An undefeated 87 by Jay Parkhill eased 2023 finalists Carrickfergus into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup, as they beat Section One rivals Derriaghy by seven wickets at Middle Road. 

After dismissing the visitors for 176 inside 39 overs, Parkhill came to middle in the second over after the dismissal of his younger brother and saw the job through, facing 118 balls and hitting eight fours. 

Ben Martin stayed with him for the last 96 runs but needed to score only 27 runs. 

It was Martin who removed Derriaghy captain Ross Bailey for just four and the only major contributors to their total were Matt Scobie who was run out by Atish Varape, for 41 and Ross Glover bowled by Ellliot Parkhill for 32. Varape came on to clean up the tail, taking four for 21 in his 3.4 overs.

CI booked their place in the last eight of the Challenge Cup with a six wickets victory over North Down at Comber. 

A typical rearguard innings of 67 balls by Chris Dougherty won the tie in the 37th over while wickets fell around him, in their chase for a victory target of just 145. 

The one-time Ireland international won the match with his second six but although they had slumped to 101 for six, captain John Matchett had held himself back to No 8 and finished 24 not out. 

In contrast to CI’s strong finish, North Down lost their last seven wickets for 41 runs after the dismissal of professional Mike Erlank for 39, the first of four dismissals for Carson McCullough. 

He was on a hat-trick when he bowled captain Tyron Koen for 31 with the first ball of his next over. Tom Crothers denied him that but he got his man in the next over and international Craig Young made it a four-for. 

There was an identical scenario in the CI innings when McCullough was lbw to his first ball from Jacob McClure-Dalzell but Satish Suresh foiled the hat-trick.

Muckamore continued their impressive start to the season with a convincing eight wickets victory over Cliftonville Academy at the Castle Grounds. 

The summer’s leading run-scorer extended his advantage with 80 not out and shared an unbeaten partnership of 103 with Jason van der Merwe who won the match with his fourth six while also bringing up his 50 at exactly a run-a-ball. 

He also hit five fours. Brand’s boundary count was precisely the same but his runs came from just 59 balls. Brand and Aditya Adey equally shared six wickets as CA were bowled out for 168 in the 43rd over, professional CJ Klijnhans top scoring with 57 from 48 balls (eight fours and a six). 

Chris Whitten picked up the baton with a patient 43 but wickets continued to fall at the other end and when he was eighth out, the end was nigh.

Civil Service North’s temporary professional Michael Rae and Adam Leckey ripped through the Woodvale top order to make victory a formality in the second round tie against Woodvale at Stormont. 

Rea, an unused member of New Zealand’s Test squad in Belfast last month, is filling in while Ashwin Hebbar is back in India for three weeks, took three for nine in his first five overs and Leckey took the other two wickets as Woodvale collapsed to 19 for five in reply to the home side’s 163. 

Only Ludwig Kaestner held up the procession, with 44 from 64 balls, and he was still unbeaten as Rae added two more wickets to finish with five for 25 from seven overs, Woodvale bowled out for 79 in the 24th over. 

Only Harry Dyer, at No 5, stayed for any length of time in the first innings, scoring 45 from 82 balls and he was last man out at the start of the 49th over, giving Kaestner his fourth wicket, while Evan Carlisle and Aswin Shetty shared the other six.

Laurelvale will host CI in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals after knocking out Section One side Bangor on their own patch at Upritchard Park with exactly 100 runs to spare. 

Adnan Malik top scored with 81 in Laurelvale’s 232, bowled out in the 48th over but second top score was the 45 extras which included 37 wides. Malik was out hit wicket to Campbell College student Seb Yeates who also had Daryl Henry stumped for 44. Christoher Pyper was the most successful bowler with three for 27.

Only Ireland international Mark Hutchinson got past 25 for Bangor, he scored 41 from 69 balls before becoming one of Michael Burns four wickets. 

Bangor’s highest partnership was 30 between Hutchinson and Ian Butler and they lost their six wickets for 22 runs with captain David Sinton taking the last wicket in his only over.