McBrine proud of Warriors’ fight despite final defeat

North West Warriors captain Andy McBrine admitted Leinster Lightning were simply too strong in the Interprovincial 50-over Cup final, but insisted the 170-run defeat should not overshadow an encouraging season for his side.

The Warriors arrived at Sydney Parade having played consistently well throughout the competition, only to run into a ruthless Lightning team which amassed a competition-record 446 for six before dismissing the visitors for 276.

McBrine, however, was proud of the way his players continued to compete despite facing an almost impossible task.

“We played a lot of good cricket leading up to the final,” he said. “Today just wasn’t our day, but I can’t fault the effort from ball one right through to the very end.

“I thought the fight was brilliant, but Leinster were just too good on the day.”

The Warriors’ challenge was made even more difficult by the early loss of their top order. Ireland Test captain Andy Balbirnie was dismissed without scoring in the opening over, before Gavin Roulston and Luke Marillier also departed cheaply to leave the side struggling at 29 for three.

“It wasn’t ideal, but that happens in cricket,” McBrine said. “We still showed plenty of fight towards the end.

“We probably finished about 150 or 170 runs short, but that’s cricket. You never give up, and the lads kept going.”

McBrine led that resistance himself with a superb century, striking 11 fours and three sixes in an innings of 100 from 93 balls.

It was his third List A hundred and provided the Warriors with some much-needed pride after the early damage, although the captain found little personal satisfaction in the milestone because of the result.

“It was obviously nice to get a few runs, but it doesn’t really matter because the end result wasn’t the one I wanted,” he said.

McBrine shared an important partnership with Ben Calitz, who made 41 from 34 balls, before Scott Macbeth, Jared Wilson and Liam McCarthy all contributed attacking cameos.

Those efforts ensured the Warriors continued to battle long after victory had slipped beyond their reach, something McBrine believes has characterised their campaign.

The defeat ended their hopes of lifting the 50-over trophy, but there remains one final opportunity for silverware when the interprovincial season concludes with two T20 matches at Lisburn next week.

The Warriors will require two bonus-point victories to have any chance of claiming the title, but McBrine remains confident his side can finish the season strongly.

“There is still the T20 competition next week and we still have a chance to win that,” he said.

“We know we need two wins with bonus points, but the most important thing is that we finish the season in the way we have played throughout the year.

“I think we can put in two really good performances at Lisburn. If we can do that, I’ll be more than happy with the way the season has gone.”

While the final brought disappointment, reaching the decider represented another sign of progress for a Warriors squad that has remained competitive throughout the campaign.

For McBrine, the focus now is on ensuring one heavy defeat does not define their season.

“We’ve played some very good cricket,” he said. “Today wasn’t our day, but the effort and fight were there until the end. That’s all you can ask from the boys.”