There were convincing wins in Section One for early season pacesetters Bangor and Carrick, while Cregagh won a tense contest against Armagh.

Carrickfergus made it two wins from two in NCU Section One with a crushing nine-wicket victory over Templepatrick at Middle Road. 

The visitors were blown away for just 81 in 24.5 overs in a one-sided contest dominated by the Carrick attack. Opener Richard Greer top-scored with 22 and was the only batter to reach double figures as wickets tumbled steadily. 

Prince Sharma was the chief destroyer, producing outstanding figures of 5 for 15, while experienced seamer Anthony Martin claimed 3 for 40. Richard Hood and skipper CJ van der Walt chipped in with a wicket each. 

Carrick raced to victory in only 13.2 overs. Michael Gilmour struck a lively 20 before falling to Curtley Deelman, but Iain Parkhill and the in-form Atish Varape shared an unbroken stand of 55. 

Varape finished unbeaten on 38 from 26 balls with seven boundaries as Carrick climbed to second in the table behind Bangor.

Cregagh edged a rain-affected thriller by eight runs on DLS against Armagh. 

Cregagh’s innings was built on a solid all-round batting effort with seven of the top eight reaching double figures in their total of 191. 

Stuart Nelson top-scored with 31, while Max Shannon made 29 and Chris Boultwood added 28. Alistair Watt also chipped in with 23. 

For Armagh, Aaron Wright and Luan Liebenberg both claimed three wickets, while Sam Wilson took two. 

Rain revised Armagh’s chase to 173 from 37 overs and Wright kept them in contention with an aggressive 57 featuring five boundaries. 

Liebenberg added 23, but Cregagh held their nerve as Watt starred with 4 for 27, supported by Nelson’s 3 for 37 and two wickets from Shannon, bowling Armagh out for 164 in 35.1 overs.

Bangor continued their impressive start to the campaign with a crushing seven-wicket victory over Cooke Collegians at Upritchard Park. 

The visitors were blown away early after collapsing to 17 for 5 against a disciplined Bangor attack. 

Chris Pyper and Angus Farrell ripped through the top order with three wickets apiece, while George Prince and Brodie Harrison chipped in with two each. 

There was some resistance from Ashish Pandita who made 22, while Reneesh Hassanar added 20. Bibin Babu showed plenty of patience in an innings of 19 from 79 balls, but Cooke were eventually dismissed for just 95 in 34.3 overs. 

With rain threatening, Bangor wasted little time in the chase. 

Sam McMillan blasted 33 from 21 deliveries before Harrison finished unbeaten on 37 from only 21 balls, striking four fours and three sixes as Bangor surged to 99 for 3 in just 11.1 overs to go top of the table at this early juncture of the campaign.

Fresh from steering Saintfield to National Cup glory last week, Werner Brand produced another sparkling century before rain denied Derriaghy any chance of a chase at Queensway. 

With the game reduced first to 40 overs and then again to 29 following persistent interruptions, Saintfield made full use of the shortened format to post an imposing 171 for 4. 

Brand dominated the innings with a blistering 100 from just 73 deliveries, peppering the boundary with nine fours and six towering sixes in a commanding display of power hitting. 

The South African shared a crucial second-wicket partnership of 78 with skipper Andrew McGavera, who contributed a well-paced 32 to keep the scoreboard moving. 

Ben Kenny was the pick of the Derriaghy attack, returning tidy figures of 2 for 12 and eventually removing the dangerous Brand.

Just 8.3 overs were possible at Pollock Park with hosts Lurgan on 37 for 2 when the plug was pulled. 

Openers Iqbal Khan (12) and Callum Grieve (7) the men dismissed by Donacloney Mills' Lewis Goodbam and Ryan Matthews respectively. They will now have to try again in a second attempt later in the season.