THE North West Warriors have a eight-week break before they return to inter-provincial championship action and the worry must be that anything they have learned over the last two days and 47 minutes of action, on their way to a three-wicket defeat at Eglinton, will be long forgotten.

Much like the Ireland team and their need to play more games against the elite countries if they are to improve their record on the world stage, the Warriors need more game-time in the longest format.

It was to their bowlers' credit that they remained in the game against the Northern Knights for so long - but the batsmen must show dedication and patience if they are to make an impact on the inaugural three-day tournament.

James Shannon led by example for the Knights yesterday and although he was out one short of a deserved 50, and just 12 runs shy of the winning post, his two and a quarter hour stay won the game for the Knights.

It was more than an hour longer than anyone on the home side batted, bar Kamran Sajjid's first innings of defiance, and the batsmen could not blame the Eglinton surface which, while offering help for the bowlers, was much better than a wicket every 34 balls which actually happened.

Nathan Waller, the Zimbabwean Irish-passport holder, hurried the game to its conclusion with 22 off a Stuart Thompson over, which should have been bowled by Sajjid or even the captain himself.

Thompson had not threatened a wicket in his first four overs yesterday and his fifth proved fatal to the Warriors' hopes of getting anything more than their bowling bonus points.

When Sajjid did replace Thompson, one over late, he duly had the more cautious Shannon caught at point but by then it was too late to matter and and with Andy McBrine bowling at the other end, rather than his more economical captain, Waller finished the match with two more boundaries; his final tally 37 off 25 balls with five fours and two sixes.

The absence of Johnny Thompson, who tore his hamstring after just six overs, was the most significant act of the match, immediately putting the pressure on the remaining two Warriors' front-line bowlers but Andy Britton stood up to the task well with hostile and accurate spells, although Knight Phil Eaglestone, after seven wickets in the match, should be top of the reserve list in the pace bowling queue for next week's four-day international against Australia A.