Cheered on by the Belfast Wolves – and Edinburgh Castle Rockers – Dublin Guardians caused the shock of the tournament by beating Rotterdam Dockers and knocking them out of the ETPL

Despite being set a target of 189, the Guardians chased it down with five wickets and an over to spare, mainly thanks to James Vince who scored the first century of the tournament – in the last  game of the league phase.

There are just two games remaining, the play-off on Saturday between Amsterdam Flames, who finished second, and the Wolves with Edinburgh awaiting the winners  in the final on Sunday, after finishing top of the group, despite losing their last three games in Malahide.

It looked all over bar the shouting at half-time after the Dockers posted 188 for five against a Dublin side who fielded  only two overseas players with Harry Tector taking over the captaincy from Ravi Ashwin who preferred to watch rather than play on his 40th birthday.

Colin Munro got the Dockers off to a flying start with 20 from eight balls and it was Faf du Plessis – the highest run scorer in the competition – of course, who maintained the momentum, although he fell eight runs short of his sixth half century, dismissed by the Irish combination of caught Matt Hollard bowled George Dockrell.

At halfway, the Dockers were 78 for three but Henrich Klaasen then took centre stage with 85 from just 41 balls, hitting nine fours and four sixes. He shared a 70 runs partnership with his captain and then a fifth wicket stand of 57 with David Wiese who scored 23 off 16.

David Willey was bowled by Wiese in the first over of the Guardians innings but it was the sixth over which changed the course of the match. It included two dropped catches with lives for both Vince, on 34, and Tector, on 17, and when Vince cashed in by hitting the last two balls for six, 25 runs had come off the over, Vince’s fourth maximum bringing up a 21-ball half century.

Tector was caught behind for 29, immediately after the partnership had reached 100 and Ben Calitz, a surprise No 4, was caught on the boundary two overs later.

But Vince charged on and when he was dropped again on the boundary in the 16th over, Saqib Zulfiqar palming it over for another six to take him to 89, there was no longer any doubt about the result.

Sanjay Krishnamurthi an Noah Croes both fell before the finish and it was Ireland’s finisher, George Dockrell, who hit the winning boundary with Vince 106 not out, from 61 balls, having hit 10 fours and five sixes.

The Guardians win left the top four all on 13 points with nett run rate deciding the  three teams who will play at the weekend. with Rotterdam a clear  fourth.