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Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup, first round: YMCA v Waringstown

It was a fine morning in Dublin on Saturday, but there were showers about and everyone knew it was a matter not of if one might disrupt play but of how many there would be and how seriously play would be affected.  Waringstown won the toss and batted, knowing that their powerful top five should be able to put the match out of sight of a below strength YMCA.

It didn't start out that way.  Umpire Bala Kailash responded positively to Reinhardt Strydom's vigorous appeal for lbw in the first over, and a disgusted Kyle McCallan had to go.  Not that Queenie showed any dissent on the field – that's not his style – but there were prolonged mutterings in the hutch.

The second over was bowled by Etesham Ahmed, a respectable maiden, but then Shammy retired to the outfield, complaining of kidney pain.  Sean Mcauley bowled the fourth over at a military medium very much to the liking of Andrew Cousins, so it was Samir Dutt who bowled the sixth with his off breaks.

Cousins had biffed 22 by the start of the tenth over when he heaved at a ball that kept very low, and had his flabber well and truly ghasted when umpire Louis Fourie gave him out lbw.  Samir's appeal was loud and clear, but all the other noises were groans and shouts from 'keeper Mucker McCoy about how the ball had missed the stumps!

Rob O'Connor and I could get no conclusive evidence from the pictures we'd taken, and a second batsman was into long muttering.  That was 35-2 at the end of the mandatory Power Play, and YMCA took the bowling Power Play immediately.  James Hall and Lee Nelson got through the five overs without incident to get the score to 47-2.

After a tidy spell from the small figure of Dutt, he was replaced by the tall Albert van der Merwe.  Hall slogged him high over mid on, where the ungainly and unkempt Yacub Ali moved backwards to cling on to a very fine catch: Hall gone for 12, and Waringstown in a bit of bother at 55-3.  In came the very tall Obus Pienaar, who played very quietly for three or four overs.

He has loads of time to play the ball, gently propping a half step forward before deciding whether to continue onto the front foot (the preferred option), to rock back (I spy a pie) or to play a reverse sweep.  This third option was used not infrequently but yielded very few runs.  It would certainly encourage a bowler to keep a very straight line to him – you miss, I hit.

Lee Nelson had progressed into the early thirties with some good shots, but his score was passed in two or three overs as Pienaar began to get the drive going.  On 34 he pulled the ball straight through Mcauley's hands on the square leg boundary, the next ball was hit out of the ground, and the next drilled for four: fifty out of 135-3 off 32 deliveries faced.

From 53 off 20 overs and 81 off 25, the score rocketed to 144 after 30 overs, and slowed up slightly to 188-3 off 35 overs, when a very heavy shower halted proceedings.  There had been an earlier interruption that had not cost any overs, but the aim of the umpires now should have been to lose as few as possible.  However, taking an early tea was not an option because the pizzas hadn't arrived!

After several false starts occasioned by brief showers, or leakages under the covers, or damp spots near but not on the pitch, or just plain faffing about, the innings continued with a 41 over maximum and a four over batting Power Play.  Lee Nelson's eyes lit up when Chris Minch, who doesn't get a bowl in Division 3, sent down an exploratory over or two.  Lee fell to the surpise straight ball three short of his fifty.

That was 193-4, which became 194-5 when Morrison ran himself out.  Four runs later Pienaar reached his hundred  off 55 balls.  The ball was flying everywhere – thick inside edges were going for six – as the score reached 232-6 when Dawson was bowled by van der Merwe for 13 in the 40th over.  Another 19 had been added by the end ofthe 41st, when the innings closed with Pienaar on 135*, a remarkable innings.

The D/L system recalculated the target and gave YMCA 275 to win.  McCallan purveyed his offies from the Sandymount end, and Josh Hall produced a brisk medium pace from the other end, at least a yard quicker than last year.  Hall sprayed it around, but when it was good it was very good, as Carl Hosford (bowled), Sean Mcauley (bowled) and Albert van der Merwe (caught behind) found out.  He was unlucky not to claim Strydom when the ball shot through the slips.

At 22-2 at the end of the eight over Power Play and 51-3 after the bowling Power Play, YMCA were going to need an innings as good as Pienaar's to win the match.  Skipper Strydom is quite capable of playing such an innings, and Samir Dutt is a neat and well-organised bat.  They took the score to 83 in the 18th over when Dutt was bowled by Gary Kidd for 24.

Shammy's kidney pain was not in evidence as he played in his normal, uninhibited manner, putting on 28 with his skipper.  Then Rainy, having reached 50 off 51 deliveries, lofted James Hall to Pienaar.  Another shower reduced the target to 260 to win off 36 overs, and Shammy and Lee Cole gave it a go.  When Shammy was bowled by McCallan for 36, Yacub Ali joined in the fun.

At about this stage Pienaar came on to bowl.  The best that could be said about his bowling is that he's a very good bat.  Being very tall, he likes to bang it in, and being the pro, he has to make a performance of it.  After one delivery he sent for the sawdust, and had it scattered where he demanded.  A wit on the balcony observed that the last thing he should do now is run down the middle of the pitch, where his spoor would be immediately visible.

You've got it!  Sawdust in the danger area had umpire Louis Fourie chasing after his fellow Saffie and wagging his finger in the general direction of off the track, sonny boy.  Obus looked puzzled and pained.  Eventually the innings closed on 200-8 off 36 overs, a spirited response, Cole making 28 and Ali 18.  Josh Hall finished with 3/38 and Morrison, too, got a Colombia, 3/17 at the death.  If Pienaar had been caught out for 34 instead of not out 135, YMCA might have had a good chance.  But, as the old saying goes, if my aunt had cojones, she'd be my uncle!