In a full and very interesting weekend of cricket, I got all bar two of my predictions right, but whether forecasting CYM and Pembroke to lose counts as a prediction or a statement of the blindingly obvious is a matter for discussion. Let's start with the difficult one I got right, North County winning at The Hills.
North County lost Brian Shields and André Botha early on to Luke Clinton, but Conor Armstrong (38), John Mooney (35) and Richie Lawrence (32) provided the bulk of a poorish total of 170 in 49.2 overs. Clinton finished with 4/18. At 50-0, The Hills were well in control, but Botha and Mooney reduced them to 69-6, including a hat-trick for John Boy, and Max Sorensen's 42 only delayed the inevitable as The Hills were all out for 119 in 37.1 overs, Mooney taking 4/38 and Botha 2/17 off their ten over allocations.
And now the Section A match I got horribly wrong. Matt Petrie and Alex Chetkovich knocked over five of Clontarf's top six for 26 before Alex Cusack (49) and Joe Morrissey (39) fought back with a 99-run stand. But 'Tarf could manage only 148 in 48.2 overs. Merrion ground their way to a seven wicket victory with 60 from Pradeep Lavang and 41* from John Anderson, getting home in the 45th over.
Railway did stuff Pembroke up Cold Blow Lane. The Wheeltappers and Shunters got to 208 off 48 overs thanks to Trent Johnston's 65 and Tom Fisher's 40. The 'Broke were down and out at 100-9, but the Whaley brothers garnered some totally irrelevant bonus points with a last wicket partnership that took the score to 166 in 46.5 overs.
Those lost bonus points are not liable to have an effect, because Railway's title challenge fizzled out with a seven wicket loss to Clontarf the next day. They could manage only 140 off 39.3 overs, Mo Tariq top-scoring with 32 and Alex Cusack picking up 3/31. Clontarf's target was reduced by rain to 100 in 30 overs, which they achieved easily thanks to 59* from Rod Hokin.
The other Sunday match in Section A must have been well worth the admission price, as The Hills blasted 272-1 in 42 overs off a Leinster attack in which Carlos Brathwaite conceded only 25 runs off his 9 overs. Jeremy Bray scored 102, but was upstaged by his opening partner, the normally staid Albert van der Merwe, with eight sixes in his 123*. Rain reduced Leinster's target to 233 off 30 overs, and they were only six runs short of a win with 227-7, Craig Mallon raising a few eyebrows with 85*.
In Section B, Malahide struggled to a win over Phoenix, ending the Parkies' interest in promotion. After a bright start from Matt Plunkett-Cole (31) and Rory Flanagan (36), Callum Riches worked his way through the top four for 4/27, and only David Langford Smith contributed above a score with 41 as Phoenix reached 167-9. A super spell from Andrew Downton (3/11) kept his team in the game before 56 from Matt Daykin, 52* from Nick Turner and a gritty 23 from skipper Phil Markey saw the Village home by three wickets in the 41st over.
Malahide toughed it out again on Sunday, allowing YMCA to accumulate a very useful 200-9, Angus Dunlop seeing his second swallow of the summer with an unbeaten 92. Rain reduced the target to 174 off 38, and Matt Daykin's 89 in tandem with another nugget of 32 from Markey seemed to have done the business.
But a late wobble left six needed off the last over. Biggles Price marked his farewell appearance with a four, then ran himself out, leaving Pete Saville to scamper a last ball single for the win. Had Reinhardt Strydom's throw hit the stumps it would have been ten points apiece and probably the right result.Up at Terenure the curtain fell on a desperate season for CYM.
The Chlee amassed only 114 all out in 35 overs, 58 of those kicked, missed, overstepped and stretched after for extras. Lionel Jansen took 4/14 for Rush, but then fell for a blob to Plates Brennan. Shahid made 37 and Nazeer hit 56*, finishing 4, 6 to see the Russians home by six wickets in the 24th over. Awful as they were, at least CYM weren't as bad as Dublin University.
Had Malahide tied with YMCA, they would have needed to beat Old Belvedere in the Village on Saturday to be sure of finishing ahead of Rush for the second promotion slot. Technically, they still do, but three bonus points would require Rush to beat Belvo next week and take three bonus points to get past them. The Village People will beat the Pride of the Punjab to leave the final match irrelevant.
In Section A, Merrion will stake a claim for the title when they beat Leinster at Rathmines on Saturday. This result will be magnified by North County's defeat of Clontarf at Inch on Sunday.
Cheers,
Stu.
