Northern Knights have the chance to finish the job they started way back at the start of May in their final one-day inter-provincial of the season at The Lawn (10.45am) today — and beat Leinster Lightning.

The Dubliners have been the dominant force in this season's representative cricket — hardly surprising considering the number of internationals they can field — and although they lost to the Knights in a Twenty20 game, no-one has came closer in the longer format to challenging their supremacy than the NCU team in the opening game of the series.

At The Hills, that day, the Lightning side, chasing 260 to win, were reduced to 189 for eight, but Kevin O'Brien and Fintan McAllister saw them home with an over to spare, thanks to a superb unbeaten ninth wicket partnership.

Lightning flexed their muscles that day by fielding no fewer than nine internationals, but not only does their 12-man squad for tomorrow's game include only four players with senior Ireland experience, neither O'Brien nor McAllister will be involved.

O'Brien is set to be the biggest miss, of course — he is currently playing for Trinidad in the Caribbean Premier League — but McAllister and Alec Cusack are injured while Andrew Poynter, Stuart Poynter and Andrew Balbirnie are also unavailable and coach Trent Johnston is also sitting out the game.

While the big names may be absent, there is plenty of talent and form in the Leinster side.

John Mooney captains a team which includes Ireland under-19 skipper Tyrone Kane and Peter Chase plus O'Brien's team-mate at Railway Union, Pat Collins, who is averaging 104 with the bat and has taken 21 wickets at 15 runs each in club cricket. Eddie Richardson is averaging 96 and with 22 wickets has to be content with second place in the all-rounders category.

Andrew White, who became a father for the second time in the early hours of yesterday, is available to lead a Knights team which has four changes from the opening game and also includes two of the Irish under-19 squad in Ben Wylie and Peter Eakin, while a member of last year's team, Jason van der Merwe is hoping for a starting place after being called in to replace Rory McCann.

A Lightning win will clinch their second trophy — after their Twenty20 success — but a Knights victory will force Leinster to beat North West Warriors in the final game, at Strabane Park next month to win the 50-over title.

Because of the inter-provincial, the Ulster Bank Premier League programme goes back to Sunday with the pick of the three games back at The Lawn where Waringstown have a must-win game to stay in championship contention, against old rivals North Down, who currently share the league leadership with Instonians.

The Shaw's Bridge side have a game in hand and will hope to maintain their title bid with a home victory over CIYMS while Nigel Jones is confident that his Civil Service North side, also with six games to play, can move clear of the drop zone, starting with an away win at Lisburn.

Leinster Lightning: J Mooney (capt), B Ackland, J Anderson, T Kane, P Chase, P Collins, B Couglan, B McCarthy, S Moreton, E Richardson, M Sorensen, A van der Merwe.