Leinster Lightning were back on the winning trail in Sunday's Newstalk Interprovincial T20 second round game with a 15 run win against the Northern Knights at a sunny Comber. 

The visitors were put in to bat by Knights skipper Andrew White, but John Mooney (17) and Kenny Carroll (13) gave them a brisk start with 30 runs from the first 13 balls before the latter fell to Nigel Jones. 

Mooney and Andrew Balbirnie were dismissed in quick succession by James Cameron-Dow and skipper White respectively before a 57-run stand between Pat Collins and Andrew Poynter clawed the initiative back for the southerners. 

Cameron-Dow ended the partnership when he had Collins stumped by Dougherty for 24, however Poynter was proving much more obstinate. 

The Clontarf man was on the attack from the start, eventually hitting 5 fours and 5 sixes in his 36-ball 70, a knock that allowed Leinster to close on 157 for 7. 

Cameron-Dow (2-24), Jones (2-26), Peter Eakin (2-32) and White (1-19) all bowled tidily for the home side but there was little doubt that Poynter's innings had given the batting team the upper hand at half way.

The reply started really well with Chris Dougherty and Nigel Jones putting on 56 in 9 overs before the former was removed by Mooney for 28 (3 fours and a six). 

Nathan Waller, Nick Larkin and James Shannon all came and went as Albert van der Merwe strangled the middle order before Jones finally succumbed to Max Sorensen for 51 (6 fours and a six) as the Knights chased an increasing run rate. 

Skipper White and Lee Nelson were unable to pull back the spiralling run rate in the closing overs as the Belfast side's innings ended on 142 for 6, a 15-run defeat in the final reckoning. 

Van der Merwe was the most successful bowler for Lightning, returning figures of 2-21 with one wicket apiece for Sorensen, Mooney and Tyrone Kane. 

All of that meant at the half way point of the series, all three teams have recorded one win apiece leaving today's (SUN) second match between the Knights and the Warriors to take on added significance in the trophy hunt.