Madison Landsman stars as Holywood celebrate Challenge Cup glory
Captain Madison Landsman played a starring role as Holywood celebrated Gallagher Women’s Challenge Cup glory by beating Instonians in the showpiece decider at Stormont.
South African star Landsman has been in impressive form throughout the 2026 season for Holywood, scoring 201 runs across two matches in her side’s run to a third consecutive cup final.
The opening batter also sits top of the Premier League’s run charts, hitting 360 in four innings at a strike-rate in excess of 200, and continued in a similar vein in Sunday’s final, smashing 117 from 63 deliveries.
Landsman struck 18 fours and four sixes in the Stormont sun against an Instonians side contesting their maiden Challenge Cup final and shared a match-defining second-wicket partnership of 150 with Lara Maritz (86).
Their contributions helped Holywood post 297/6 – a total which proved more than enough with Inst dismissed for 53.
Alexis MacDonald (3/3) and Erin Bond (3/17) led from the front with the ball for the Seapark outfit while Nina Kerr (2/17) also chipped in.
Steve Kruger’s side will now hope to add a Premier League title to their collection this season – Holywood have won all six of their matches to date and sit top by four points.
In the men’s Premier League, Waringstown took another step towards clinching the top flight crown as centuries from Morgan Topping (128*) and James McCollum (106*) helped The Lawn outfit secure an eight-wicket win over CSNI.
Ashwin Hebbar (65) top-scored for CSNI as they posted 261/6, and while Waringstown were in early trouble at 24/2, Topping and McCollum then steadied the ship and shared a match-winning partnership of 241.
Topping (470) and McCollum (449) now occupy second and third spot respectively on the Premier League’s run chart with the duo both registering a third century at the weekend.
Muckamore’s Neil Brand (534) sits top of the pile, but his impressive 139 couldn’t stop the Moylena side falling to a four-wicket defeat at home to Lisburn.
Brand led the way as Muckamore were dismissed for 230 and the hosts had early joy in their defence when Lisburn were reduced to 5/2.
However, Nikolai Smith (94*), who recently joined from Instonians, held Lisburn’s innings together with a powerful cameo from Ireland’s Ben Calitz (41) helping get Neil Whitworth’s side over the line – and keep their title dream alive.
Lisburn and Instonians both sit four points behind Waringstown after the latter defeated North Down by 184 runs.
Ireland international Cade Carmichael (159*) starred for Inst, hitting the third-highest individual score of the 2026 Premier League campaign – he struck 14 fours and six maximums during his 127-ball stay at the crease.
Half-centuries from Andrew White (60) and Sully Gould (57) pushed Instonians’ total up to a whopping 342.
North Down were unable to trouble the target with White (3/23) and Ben Rose (3/38) both helping to halt momentum – Michael Erlank (55*) top-scored for the hosts at The Green.
In the bottom-four section, Cliftonville Academy defeated Laurelvale by 34 runs while CI beat Woodvale by 21 runs.