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Holders Rush retained the Irish National Cup trophy after an emphatic nine wickets win against Laois at Castle Avenue.

Holders Rush retained the Irish National Cup trophy after an emphatic nine wickets win against Laois at Castle Avenue.

Teenager Dean Brogan (4-34) sparked a dramatic collapse in the Laois ranks as they lost five wickets for just four runs, collapsing from 71 for 3 at the mid-way point to 75 for 8.

Amir Khan (37*) and Usama Raees (26) shared a ninth wicket stand of 59 in 110 balls to ensure Laois batted out their overs, but a total of 149 was never likely to trouble the strong Rush batting line-up.

The prolific Rush opening pair of Stephen Doheny and Lynal Jansen experienced little trouble as they posted an entertaining opening stand of 123 in just 99 balls to all but end the game as a contest.

Jansen smashed 10 boundaries in his 64 from just 52 deliveries before being bowled by the pacy Amir Khan (1-25).

Ireland Under 19 international Doheny ensured there was no further losses for Rush as he finished unbeaten on 71 from just 61 balls, which included 14 boundaries.

Not surprisingly the Man-of-the-Match accolade went to Brogan for his bowling heroics.

The focus now switches from club cricket to international matters as Ireland take on Hong Kong in the fourth round of the ICC InterContinental Cup – action in the four-day encounter at Stormont gets under way on Tuesday at 11am.

IRISH NATIONAL CUP

At Castle Avenue, Rush beat Laois by 9 wickets

LAOIS 149/9 (50 overs; A Khan 37*, U Raees 26, R Meraj 22, A Siddiqi 21, D Brogan 4-34, L Jansen 2-24, E Conway 2-33)

RUSH 150/1 (20.5 overs; S Doheny 71*, L Jansen 64)

Man-of-the-Match Dean Brogan (Rush)

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Connaught