TRENT Johnston has backed Chris Dougherty to step into the Ireland team for next week's Intercontinental Cup game in Holland if James Shannon fails to make the trip.

Dougherty, the CIYMS opening batsman, earned praise from all sides for his back to back 60s in the inter-provincial championship game against the Leinster Lightning which, almost single-handedly, he took into a third day.

It took Lightning 30 minutes to take the last wicket yesterday afternoon to complete victory by an innings and 13 runs, after rain delayed the start by two and a half hours, but Johnston, the Lightning coach and Ireland opening bowler, began his post-match press conference with a "special mention" for Dougherty.

"His two innings were outstanding and you probably have a ready-made replacement for Shannon if he can't get on the plane for Holland. It was good to see someone dig in, he knew what he had to do and picked the balls he wanted to hit and everything else was left or hit straight down the ground. It was very impressive," said Johnston.

Dougherty was unbeaten for the duration of the Knights first innings, facing 127 balls, and when he was finally dismissed on day two, he had batted for a total of six hours 51 minutes. The perfect preparation for a four-day game which, if Ireland win, will qualify them for their fourth I-Cup final.

Shannon's back injury remains a mystery, even to the player himself. He revealed yesterday that he had hurt it last Friday in the Twenty20 Blitz in Pembroke but he had no reaction when he batted for Instonians last weekend or for the Knights at College Park, although he faced just four balls in his only innings.

On Wednesday morning he saw the Knights team physio who asked Ireland physio Kieran O'Reilly for a second opinion and he was immediately pulled out of the inter-pro. Shannon will see O'Reilly today and a decision made on whether the Instonians batsman can travel with the rest of the squad tomorrow.

Shannon is definitely out of today's Ulster Bank Challenge Cup quarter final against Lurgan and, for one reason or the other, will miss the big Premier League game of the day tomorrow, at North Down.

With Andrew White also away with Ireland, North Down will fancy their chances of inflicting a first league defeat of the season on the leaders, although the Comber side are coming off the back of two successive defeats last weekend to CIYMS, in the league, and Waringstown in the cup.

Captain Ryan Haire's biggest problem in recent matches has been getting the right combination of bowlers. The addition of James Cameron-Dow, who looks to be a quality left arm spinner, to complement Martin Moreland, should ease matters rather than complicate them with Tim Ley, the other bowler guaranteed his full quota of overs.

After that, any combination of Gavin McKenna, David Kennedy and Peter Eakin can bowl the remaining overs and with Cameron-Dow a hard-hitting No 8, his all-round presence could reinvent North Down's season.

It's a big weekend for Haire's side; on Sunday they head to unbeaten Coleraine for the semi final of the ClubTurf Ulster Cup, with Waringstown at home to Bready in the other 40-over last-four game.

Waringstown will, first, hope to take advantage of any slip up by Instonians by making it a three-way tie at the top with victory at Ballymena, while it is a big day for Lisburn, who play at Wallace Park for the first time this season after the re-laying of their square. Fittingly, the opposition are defending champions CIYMS.