Johnny Thompson played one of the great one day innings but had to rely on the youngsters to finish the job in a thrilling League game at Donemana.

Watched by many of the North West Warriors and Northern Knights players who had their inter-pro games abandoned at Bready, including his club captain Jared Wilson, the former Ireland A player scored a spectacular 116 in Newbuildings pursuit of the home side’s 170 but was out three short of victory, skying a catch to stand-in captain Gary McClintock at mid-wicket.

But 14-year-old Charlie Simpson, who had faced 10 balls without scoring in a ninth wicket stand of 22 with Thompson, was still there at the finish (one off 19) when No 11 Antony George hit the winning run, as Newbuildings leapfrogged their opponents to the top of Group B.

Thompson’s century – his second against his former club at The Holm – came off 61 balls with eight fours and 11 sixes and he added two more maximums before he was out trying to win the game in the grand manner.

“The team we brought up was full of kids so credit to them,” said Thompson in the immediate aftermath. “I told them just to play their cricket and they stuck in there and did a great job. It was amazing. An unbelievable game.

“Charlie is just 14, starting out in his career and to play an innings like that in front of 300-400 people must have been nerve-racking,

“But it’s a great win for the guys, it put us top of the table so a great day all round.”

The crucial moment in the match was when Thompson was dropped on the boundary on 35, but after that he didn’t give another chance.

Charlie Downey was his first valuable partner, just five runs in a sixth wicket stand of 67 – but he faced 30 balls – but Levi Dougherty then took three wickets in eight balls to reduce Newbuildings to 145 for eight.

But Thompson was still there and the big hits kept coming and Donemana’s 169 was just not enough.

Coleraine are level on points with Newbuildings after a facile 192 runs victory over Burndennett.

A third wicket stand between Matthew Hutchinson and Ravi Karunaratne of 161 in 19 overs was almost twice as many as the visitors’ total. Hutchinson fell five short of a his century while the Sri Lankan hit 107 from only 67 balls with nine fours and five sixes.

Burndennett’s openers actually put on 48 in just six overs but Gareth Burns broke the stand and Karunaratne followed up with four wickets as they lost all 10 for 35 runs.

Defending champions Bready saw their lead at the top of Group A cut to six points after their game at Ardmore was one of three abandoned without a ball bowled. Brigade are the new second place team after beating Strabane by eight wickets mainly due to a opening stand of 96 between Davy Barr and Ifti Hussain.

At Bonds Glen, an unbroken third wicket stand of 79 between Raymond Curry, who had earlier taken four wickets, and Matty Barr saw the home side to their second win of the season and moved them level on points with the Foxes in that vital fourth place.