NORTHERN Knights were in a commanding position going into the last day of their Newstalk inter-provincial championship game against the North West Warriors at Stormont.

With eight wickets in hand they needed just 69 to complete victory in their first three-day game of the season against a Warriors side handicapped by the loss of skipper Andrew McBrine.

The contracted player was pulled out of the game by Cricket Ireland with a shoulder injury and although 12th man William McClintock was allowed to take his place as a batsman, his Donemana team-mate had no pretentions of matching his second innings runs and possible wickets on a last day pitch.

McClintock made one of four second innings ducks for the Warriors – and two others made less than five - but he was in good company as the other three were the team's most consistent runs scorers this season, David Barr, Johnny Thompson and Andrew Riddles.

It meant that the visitors were unable to take advantage of their surprising three runs first innings lead and, despite some lower-order hitting by Ricky-Lee Dougherty, the Knights were left to score just 154 in the fourth innings.

The bowler who gave the Warriors their first innings advantage was Bready professional Tabish Khan who resumed yesterday where he had left off last night, when he gave Lee Nelson such a horrid working-over, and deservedly finished with a six-wicket haul.

Having bowled Knights skipper Andrew White with a beauty in his first over of the day – Shane Getkate was dismissed next ball – it was left to Nathan Waller to get the NCU side even close to the Warriors modest first innings total of 190.

Waller was last man out for 38 and he proved the Knights key player yesterday as he then hurried the North West's innings to a conclusion, taking the last four wickets in 26 balls for just 14 runs.

The Knights innings got off to the worst possible start when Chris Dougherty was stumped by his namesake, Ricky-Lee, from 20 yards away, the keeper throwing down the stumps with the batsman still out of his ground.

But Nick Larkin with a composed 37 and Craig Ervine, again showing his class, with an unbeaten 34 have ensured the Knights should finish the job before lunch today.