LEINSTER Lightning extended their dominance of the RSA inter-provincial series to the shortest format yesterday with two resounding wins at Pembroke.

After bowling out the depleted North West Warriors for 78 in the first match, on their way to a seven wickets success, they scored 177 for four in the second match to set up a 58 runs victory over the Northern Knights.

The fact that that no-one outside the Lightning's prolific top six was needed to bat and that Kevin O'Brien, the Ireland vice-captain and front-line bowler, sent down only one over all day underlined their superior strength in depth.

Pat Collins, one of the unsung heroes in the home team, received the man of the match award for his half century against the Knights and allowed O'Brien and John Mooney to power on at the finish, 37 runs coming off the last two overs.

Only Andrew White, for three overs, kept the batsmen in check, the NCU captain rewarded with the wickets of Collins and his Ireland team-mate Alex Cusack, while David Simpson enjoyed himself with a wicket off his first ball and then holding up the Lightning celebrations with an unbeaten 14.

But there is class all through this Dublin side with Barry McCarthy, an Ireland Under 19 World Cup player last year, coming in for his senior inter-pro debut on his home ground and taking three wickets and Albert van der Merwe continuing to show Ireland what they are missing after his premature retirement from the international stage.

At least the second match went into the 39th over. The first game of the day lasted barely 29.

Put into bat on a pitch which offered early movement, the Warriors lost their first four wickets for just eight runs and never threatened to post a challenging total, the Lightning winning with nine overs to spare.

The inexperienced North West batting line-up was unfortunate to come up against the in-form Max Sorensen and after his first 10 balls, the Ireland international had figures of three for seven.

Stuart Thompson, fresh from 70 minutes batting against the Australia A attack, hinted at a recovery but the introduction of van der Merwe ended his innings with his third ball and another slide was on.

Every bowler O'Brien turned to picked up a wicket, bar Mooney who bowled a maiden to start with and wasn't recalled.

Andy McBrine finished as the Warriors top scorer, hitting three of his side's nine boundaries but the total did not give the bowlers a chance, so it was credit to Gareth Burns who, with the Lightning speeding to victory, bowled two overs to Andrew Poynter and O'Brien and conceded just five runs.