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Divisions 3 & 4: Review of weekend 7th-8th May

Dublin University played their sixth and seventh matches in Division 3, ending their league campaign.  On Saturday, Balbriggan were the visitors to College Park, and Dwayne Harper immediately removed Hugh? Pike and Eoghan Delany.  Pursehouse made his way to 40 before another little wobble.  Tom Bouch (60) and Amir Anwar put on over 50 together and then Richard Forrest (30) added another 79 with Amir Anwar.  When Amir Anwar was run out for 61, the 50 over total was 228-8.  Dwayne Harper took 3/67 off his ten overs while Uncle Albert took 1/33.

Balbriggan were soon deep in the doggy doo-dah at 25-3, and even deeper at 74-6.  Barry Archer (28) and S. Anwar (38*) made things look more respectable, but they were all out for 150 in the 43rd over.  Amir Anwar rounded off a good day by taking 3/19, complemented by Eoghan Conway's 3/23 and Conor Hoey's 2/38.

On Sunday the visitors to College Park were Oakhill, who were obviously worried about the students' study time, subsiding from 52-1 to 125 all out in 36.4 overs.  Ernie Extras was comfortably top scorer with 35.  Eoghan Delany took 4/17 and Amir Anwar 2/32.  Pursehouse scored a better than run-a-ball 54* while Tom Bouch added 34* with him in an unbroken third wicket partnership of 80 as University cruised home in 21.1 overs.

Dublin University, with five wins and two defeats, ended on 65%.  Let's hope it's not enough to see them promoted: it's bad enough them being allowed to make a dog's breakfast of Division 3 without them being let loose again on Division 2, which is supposed to provide serious competition for clubs intent on being in Division 1.  I wonder when Stephen Sondheim wrote “Send in the clowns . . . . Don't bother, they're here”, was he thinking of the Leinster Cricket Union and its idiotic infatuation with Dublin University?

There were two other, proper, matches in Division 3, including Civil Service's trip on Saturday to the Village to play Malahide 2, and a right good game it turned out to be.  Thanks to 36 early on from Zac Kelly, 63 in the middle order from Mike O'Brien, and a late flourish from Ian Guerin (23), K Reynolds (39*) and A Reynolds (15), Malahide scored 269-9 off their 50 overs.

Service made light of the chase, Safeen scoring 113 and Owen Butler 50 to get them to 188-2.  An unsteady slip to 237-7 was rescued by Darren Webster's 28 and Siddique's 19, although both were out before Ten and Jack got the winning runs.  There were two M Siddiques on the Service scorecard, and on enquiry I was told that Mubasher and Mudassar are indeed brothers, but the run-scorer, Mudassar, is also known as Mudassar Hussain.  Got that?  No, neither have I.  For Malahide, Ronan McGeehan took 3/53 and M van Oorshott 3/18.

In Sydney Parade on Sunday, Clontarf 2 won the toss and batted.  When the Shoebomber, Richie Reid, was fourth out, the score was 24.  Robert Forrest (not Richard, as the scorecard says) made 48 out of 53 scored while he was at the crease, but it was a late barrage from Connor D'Arcy (42) and Killian Lynskey (20) that got 'Tarf to 162 all out in 40 overs.  J Walia took 4/40 and Danny Barclay 3/13.  The 'Broke got home inside 35 overs losing only Balbirnie Minor, as Russell's patient 35* was augmented by Barclay's more aggressive 71*.  Clontarf recorded 41 wides, ten of them by Del Boy in a three over spell costing just a dozen!

On Saturday in Division 4, North Kildare travelled west for a change, to Mullingar.  They obviously got a cheap deal on an early bus home, because the whole match lasted just 62.4 overs.  Plenty of time, too, for a leisurely shower and a few scoops before returning to the fleshpots of Kilcock!  North Kildare's 188 all out off 34.1 overs relied heavily on Holland's 67 and Ali's 48, Tahir taking 3/30, O'Neill 2/25 and Mokka 2/37.  For Mullingar, Ejaz led the way to a six wicket victory with 26, O'Neill made 32, Ali Haider 29, Tahir 41* and Ryan 16*.

On Sunday, Malahide 3 posted 228-6 off their 50, Brian Gilmore scoring 81, E Shehabeddin 47, Manks 28* and Richardson 24.  But it was nowhere near enough as Merrion 2 openers Alan Parkinson and Mike Tichband each scored 56, followed by 30 from O'Tuama and 22 from Cillian O'Donoghue, to arrive at a three wicket victory with 7.1 overs to spare.  It's odd that Malahide firsts are unbeaten in Division 2 while the seconds and thirds are win free in Divisions 3 and 4.

There's still no scorecard in from Phoenix (I write this on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.), just a terse note to say that on Sunday Phoenix 2 scored 126 while Railway Union 2 scored 129-3.  Phoenix might lose that single point, even, if they don't start submitting documentation on time.

The final match to record is from Sunday at Claremont Road (it wasn't so long ago that you wouldn't have written that).  YMCA 2 were asked to set a score by Laois, and came up with 205-6.  Simon Wilson-Moore made 31, opening partner Quirke 41, S Ali 47, skipper David Streek 20 and Jonny Harte 24*.  Smit took 4/32.  Laois only needed 26.3 overs to be bowled out for 138, their top six all getting into double figures but none of them went much past twenty.  Y Ali took 4/24, Harte 2/13 and Wazza Armstrong 2/40.