2018 Inter-Provincial Championship
The 2018 Inter-Provincial Championship was the sixth edition of the Inter-Provincial Championship, a first-class cricket competition played in Ireland. It was held from 1 May to 6 September 2018.[1] It was the second edition of the competition to be played with first-class status. Leinster Lightning were the defending champions.[2] The venue for the opening fixture, originally scheduled to take place at Oak Hill Cricket Club Ground, was moved to Pembroke Cricket Club, due to poor weather.[3]
| Dates | 1 May 2018 – 6 September 2018 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | Cricket Ireland |
| Cricket format | First-class |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin |
| Champions | North West Warriors (1st title) |
| Participants | 3 |
| Matches | 6 |
| Most runs | William Porterfield (458) |
| Most wickets | David Scanlon (19) |
Seventeen of Ireland's international players took part in the opening fixture of the tournament, ahead of Ireland's first Test match, which was played against Pakistan on 11 May 2018.[4][5]
North West Warriors won the tournament, following the conclusion of the fifth match of the competition.[6] They beat Northern Knights by 140 runs to give them an unassailable lead.[6] It was the first time that a side other than Leinster Lightning had won the tournament.[6]
Points table
| Team[7] | Pld | W | L | D | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North West Warriors | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 64 |
| Leinster Lightning | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 49 |
| Northern Knights | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 24 |
Champions
Fixtures
1st match
1–3 May 2018 Scorecard |
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- Leinster Lightning won the toss and elected to field.
- Stuart Thompson (North West Warriors) scored his maiden first-class century.[8]
- Points: North West Warriors 11, Leinster Lightning 6.
2nd match
29–31 May 2018 Scorecard |
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- Northern Knights won the toss and elected to bat.
- Marc Ellison, Harry Tector, Neil Rock, James Cameron-Dow, James Magee (Northern Knights), Jarred Barnes (Leinster Lightning) all made their first-class debuts.
- Points: Leinster Lightning 23, Northern Knights 7.
3rd match
20–22 June 2018 Scorecard |
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- Leinster Lightning won the toss and elected to field.
- Graham Kennedy (North West Warriors), Stephen Doheny and Josh Little (Leinster Lightning) all made their first-class debuts.
- Points: Leinster Lightning 10, North West Warriors 7.
4th match
2–4 July 2018 Scorecard |
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15/0 (1.3 overs) William Porterfield 4* (6) |
- Northern Knights won the toss and elected to bat first.
- Points: North West Warriors 24, Northern Knights 6.
5th match
17–19 July 2018 Scorecard |
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Northern Knights (H) | |
- Northern Knights won the toss and elected to field.
- Aaron Wright and Matthew McCord (Northern Knights) both made their first-class debuts.
- Points: North West Warriors 22, Northern Knights 5.
6th match
References
- "Hanley Energy Inter-Provincial Fixtures released for 2018". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- "Leinster Lightning win Three Day Inter-pro title for fifth straight year". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- "Venue change for first game of Inter-Provincial Championships". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- "Boyd Rankin hits Irish first-class circuit ahead of historic Test". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
- "O'Brien brothers in good nick as Ireland get ready for Pakistan Test". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- "North West Warriors crowned 2018 Hanley Energy Inter-Provincial Championship winners". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- "Points Table". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
- "Thompson makes Test case with stunning unbeaten century". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 2 May 2018.