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The Newstalk Inter-Provincial series once again showcased the best in Irish domestic cricket in 2014, with three provincial teams competing in a three-day Championship, 50 over Cup, and Twenty20 Trophy.
Leinster Lightning again ended the season with two of the three titles, but not the same two they won in 2013, showing the competitiveness of all three competitions, especially the shorter formats.

First to get started in 2014 was the 50 over Newstalk Inter-Provincial Cup, which got underway in the first week of May when the Lightning hosted the North West Warriors at The Hills CC just north of Dublin.

The Lightning won that opening match via Duckworth-Lewis thanks to a brilliant unbeaten century from Andrew Balbirnie and a 67-ball 98 from Kevin O’Brien, who was only denied his century when run out backing up at the non-strikers end.

After that thrilling opening it was July before there was another result in a Cup match, with the Warriors and Northern Knights’ first match abandoned just a few overs into the second innings, meaning there was no result in Coleraine.

When the sides met again it was the Knights who came out on top as the match was once again affected by the rain and Duckworth-Lewis was required to get a result.

The final three matches of the Inter-Provincial Cup came late in the year and saw the Lightning take on the Warriors once, and the Knights twice.

The Warriors were first up, and Balbirnie led the way with the bat again, scoring 88 on his way to becoming the leading run scorer in the tournament, as the Lightning won comfortably.

In the two matches against the Knights, competition best individual performances won both matches for the Lightning, with Andrew Poynter scoring an unbeaten 123 in the first match, and Tyrone Kane taking 4-31 in the second to ensure the Lightning finished the season as champions after winning every match.

The Newstalk Interprovincial Championship started shortly after the Cup in late May, with the defending champions the Lightning taking on the Warriors in Bready. It proved to be an interesting start to the series, with both number eleven batters ending as top scorer for their team as the Lightning held on to win a match that swung both ways over the three days.

The Warriors then travelled to Stormont to face the Northern Knights two weeks later, but without Stuart Thompson, and with skipper Andy McBrine injured during the match, they suffered a heavy defeat barely an hour into the third morning.

With one win each for both the Lightning and Knights, the sides faced off in a mid-summer clash on the grounds of Trinity College in Dublin. The winner would be in prime position at the half way stage of the summer and it was the Lightning who took the opportunity with both hands.

Andrew Poynter was the star of the show with the bat, scoring two half-centuries, whilst Eddie Richardson took six wickets in the match leaving the Knights 157 runs short.

Another win for the Lightning against the Warriors, this time in Malahide, went a long way towards securing the title, although it took another fantastic last wicket partnership to take the game away from the Warriors.

A well-timed declaration from John Mooney had led to an exciting final day, with the Warriors eventually reaching their highest score in a Championship match thanks to an outstanding captain’s innings from McBrine, but it was not to be as the Lightning eventually bowled out the Warriors with time to spare.

Eventually the title was won in early August when persistent rain meant there was not enough play to get a result when the Knights hosted the Lightning – the main highlight of the match being a superb hundred from Craig Ervine.

There was one match remaining in the Championship once the title was decided, although both the Warriors and the Knights were probably a little relieved nothing was at stake, as neither had full strength squads to pick from after a spate of injuries towards the end of the season.

A victory for the Warriors in that last match was not enough to lift them from the bottom of the table though, with the Knights holding on to second place by just three points.

With home advantage in the opening round of matches, the Warriors beat the Lightning, although they were unable to beat the Knights on the same day. Despite that the Warriors took the early lead in the title race courtesy of a winning bonus point.

The second round of games were hosted by the Knights, who were unable to take advantage of being at home, losing both matches to set up a thrilling finale in Pembroke with the Lightning needing to beat the Warriors to take the title.

It was not to be for the Lightning though, as rain prevented play in either of the matches on the final matchday, allowing the Warriors to take the title without facing the Lightning again. The biggest disappointment being that the supporters were denied what was certain to be some great cricket.

The support of everyone at all the host venues and Newstalk has been vital during 2014 and we look forward to an exciting 2015 as the competition continues to grow, with nine of Ireland’s squad to tour Australia and New Zealand at the end of 2014 having played in the Newstalk Inter-Provincial Series during the year.

2014 Statistics

Newstalk Inter-Provincial Cup
Top Individual Score; 123* Andrew Poynter (Leinster Lightning)
Most Runs; 206, Andrew Balbirnie (Leinster Lightning)
Best Individual Bowling; 4-31, Tyrone Kane (Leinster Lightning)
Most Wickets; 6, Albert van der Merwe (Leinster Lightning)

Newstalk Inter-Provincial Championship
Top Individual Score; 131, Craig Ervine (Northern Knights)
Most Runs; 224, Craig Ervine (Northern Knights)
Best Individual Bowling; 7-107, James Cameron-Dow (Northern Knights)
Most Wickets; 18, James Cameron-Dow (Northern Knights)

Newstalk Inter-Provincial T20 Trophy
Top Individual Score; 73, David Rankin (North West Warriors)
Most Runs; 157, David Rankin (North West Warriors)
Best Individual Bowling; 4-22, Peter Eakin (Northern Knights)
Most Wickets; 7, Peter Eakin (Northern Knights)

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