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Before the match, a minute's silence is observed in memory of Sean Gilbride

1st May - Division 2: The Hills 2 v North County 2

Sunday also saw me in Fingal, a couple of miles to the east of Inch at Milverton, for a Division 2 local derby between The Hills 2 and North County 2.  John Andrews pere won the toss and asked The Hills to set a score.  Before the start, both teams lined up on the square to observe a minute's silence in memory of the late Sean Gilbride.

Terry Richardson and Conor Shiel opened the bowling, and in Conor's third over some life was injected into the game.  Conor had two slips, Andrews senior and Richardson, looking like two moai on holiday from Easter Island, large, immobile, mountainy-men.  Manu Kumar edge the ball at the second moai's head, and from nowhere shot a big mit to parry and catch it.

David Casey had already dropped Howard McDonnell behind the stumps, but managed to hang on when McDonnell edged William Andrews.  Casey then dropped Tomas Murphy, but again was reprieved when Murphy missed a straight one from Ian Bertram to make it 58-3 in the 16th over.

The bowling power play had been taken after 12 overs at 40-2, and finished with the score on 76-3.  The other moai occasionally toppled over as the ball whizzed through the Balrothery slip region where he had parked himself, as Amer Raza and Joseph Clinton added 41 runs in jig time.

Jono Andrews had settled into a good spell from the Blackhills end, but was fortunate when Raza (39) drilled a full toss straight to Nolan at extra cover to make it 99-4 in the 25th over.  Two dozen more runs were added before the same combination accounted for Mal Byrne for 12.

Skipper Nadim Akhtar let Clinton do most of the scoring for a while, but the loft into straightish drag soon appeared.  The younger moai couldn't deal with this aerial bombardment, but had better luck at the other end when he caught Clinton for a good 51 off Shane Plant after a 54 run partnership.

Nadim was joined by Vipal (?) Gargya, and bat was put to ball for another 35 runs until Neddie was bowled by Shiel for 42.  Emmet Branagan's mum delayed her departure to see her son and heir take to the crease.  She wasn't delayed long, as Emmet was bowled first ball.

Talking of mums, Mark Dwyer's was seated in the crowd in front of the pavilion, and I asked how her garden was looking these days.  She forbade me from relating to you the reply.  Andy Moore and Mick Dwyer helped Gargya (34*) add another score runs before The Hills were all out for 232 in the fiftieth over.

David Casey hung on to two more catches and Conor Shiel bumped up his return to 5/28.  Jono Andrews had earlier completed his ten overs returning 2/32.  Tea was its usual high standard.  It really is a pleasure to visit the Vineyard, particularly when the sun complements the relaxed family atmosphere.

Adam Coughlan departed before there was a run on the board, well taken in the gully by McDonnell off Clinton.  Jono Andrews was in good nick, but Nolan struggled to 5 before becoming Mick Dwyer's first victim of the afternoon behind the stumps, with the score on 34.

Cormac McLoughlin helped Andrews add another 59 runs, but Andrews should have been back in the hutch before he reached fifty, badly dropped by Nadim after his only ugly shot of the day.  McLoughlin was victim number two for Mick Dwyer, out for 14 with the score on 93.

Shane Plant  added 55 with Andrews before he was catch number three for Dwyer, making 12, and Conor Shiel saw Andrews to his ton and was lbw to Andy Moore for 8.  Then Andrews nicked off to be Mick's number four, out for a splendid 119 off 116 balls in the 39th over.

There were still 53 runs to be got, and now the two moai were at the crease.  A few singles were waddled, a few more fours were whacked, before both were out to Mal Byrne in the 47th over, Andrews lbw and Richardson caught in the deep by Murphy for 26.

William Andrews and Ian Bertram needed only two more overs to see County home with eight balls to spare.  Joseph Clinton took 3/28 off his ten overs, but the other bowlers were relatively expensive.  Still, The Hills would probably have won if they'd held their catches, especially the one from Jono Andrews.