Carrickfergus and Donacloney Mill remain unbeaten at the head of the table with DLS wins as they squeezed in enough overs to obtain results on a day when the other three fixtures were not completed.

Atish Varape, Carrickfergus’ signing from rivals Donacloney Mill continues to do the business for them with both bat and ball, four wickets and the run out Derriaghy top scorer Aaron Kinnin (67) as the ‘Aghy totalled a below par 210/9 a a rain reduced 48 overs.

Varape then saw Carrick across the line with a better than a run-a-ball half century (58*) in an unbroken 88 run partnership with Iain Parkhill (35*) their side’s 127-1 in 24 overs a comfortable 54 run DLS margin when rain ended the game.

Varape’s replacement at Donacloney Mill is a young Irish passport holding Aussie Jude Markham, (remember the name!) a left-hander with a reputation as a attacking opener. That was certainly in evidence today as he raced to 43 off just 14 balls - with 42 of those coming in boundaries, Humza Khan’s opening over disappearing in a 4,4,6,4,4,4 blitz.

Runs from Ryan Matthews (54) and Alex Ogle (43) carried the Mill to 246-9 in their 50 overs. And it was Ogle again with the ball as he claimed three wickets in a Downpatrick innings that never got going with Markam’s left-arm spin claiming Khan’s wicket after his earlier onslaught rubbing salt into the wounds. Downpatrick had subsided to 96-8 with 27 overs bowled, a massive 124 runs behind on DLS when the match was abandoned.

Ballymena’s Scott Willoughby played the most spectacular innings of the day, his 147 off just 68 balls containing 16x4 and 10x6 but it was to no avail as the rain arrived in Bangor earlier than predicted to end proceedings.

In the only other game to get started Lurgan were unable to force home their first innings advantage against Laurelvale due to the weather but remain unbeaten with 3/3 one win behind the leading pair.