Eglinton shrugged off a brief rain delay and an early wobble to power past the North West U19s by seven wickets in an entertaining T20 Championship clash, with skipper Andy Lucas leading the way in style.

Robbie Millar took four wickets: Pic David Coyle

The Boyd Rankin-coached youngsters never really recovered after a difficult start with the bat. Left-arm seamer Kyle Moore struck twice in the opening exchanges to leave the innings under pressure, and although Ron Killen battled gamely for a top score of 23, wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals.

The chief destroyer was Robbie Millar, whose leg-spin completely tied the teenagers in knots. Mixing flight and turn cleverly, he claimed 4 for 24 and ensured the U19s were dismissed for 117 in 19.3 overs. Moore’s disciplined spell of 2 for 15 provided the perfect support as Eglinton controlled proceedings throughout.

A ten-minute rain interruption during the interval revised Eglinton’s target to 110 from 18 overs, but the chase began awkwardly when left-handed opener Andy Millar departed in only the second over.

Any nerves quickly disappeared thanks to Lucas and Sri Lankan professional Dunith Jayathunga. The pair counter-attacked superbly, sharing 53 in just five overs to swing the game decisively Eglinton’s way. Jayathunga was particularly fluent for his 25, cracking four boundaries in an aggressive cameo.

Lucas, however, was the standout performer. Calm, powerful and composed, the skipper dominated the chase with an unbeaten 47 from only 33 balls, striking four fours and two sixes as the home side accelerated towards victory.

Chris Pierce added a lively 17 in a brisk partnership worth 38 before being run out, but by then the result was beyond doubt. Robbie Millar finished things off alongside Lucas as Eglinton cruised to 111 for 3 with 4.3 overs to spare.

Charlie Downey and Mark Robinson picked up the only consolation wickets for the U19s.

There are seven matches down for decision on Thursday evening but with no umpires officiating.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster...

However, it could well be a regular feature as this weekend only eight umpires are available meaning only four of the eight senior games will be covered, with preference given to the clubs who supply the few officials the region has.

There were numerous appeals for new ones over the winter but these fell on deaf ears.

Just what the solution is remains to be seen.