CIYMS flexed their muscles on the Northern Cricket Union’s second attempt to get the season under way as Jason van Merwe failed by one run to score the first century.

The Belmont side, who slipped back to fourth place last season in the Robinson Services Premier League, declared their intentions to reclaim the crown with an emphatic 163 runs victory over newly promoted Derriaghy in the only top flight game to beat the weather.

CI have a much changed squad this year but it was one of their longer servants who led the way in the hosts total of 276 for six from just 35 overs.

After Ross Adair and Chris Dougherty got last year’s cup kings off to a typical fast start, Van der Merwe came to the middle at 92 for two and was still there at the finish 99 not out. He went from 85 to 95 in two strokes and still with nine balls left in the rain reduced innings.

But he scored only two more singles in the penultimate over and a superb last over by Derriaghy’s new South African professional Patrick Kruger saw him pick up the wicket of new signing Theo van Woerkom and restricted van der Merwe to two more singles, the last coming off the fifth ball as he fell agonisingly short of three figures.

Van Woerkom proved the star with the ball as the slow left armer ripped through the Derriaghy batting to finish with five for 20 on debut while his fellow New Zealander, professional Ed Nuttall bowled only three overs.

Only two other Premier League games started with Woodvale’s new overseas player Ludwig Kaestner dismissed to the first ball of the match against Instonians, but it lasted only 18.4 overs, while North Down faced only 25 overs at Stormont against Civil Service North.

With the other two games postponed, it means that defending champions Lisburn and Waringstown are among four teams yet to take the field although Lisburn will play their rearranged opening day postponed game against Instonians at Shaw’s Bridge on Thursday evening.