The Lightning have batted themselves into an even position at stumps on Day 2 after the Northern Knights added over 200 runs to their overnight score before being bowled out at Tea.
Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin (82*) batted composed and assuredly as he anchored the Lightning innings to 159/3 at Stumps, 173 runs behind the Knights.
With the Knights resuming on 136/4, the Lightning would have been hoping for early wickets and to get batting quickly. Instead Harry Tector (146) and Shane Getkate (56) added 124 for the fifth wicket and threatened to take the Knights to a huge lead.
Instead, Simi Singh (3-24), George Dockrell (2-48) and Kevin O’Brien (1-20) kept threatening the batting order and got their rewards in the afternoon on Day 2.
Tector used up a few lives in composing his 146 before he was the ninth wicket to fall, when he skied a Singh delivery to O’Brien at long-off trying to go to 150 in the grand manner.
Jack Tector (34) and McLoughlin-Gavin started the Lightning reply brightly and had added 58 before David Delany induced a nick from Tector through to his keeper Gary Wilson.
An exact replica next ball to remove Doheny could have had the hosts reeling but a partnership of 55 with Lorcan Tucker (13) and then 46 to the close with Singh from McLoughlin-Gavin steadied the home ship.
With no rain forecast for Thursday and 104 overs to be played in the day, an interesting and exciting day’s play looks in prospect.
Day 3, the final day, of this Inter-Provincial Championship match gets underway at 11am with live ball-by-ball scoring on the Match Centre on www.cricketleinster.ie and updates on @cricketleinster and @lcu_lightning on Twitter.
InterProvincial Championship, Leinster Lightning v Northern Knights
At Pembroke Cricket Club;
Northern Knights 332 106.5 overs (H Tector 146, S Getkate 56; S Singh 10.5-1-24-3, G Dockrell 17-3-48-2)
Leinster Lightning 159/3 40 overs (C McLoughlin-Gavin 82*, J Tector 34, S Singh 26*; D Delany 7-1-21-2)Northern Knights lead by 173 runs, Lightning have 7 1st innings wickets in hand