Shane Dadswell turned up the heat in the NCU Premier League with a whirlwind innings of 157 to keep Instonians in a share of the lead, heading into the split.

Dadswell, who in 2017 scored 490 in 44 overs in a club game in South Africa, faced just 77 balls against North Down at The Green, hitting 12 fours and 12 sixes, one of them going through the sunroof and into the passenger seat of a parked car outside a house.

Such was his dominance of the scoring that while he moved from 53 to 100, partner Robert McKinley scored only five runs and his third 50 came off just 19 balls. He was eventually out in the 33rd over going for a fourth successive six off Alistair Shields.

While he was in the middle, a total of 400 was a formality but Instonians still posted a club record 381 for five after Cade Carmichael and Shane Getkate continued the boundary blitz which finished with a total of 22 fours and 20 sixes.

When Ani Chore, new professional Dale Phillips - both caught at second slip off consecutive balls - and Shields were all out in the first 10 overs of North Down’s reply it was game over, although Peter Eakin fought hard with 76 in his penultimate innings before he emigrates to Australia.

Defending champions Lisburn are the other joint leaders after completing a comfortable eight wickets win over Civil Service North but CIYMS were denied a seventh win of the season by Waringstown who stayed within four points of the lead.

Pat Botha and Greg Thompson were on course for a third successive century partnership but had to stop after adding 99 for the fifth wicket having passed the visitors 183 in the 31st over, captain Thompson’s 71 coming off 48 balls with 10 fours and three sixes.

Michael Rippon scored his second successive unbeaten century as Carrickfergus defeated Woodvale by eight wickets and Cliftonville Academy professional Abhishek Raut hit 122 of his side’s 217, including all but 14 off the bat in a ninth wicket stand of 109 with Andrew Forbes. However, it needed six wickets by Jared Wilson to confirm the visitors’ victory by 24 runs.