one were virtually unplayable and when Albert van der Merwe came on in the 21st over, he literally spun the Lightning side to their second successive one-day win.

Against the Knights last month, it needed an unbeaten century from Kevin O'Brien and an unbroken ninth wicket stand of 71 to get them past the winning post. This time the game barely got to the 40th over of the second innings, the Warriors bowled out with not one batsman reaching 30.

O'Brien again played another superb innings at the death, finishing 71 not out from just 51 balls with seven fours and two sixes and although he was dropped on 44 on the cover boundary, it was insignificant in the result of the game which, little did anyone know at the time, had effectively been decided by the Lightning's opening partnership of 118 in 24 overs

Ben Ackland and John Anderson raced away against inconsistent bowling, damaged irreparably by Connell's early departure. No-one else enjoyed the same economy although Andy McBrine and Andrew Riddles deserve credit for, first, removing the openers and then containing the middle-order. Indeed, with O'Brien and Andrew Poynter in the middle, they scored only 16 in the powerplay overs.

But it was the calm before the storm as O'Brien - who is off to the West Indies at the end of next month to take part in the inaugural Caribbean Premier League - broke free and the Lightning scored 52 from the last four overs, 10 of them by international John Mooney on his return to representative cricket after his ban for the infamous Thatcher tweet.

Mooney proved the most expensive bowler although he was quickly back on the wicket-taking trail holding a top edge return from Warriors captain Ifti Hussain, a dismissal which summed up the lack of technique from many of the visiting batsmen.

Stuart Thompson, defiantly, hit a run-a-ball 26 before he was yorked by van der Merwe but, ironically it was Andrew Balbirnie, the second slow bowler used by O'Brien - who didn't even use himself - who ended up as the leading wicket-taker. But by then the game was up for the not-so-plucky Warriors.