The second semi final in this year's Northern Bank senior cup between Donemana and Coleraine was due to finish last night and after Saturday's action we now know that the winners of that one will face Bready in next month's two-day show-piece at Eglinton after Trevor Hamilton's men pulled off a scintillating win at Strabane Park. Despite the overcast conditions and wet outfield the visiting skipper elected to take first use and his choice was spot on as the Magheramason men simply batted their hosts out of the contest.

Ryan Patton, in the side to replace Phil Eaglestone got Strabane off to an excellent start removing Mark Olphert in his second over but for the next two hours Bready ran riot. David Rankin, who must surely be banging the Irish selectors' door down, was in magnificent form, as indeed he has been all season as he and Steven Clarke laid into a desperately disappointing home attack. That pair simply piled on the runs and it has been some time since a Strabane side was given this sort of treatment by any visiting team. Rankin found the main road with monotonous regularity, smashing 12 fours and 8 sixes in a magnificent 155 that tore the champions' heart out. Clarke rode his luck early on; indeed he and Rankin both mistimed drives straight up that on another day would have signalled an end to their innings but the right hander survived to add 79, 6 fours and a six in that as the pair posted a huge second wicket partnership worth 228 runs.

Strabane's bowling was further weakened when Ciaran Patton took a nasty cut on the hand fielding off his own bowling in his very first over and Bready sensed it might be their day. At 243 for 1 they looked set to score over 350 before Strabane skipper Jonathan Beukes brought himself on and bowling at number 8, he reined the visitors back. After the Rankin and Clarke show Bready found little other reserve, only Dean Curry with 12 reaching double figures as Strabane deliberated on what might have been. The last 8 wickets fell for just 54 runs but the feeling was that the damage had long since been done. Beukes will look back on a number of factors in that total but top of that list must surely be why he didn't bring himself on before there were 216 runs on the board and he finished with 6 for 34. Ryan Patton did exactly what he was brought in to do as well and can be pleased with his 3 for 53 in a lacklustre performance.

The Red Caps began their reply as they usually do, all guns blazing, but having plundered 35 from just 4 overs disaster struck when Kevin Martin and Niall McDonnell tried a suicidal single and the new Ireland recruit was run out. Martin and Mark Gillespie then took the score to 106 for 1 as Strabane again looked threatening but when Marc Fleming and Ian Young got the bit between their teeth the contest turned decidedly in the visitors' favour. Gillespie was out for a well played 50 that included 8 fours and a six and Martin fell for 28 and after that it was all Bready. Peter Gillespie continues to experience a very rare run drought and when he and skipper Beukes fell to Young and Fleming respectively, the game was up. Ciaran Patton returned from hospital but sensibly wasn't asked to bat in the circumstances but Martin Deans and Ryan Patton had themselves some fun at the end; Deans in particular playing his shots to finish unbeaten on 32. Ian Young was easily the pick of a solid Bready bowling display with Marc Fleming again impressing picking up 3 for 54. Regardless of who comes out of the other semi final it will now take a good performance to get the better of the victors here, especially if Rankin finds his stride in either or both innings.

There was league action as well in the Billy Henderson Properties top flight and Brigade narrowed the gap on Strabane to two points as they easily accounted for Eglinton at Beechgrove. The villagers batted first but never got to grips with conditions as only Chris Pierce managed to stem the tide with a determined 37. Iftikhar Hussain was the pick of the home side's bowling, he claimed 3 for 13 while overseas man Ata-Ur-Rehman whom many thought had headed home earlier in the week proved alive and well in picking up 3 for 30 as Eglinton were dismissed for just 99. Mark Simpson was back to skipper the side following a family bereavement and also bowled well to claim a couple. Eglinton refused to lie down despite the small total and Johnny Gardiner picked up the wickets of both openers, Chris Dougherty and David Barr early on but an unbeaten 37 from Gareth McKeegan and 36 from Hussain saw the hosts home with 7 wickets to spare.

Fox Lodge also moved back into contention as they held too many aces for Glendermott at The Rectory. Makeshift opener Simon Killen was again in form for the home side as he hit 7 fours and a six on his way to 47 but the Foxies' bowlers were on top almost from the start. It took a late 27 from Alan Johnston at number 10 to help the hosts reach some sort of respectable total but 147 is rarely enough on Bonds Street these days. Johnny Robinson finished with figures of 4 for 15 for the visitors while Andy Britton and Darryl Brown claimed two each. Gordon Montgomery's side managed to give Fox Lodge something to think about early on in their reply; Dean McCarter and skipper Brian Allen both back in the hutch with just 7 on the board but an unbeaten 90 from Darryl Brown sealed the deal. The South African hit 15 fours and a six in an entertaining knock as Fox Lodge recorded a 7-wicket win and joined Brigade on the leaders' tail.

Donemana, playing only their fourth league game of a disorientated season were too strong for Coleraine in their league encounter at the Holm just 24 hours before the two teams were due to play their cup semi final at the same venue. It could had been an altogether different outcome had the Bannsiders been able to push home the early advantage having reduced their hosts to 100 for 7 before Ricky-Lee Dougherty brought some life into the order. The wicket-keeper batsman has been in excellent form for the Tyrone side this season and batting at number 8 he smashed 7 sixes and 4 fours in a hugely entertaining unbeaten 71 that came off just 59 balls. That, coupled with cameos of 27 apiece from Junior McBrine and Dwayne McGarrigle allowed Donemana to post a hitherto unlikely 209 all out with 11 balls of their 50 overs unused. There were 2 wickets each for Stephen Dunn, Mohammad Salman, Rishi Chopra and Scott Campbell but the visitors will surely have reached the halfway mark feeling they had let their hosts off the hook.

Despite losing Ian McGregor early on, Salman and Sami Prakash took the game to the Tyrone side in reply and at 63 for 1 they looked dangerous. That was before professional Kamran Sajid was thrown the ball however and his spell ripped out Coleraine's middle order to end the game as a contest. Vischal Chopra batted determinedly to make 36 and David Cooke chipped in with 21 but Sajid's 5 for 28 left no way back as Donemana had 42 runs to spare at the end.