My predictions for last weekend were even wider of the mark than usual. As I expected, Clontarf won at Leinster, but the home team had their moments. Early rain reduced the match to one of 38 overs, and after losing skipper Anton Scholtz in the opening overs, Craig Mallon (28) and Sunny Faizan (22) took them to 59-1. Then the middle order crumbled, and the total of 169 was reached thanks to a fighting 56 from Mark Kelly. Jordan Coghlan took 3/25 and his uncle Bill 2/33.

Kelly then dismissed Vijay Gopal, but uncle Bill (28) and Rod Hokin looked to have the game won at 89-1. Will Lennon took three wickets (3/28) and Carlos Braithwaite one as 'Tarf wobbled at 120-5, but Jordan Coghlan, with 30*, and Hokin, 61*, saw their team home with an over to spare. This result did not mean certain relegation for Leinster nor certain salvation for Clontarf.

I was at Anglesea Road watching Malahide lose to Merrion, and my account of this match, reduced to 25 overs per side, has already appeared on this site. Across the DART line at Claremont Road the game was also reduced to 25 overs, North County recovering from 5-2 to 170-5 thanks to 73 from Brian Shields, 32 from Jimmy Boyland, and an unbeaten forty run partnership between the Richardsons, Eddie playing second fiddle with 16* while there was resin aplenty on Terry's bow with 30*.

YMCA couldn't cope with Boyland and the Richardsons, only Carl Hosford (42) and Gus Dunlop (22) getting past twenty as they were all out for 141. Boyland's 3/27 took his seasonal tally to 44, while Eddie Richardson's 4/39 took his to 37. That result confirmed County as champions (my arithmetic of the previous week was a little astray) and meant that YMCA had to beat Railway Union at Park Avenue on the following day.

My account of YM's victory has already appeared, and the comments from Paul Reynolds and Paul Noonan on the application of D/L when 20 overs haven't been bowled in the second innings are germane. D/L is supposed to give an equal opportunity to both sides to win the match, so victory to the team batting second can't just be handed to them after a five, ten or fifteen over thrash during which they cannot possibly lose.

I have very little information about Old Belvedere's victory at Rush, apart from the bare bones. Rush could only score 157 all out in 31.3 overs, Shahid Iqbal making 62. Belvo then took one ball less to pass the Rush total for the loss of only one wicket, Sameer Dutt hitting 69* and Syed Ali 55*. This win confirmed Pembroke's promotion to Division 1 and gave Old Belvedere the chance to avoid relegation were Cork County to lose their final two matches by wide margins.

When Sunday's events pushed Leinster into Division 2, that prevented Leinster's second XI, who had won Division 3, from being promoted. It still has to be rubber stamped, but now only North County's second XI will be promoted to Division 2, and only Dublin University will be relegated to Division 3.

While there are matches in the top two divisions of the Leinster league, none of which can now affect promotion and relegation, there is only one match of importance, the final of the Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup, between Merrion and Railway Union, at Inch, Balrothery, on Saturday with an 11 a.m. start.

Here are this season's stats in all 50 and 60 over competitions for the twenty-six players from whom each team will probably be selected.

Merrion

Ackland, Ben: 15 games; 338 runs @ 28; 15 catches + 6 stumped

Allwright, Rory: 5; 68 @ 17 2

Anderson, John: 17; 680 @ 49; 24 wkts @ 13; 9

Beasley, Kade: 17; 282 @ 26; 4 + 1

Blakeney, Peter: 4; 51 @ 17

Chetkovich, Alex: 6; 43 @ 22; 12 @ 16; 1

Clarence, Greg: 17; 788 @ 53; 19 @ 24; 8

Joyce, Gus: 11; 140 @ 14; 4

Joyce, Dom: 17; 323 @ 20; 16 @ 27; 10

Keaveney, Richard: 8; 39 @ 10; 9 @ 23; 1

Morrissey, Simon: 14; 113 @ 23; 21 @ 22; 5

Patel, Tiktish: 13; 13 @ infinity; 12 @29; 2

Poder, Damian: 10; 85 @ 9; 11 @ 16; 4

 
Railway Union

Carroll, Kenny: 21; 795 @ 44; 25 @ 13; 12

Conliffe, Paddy: 18; 176 @ 25; 19 @ 28; 5

Farthing, Sam: 14; 44 @ 6; 14 + 3

Fisher, Tom: 21; 838 @ 40; 12; plus 6 + 1

Johnston, Trent: 9; 181 @ 26; 12 @ 19; 8

Kapoor, Dhruv: 17; 136 @ 15; 14 @ 15; 3

Lambert, Greg: 15; 76 @ 19; 21 @ 17; 5

McDonnell, Graeme: 20; 472 @ 28; 13 @ 23; 13

Mullen, Conor: 20; 478 @ 34; 1 @ 17; 6

O'Brien, Kevin: 11; 174 @ 19; 10 @ 31; 9

Rendell, Carlo: 18; 39 @ 5; 21 @ 22; 3

Tariq, Mohammed: 18; 231 @ 15; 19 @ 20; 3

Ullah, Saad: 16; 166 @ 15; 19 @ 18; 2

On all the stats Railway shade it, so they should win. But Merrion have match winners in skipper John Anderson and pro Greg Clarence, plus the most economical bowler in Patel. Last year I struggled to find a reason why Leinster should beat Donemana, and the only one I came up with was that Leinster had had only one easy match all season, whereas Donemana had had half a dozen.

There is no easy match in Division 1 of the LCU league, and Merrion have had much tougher opposition in the Irish Senior Cup than have had Railway, so they're on track to overcoming Railway's superiority by virtue of being more battle-hardened. Paddy Power might make Railway 6/4 on, which I wouldn't take, but neither would I take the 5/4 they'd offer against Merrion.

My head says Railway, my heart says Leinster, who aren't in it (they aren't even in Division 1 any more!), so I expect the Bob Kerr trophy to make its way to the Arctic Circle, but I won't be unhappy if it travels to the west end of Dublin 4. I shall be there all weekend (the forecast is poor for Saturday), so follow baldstu on Twitter if you can't get out to Balrothery. NEAR FM is covering the game on Saturday, if you can find them (which I've never done, even when driving around Darndale).

On Saturday in Division 1 Clontarf entertain Malahide in a now irrelevant match, which ' Tarf will win if there's any play, and on Sunday Railway are supposed to host The Hills while North County should entertain Merrion. Those matches won't happen because the final will go into Sunday.

If my meteorological prognostications are better informed than my cricket ones (which they should be), Pembroke will have to play Cork County on St Stephen's Day in the Mardyke, while The Hills 2 should lose to Cork County on Sunday if the Munstermen haven't had to play on Saturday.

If the final does get resolved on Saturday, I shall be back in Inch on Sunday. The game in Park Avenue should be much more interesting, but who on earth wants to go up Cold Blow Lane when they don't have to? Penguins? Polar Bears? Arctic Terns? Arctic Skuas? Arctic Foxes? Lemmings (no cliffs)?

Cheers,
 
Stu.