This shower could see the end of things - more overs to be lost and the cut off time is 7.39pm. There will be more play! - Sixteen balls of it to be exact - 20 runs required is the equation so at least the game is going to be finished on the pitch. Two overs to go and 15 required. It looks like it will be Macbeth and then Whitworth to bowl the last two. Calitz facing Macbeth - 2,3, Gleghorne 1, Calitz dot, 1, Gleghorne 2. Last over coming up with 6 runs required. And it will be Nigel Jones who will bowl it - his only over of the day! Calitz 2, 2, 4!! Muckamore win with 3 balls to spare.

Jason van der Merwe produced a Man of the Match display to lead Muckamore into their first Challenge Cup final since 1972, with his all-round efforts inspiring a deserved 70-run win over Woodvale at Moylena. He top-scored with 73 (7 fours, 1 six), adding 69 for the fourth wicket alongside Ben Calitz (53). There were runs too for Sathish Suresh (33) and Luke Allen (26*) in a home side total of 238 for 7. Neil Gill struck three blows in the reply - including the prize scalp of Ruhan Pretorius. Woodvale were rebuilding as Ludwig Kaestner - who hit 7 fours in his 53 - and Ronan Restieaux (32) added 60 for the 4th wicket, but the dismissal of Kaestner by Van Der Merwe (3-30) was the beginning of the end. Pavan Karthik and Sathish Suresh mopped up the rest to seal the 70-run win. It's Muckamore's 150th anniversary - what better way to celebrate it than by adding a second cup triumph to add to their 1962 glory.

Big players deliver in big games and faiz Fazal did just that with an unbeaten 81 taking Lisburn into the final with a six wickets win at home to Instonians. Neil Rock hit a fluent 45 (7 fours, 1 six), while there were runs too for Cade Carmichael (36), Adam Ly (27), and Andy White (20) in a total of 180 - three wickets apiece for Ryan Macbeth and Josh Manley. Further showers meant a target of 170 in 35 overs. Sometimes small targets can be tricky - this wasn't one of those occasions. The home support nerves were eased by an opening stand of 64 in the powerplay, with Jonathan Waite's 26-ball 35 (4 fours, 2 sixes) seeing his side race out of the traps. There was a minor glitch as Nigel Jones and Neil Whitworth fell in quick succession, but Fazal's 81 not out (9 fours, 1 six) ensured the victory, adding a further 67 for the fourth wicket with Glenn Halliday (29). It's 30 years since Lisburn shared the trophy - and 39 from their last outright win. Will it be them or Muckamore who will be popping the champagne corks on August 2nd?

It's take two for Instonians and Lisburn after rain saw the game abandoned after the first innings. The visitors looked to be crashing out as they slumped to 78 for 8 with Matthew Humphreys (3-12), Josh Manley (3-34), and Adam Kennedy (2-28) doing the damage. Andrew White (45) held them up long enough, adding what proved to be a crucial 52 with Ben Rose (22) for the 9th wicket. Lisburn will be feeling hard done by as they would have been firm favourites to chase 122 in 36 overs, but they will have to lift themselves again when the sides meet again next Saturday, July 13th.

No play was possible at Moylena on a day when the rain was never too far way. The second attempt will now be on the reserve date of the 13th of July.

Holders Waringstown crashed out as they lost a thriller by just five runs at Woodvale. The hosts recovered from 81 for 5 and 128 for 6 to post 217 for 9 in an innings reduced to 47 overs. Carl Robinson's hard-hit 56 (3 fours, 4 sixes) was the match defining innings, adding what was to be a vital 71 in 10 overs for the 7th wicket with Stephen Bunting (23). The chase was soon in deep trouble at 21 for 4, with three wickets for Ruhan Pretorius including Bilawal Bhatti first ball, but Greg Thompson (45) and James McCollum (30) repaired some of the damage. Aditya Adey (3-48) removed both to restore Woodvale's advantage, but James Cameron-Dow kept swinging - and connecting - to give his side hope. 29 off two overs became 11 off the last, but Cameron-Dow couldn't get the connection he wanted as Pretorius closed out the five-run win in a game that will live long in the memory at Ballygomartin Road. It's 1998 since they got their hands on the trophy - could this be their year?

Muckamore are another side who could believe the omens are with them in the cup. You have to go back to 1963 when The Searchers with Sweets for my sweet' replaced Elvis Presley's "You're the devil in disguise" at the top of the charts for the last time Muckamore drank from the Challenge Cup. It's their 150th anniversary year, and what better way than by lifting it again. The game at Moylena was delayed, reduced to 31 overs per side, A solid batting effort by the hosts saw the top six all get to double figures, with Satish Suresh, Mark Cleghorne and Jason van der Merwe all passing 30 and each clearing the ropes twice. A total of 185 for 6 would be a challenging one for CSNI, and even more so with the early wickets of professional Colin Archibald and Ryan Hunter - both falling to Man of the Match Sathish Suresh. Jordan Neill thumped five sixes in a run-a-ball 50, but the hosts kept taking wickets at crucial times. It was still in the balance though as James West (35) launched a late attack to leave 11 needed off 7 balls. Muckamore held their nerve with Pavan Karthik dismissing Andrew Cowden, then Suresh - who else - had the final say as he accounted for West to seal the win that takes them into the last four.

Andrew White rolled back the years as he claimed a Man of the Match 7 for 38 to lead Instonians into the semi-final and hopes of their first cup success since 2012. Comber is a familiar hunting ground for the 43 year-old - the NCU's leading wicket taker last year was a major force here in his younger days before moving in November 2003 to Shaw's Bridge. If the switch rankled at the time, yesterday's display will no doubt have reignited the emotions. Amongst his wickets were Ryan Haire and crucially, James Shannon, with the Inst old boy threatening to win the game with a fluent 53, as they chased 232 in a 34-overs contest. Earlier, Jack Dickson's run-a-ball 66 (6 fours, 3 sixes) laid the platform, while the late assault by Ben Rose (31*) and Cian Robertson (21*) which saw 46 runs come from the last 20 ball was crucial in the context of the game.

It's a more recent vintage for Lisburn's last success in the Challenge Cup, sharing the trophy in 1994. They had little trouble in beating Section One Derriaghy at Wallace Park. A fine bowling effort ensured the Queensway side never got going with their talisman Craig Lewis (45*) the only batsman to really raise his bat in anger as they were dismissed for just 126 - three wickets apiece for Ryan Macbeth and Adam Kennedy, plus two each for Neil Whitworth and Matthew Humphreys. Sometimes, chasing a low total in a cup game can be a nervous, nail-biting creep to the finishing line. This wasn't. Nigel Jones hit 5 fours and 4 sixes in an unbeaten 38-ball 61 as the eight wicket win was sealed in just the 16th over.

CIYMS struggled to 30/3 in ten overs after choosing to bat first before Max Burton and Tyron Koen added 89 for the fourth wicket. Koen’s wicket was the signal for two more without addition as Burton was dismissed and then Carson McCullough without scoring, and it took late runs from Bamanye Xenxe and Mark Best to get CIYMS to what was a distinctly vulnerable looking total of 171. The loss of big-hitting Ewan Wilson did nothing to halt the Muckamore charge to victory as Kylliin Vardhan and Sathish Suresh added 129, and Suresh took his side to within 17 of a huge upset before he became Tyron Koen’s second victim. All that was left was for CIYMS ‘old boy’ Jason van der Merwe, now back at his home club to seal the win in the shock of the day, doing it in style with 4, 6 off CI skipper John Matchett.

Toss: Ballymena. Glen Adams and Sam Glass hit half-centuries in what looked like a decent Ballymena total, Matty Foster’s with 3-39 the only CSNI bowler with more than a singleton. But it only took the home side into the thirty second over to secure the win, opener Colin Archibald with 40 off 23 balls (6x4,2x6) and Jordan Neill a 77 ball 92 (10x4, 3x6) adding 95 with Marc Ellison as CSNI raced into the quarter-finals in a fortnight’s time.

It was Alistair Shields with the golden arm as Cregagh were bowled out for just 112 after being asked to bat by the visitors. Shields’ ten overs cost only 16 runs, his five wickets breaking the back of the Cregagh batting lineup while Liam Hayman and Ryan Haire each picked up a couple. With such a low target North Down dispensed with their tried and tested opening pair of Shields and Chore and just for a moment it looked as if that could backfire on them. With Graeme Hassard taking three wickets Shields and Chore would get their chance at the crease after all, the six wicket win for North Down rather more comfortable than perhaps it sounds.

Toss: Donacloney Mill. A century from Donacloney Mill skipper Shane Warren ensured that his side set Instonians a 200+ target, but it was one that proved to be totally inadequate in the face of an Ollie Metcalfe onslaught. Metcalfe hit 153 not out in the 10 wicket win - his 90 ball innings containing 18x4s & 10x6s - carrying Instonians into the next round in just 26 overs.

Toss: Carrickfergus. With Ryan Beckett bowled by off-spinner Ruan Haasbroek for just a single and Stephen Cairnduff run out in the same over Derriaghy slumped to 7/2 before Ross Bailey and Aaron Kinnin added 45 for the third wicket. Bailey went on to top score with 60 adding another 40 with Craig Lewis but it was hard to break the shackles towards the end on the innings and the home side were all out with 3 overs unused, with young left-arm spinner Alex Armstrong claiming three wickets. In the chase Renco Adams was straight into the action with the wicket of Gilmour, following that up with two more in the shape of Haasbroek and Sam Gordon. Carrick needed a partnership between Alex Haggan and CJ van der Walt and they added 70 but vd Walt was quickly followed by Prince Sharma and Richard Hood leaving Haggan as Carrick’s last hope. In the end despite some resistance from young Alex Armstrong the final three wicket fell for just a single two of them including Haggan’s to Wayne Hughes.

Toss: Cliftonville Academy. Former Pakistan Test player Bilawal Bhatti ensured that Cliftonville Academy were held to less than 200 with five wickets for an economical 30 runs in his ten over spell. Abhishek Raut marshalled the tail as best he could but it still took late runs from Matty McCord and Adam Kelso to post their 196. And that proved to be far from competitive as the Waringstown top four rattled off the target inside 32 overs. Matthew Halliday with a half century for his new club and James McCollum adding another as he and Lee Nelson sealed the win.

Toss: Lurgan. Lurgan found the going tough against the Lisburn attack after Stephen Johnston and Johnny Hunter had added 40 for the first wicket. And it was the thirty seventh over before the hundred was raised by which time six more wickets had fallen, two in two balls to Matthew Humphreys, both lbw. A total of 142 looked well below par but the wickets of Faiz Fazal and Nigel Jones gave the home side hope. Not to be though as Lisburn Skipper Neil Whitworth battled through to a not out half-century in the less than comfortable three wicket win.

Laurelvale must have had hopes of an upset when Mark Thornbury and Adnan Malik raced away adding 64 in ten overs before their partnership was broken. From there however it was all down hill as only 42 more were added as Carl Robinson ran through the order claiming a five-for and an early claim to the MOM award. A quick-fire half century by Woodvale skipper Harry Warke (9x4, 2x6) sealed the win inside fifteen overs but not the MOM award which rightly went to leg spinner Carl Robinson for his demolition of the opposition.

A late five wicket haul by Andrew Bingham stopped the visitors in their tracks as they crumbled from 132/4 to 155 all out - 6 wickets falling for just 23 runs, after Ryan Matthews took the first three wickets in his opening burst. Belfast used nine bowlers in an attempt to shift Atish Varape who steered the home side to a comfortable six wicket win. His unbeaten 78 came off 48 balls and included 16 boundaries and earned his side a trip to face Instonians in the next round.

Three wickets from Cregagh skipper Danny Cooper helped reduce Armagh to 76/6 before a 45 run eighth wicket partnership between the rugby club's Kiwi out half Brayden Laing and Adam Woods saved their blushes, before the innings folded ten runs later. There were six overs of the Cregagh reply before 'tea' when a rain shower reduced the game to 48 overs. A confident chase by Cregagh with Cooper scoring 20 at the top of the order and Aaron Johnston with 29 through the middle. The sixth wicket falls with half a dozen required but Cregagh go through with a home tie next against North Down. Simply not enough runs in that Armagh batting effort to mount a challenge.

A captain's innings of 50 from Ross Bryans and 27 from Carrickfergus recruit Ben Cave were the only substantial contributions in the home sides batting effort that fell away with the regular loss of wickets. In reply Mark Thornbury and Adnan Malik set Laurelvale on their way, their opening partnership worth 82 before a flurry of runs from Babar Khan (30 off 16, 2x4, 2x6) carried them close to the win. Overs not a problem but there could be twist in the tail yet as another wicket falls. In the end Kurshid Subhani (18*) and Philip Weir (8*) got the visitors home their prize a trip to Ballygomartin Road to face Woodvale in the next round.