Cricket North: Aidan O'Connor stars for Riverside as Westbury stay unbeaten

Described as one of the best innings witnessed in a run-chase, O'Connor proved instrumental as Riverside maintained their finals hopes with a five-wicket win over the Knights.

The 15-year-old drove with authority and lofted with power in his knock of 75 off 54 in a match-winning innings underscored by impeccable timing and temperament.

"He set himself up to score big and he hasn't done that before so it was a really good reward and a really good innings," Riverside captain Tom Garwood said.

"He just had a set plan of what he did and he executed it, he always has a plan but sometimes he gets a little bit bogged down but today he was free-flowing, went out with no fear and backed his ability."

The all-rounder has mixed his Riverside commitments with Greater Northern Raiders duties this season but looked a cut above in an all-round display.

"He's got a massive future, he's got a good head on his shoulders, he thinks about the game as well so he can come up with some great ideas and he'll back himself and back his ability to do that," Garwood said.

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Partnered with Matthew Kerrison (33 off 37), who has found a niche anchoring the innings, the pair put on a 96-run stand as they successfully chased the Knights' total of 193 all out from a risky position of 5-98.

The Blues' bowling unit managed to contain a deep South Launceston batting line-up which looked ready to launch midway through their innings.

Knights captain Sean Harris (67 off 69) built a foundation with Jeremy Jackson before Garwood (3-35) and Ramesh Sundra (3-40) removed the pair to halt the momentum.

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Destructive hitter Nathan Philip (34 off 28) looked in good touch and started to find the rope before O'Connor (2-41) claimed the key wicket to limit the Knights' total to a chaseable amount.

It was another all-Cricket North affair as Westbury and Mowbray played for the Make Runs Maxi shield at St Patrick's College.

The Shamrocks underlined their credentials as the team to beat after they proved too good for the Eagles in an eight-wicket win to stay unbeaten in the Greater Northern Cup.

Nasrullah Khan knocked over Eagles captain Luke Scott early in the piece in an ominous sign before Luke Ryan (3-23) took out key middle-order batters Ishang Shah and Lachlan Dakin to be 3-30.

The Eagles never got going after the early stumble as no batters other than Jason Snare (26), Clinton Reid (33) and Aaron Hughes (10) made it into double figures as they were all out for 119.

The Shamrocks bowlers clipped the Eagles' wings with an economical effort as they notched 10 maidens, led by Kieren Hume, to suffocate the away side.

"We thought we'd back the five bowlers in this week and carry another batter with us and they couldn't have done a better job really, they bowled nice and full, tight and at the stumps ... and we're able to build lots of pressure," Westbury captain Daniel Murfet said.

The Eagles needed early wickets but they never came as the Shamrocks openers Nathan Parkin and Matthew Battle (45 off 58) delivered a half-century stand.

The Shamrocks accelerated the chase when Murfet set about crushing seven boundaries on his way to the equal top-score of the innings in a rollicking 45 off 32 to seal the result.

Despite an unbeaten campaign so far, Murfet ranked the Mowbray victory as one of one of the Shamrocks' best wins for the season.

"Although we've been winning games of cricket we know that our best cricket hasn't really been on display as of yet," he said.

"I feel like today we were as close to it as we have been all season with a really good all-round performance."