CRICKET: Chris Dougherty on form as CIYMS beat North County in Irish Senior Cup

Having won the toss at a sun drenched Belmont, captain Nigel Jones opted to bat first, and would have been worried in the early stages as Eddie Richardson picked up two wickets in the space of four balls in the third over, trapping John Matchett LBW for two before bowling Jones for four.

When professional Matt McGillivray was caught behind for seven, the home side were struggling at 31-3 and in desperate need for a partnership.

Ryan Hunter joined opener Dougherty at the crease and managed to contribute 18 before he was bowled by Gugale.

Jason van der Merwe followed soon after as he became Richardson’s third victim, with the impressive Irishman finishing his 10 over spell with figures of 3-40.

That brought Jacob Mulder to the crease, and alongside Dougherty, they set about putting their side in a strong position, collecting runs at will with the occasional boundary thrown in for good measure.

Dougherty had brought up his half-century by this stage, and with a capable partner in Mulder, CIYMS looked to be grabbing control of the game back from their Leinster counterparts.

Sitting on 35 and cruising along, Mulder was run out via a direct hit, which would have briefly worried the home side, but Dougherty grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and produced an innings those present won’t forget in a hurry.

Consisting of 13 fours and a massive six, the 30-year-old finished his innings on 122 having been spectacularly caught by McGovern off the bowling of professional Malcolm Nofal in the 48th over.

The innings ended soon after Dougherty’s dismissal, with CIYMS finishing on a respectable 219 all out.

Their defence couldn’t have got off to a better start when Nigel Jones struck with his second ball to dismiss McGovern with the help of a smart catch from James Cameron Dow.

North County began to rebuild through Jamie Grassi and Nofal, but once the former was caught by David Robinson off the bowling of Jones, the wickets began to tumble at a rapid rate.

Allen Coulter collected two wickets in his seventh over, which was just rewards for his magnificent spell of bowling which seen him end with figures of 2-25.

The away side continued to struggle, with Jones picking up a further two scalps, finishing his 10 overs with the impressive figures of 4-32.

Nofal was still at the crease and brought up a classy half-century, but those around him kept falling, meaning North County never really looked like getting close to the winning line.

The South African was smartly stumped by Dougherty off the bowling of Trevor Britton for 59, and spinner James Cameron-Dow ended the match with a wicket of his own.

And it will be a welcome result for the Belfast side who have struggled in this competition in recent times, and they’ll be hoping this is the year that all changes.

It was a fantastic day for NCU clubs in the Irish Senior Cup as five of the six teams in action won their first round matches on Saturday.

The most spectacular result came as Muckamore produced a stunning comeback to defeat Malahide by one wicket, with Craig Drummond hitting an unbeaten 108.

Having been 50/6 at one point, Drummond produced a match winning innings to help his side to an unlikely victory.

Drummond was ably supported by Neil Gill, who contributed an important 32 as Muckamore move into the second round.

Elsewhere, CSNI defeated Bready by 73 runs at Stormont, with Marc Ellison smashing 131 and Aaron Wright hitting 69 to seal their progression against a talented bowling line-up which included Irish international Craig Young.

The wickets were shared around for the Belfast club, with Ross and Adair picking up three each, and professional Andre Malan and Graeme McCarter both collecting two apiece.

North Down, who started their Premier League season with a win over CIYMS, cruised to a five wicket win over Fox Lodge at The Green in Comber.

Alistair Shields top scored with 80 and Ruhan Pretorius chipped in with 26 as the home side successfully chased down 165.

Also, Jack Burton struck 87 in Carrickfergus’ 119 run win over North-West side Coleraine at Middle Road.

Daniel Poulton also contributed 65 as Carrick amassed a total of 237-8, with Ryan Eagleson taking 5-15 for the home side as they ran out comfortable winners.

The only defeat came for Armagh, who were competing in their first ever Irish Senior Cup game on The Mall against Balbriggan.

Batting first, Armagh were all out for 164, with Colin Russell finishing on 49 not out before the Leinster side chased the total down for the loss of only one wicket.

The victorious teams will join Waringstown and Instonians in the second round, after the pair were granted byes after reaching the semi-finals last season.