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Review of Divisions 3 & 4 for the weekend 16th - 17th July

There was no action in Division 3 last weekend.  The cricketleinster website says that Civil Service v Pembroke was rained off on Saturday, while Balbriggan v Leinster will be refixed.  There were three games in Division 4 to report on.

At Portlaoise on Saturday, Laois were involved in another knee-trembler, doing their best to lose a match they had comfortably won.  Laois won the toss and batted first, making their way easily to 183-3 (M Auret 27, Ozenbrook 38, Smit 29) when Hoffmeyr was out out for 43 and Blackley for 27.  Then C Auret (27*) saw his team to 250-7 off 50 overs with 20 from Yasin and 13 from P Auret.  Jack Tector continued his recent good form with 3/40.  Hoffmeyr then removed Quirke and Ahmed for diddly-squat before Simon Wilson-Moore (48) and Sean Mcauley (54) put YMCA back in it.  Walker's 28 kept them there, but Yaqoob Ali (23) and Umar Jehangir (20) couldn't finish it off as YM finished 23 runs short with 8.1 overs still remaining.  Hoffmeyr took 3/26 and C Auret 3/42.

Malahide 3, without a win, hosted Phoenix 2 on Saturday, won the toss and posted 286, which should have been more given that the last five wickets added only 21 and the innings closed with 13 balls remaining.  The main partnership was one of 127 between Adam Shehabeddin and Hamish Manks (36).  After that only Alan Reynolds (41) could contribute much to the outstanding 152 from Shebs.  Phoenix had a go, but only Masud Ahmed (35), Nazir (22), Chris Cavanagh (34) and Eoin Cleere (41) made much of an impression as the Parkies finished 59 short on D/L.

Malahide 3 were hoping to continue their revival with a trip to Mullingar on Sunday, but were disappointed.  I know the feeling: I looked up an old girlfriend there after a hockey match many years ago; she was still a looker, with blonde hair (really!), sky blue eyes and a figure of eight; but she was no longer interested.  I digress.  In a 40 over match, Malahide batted first and put on 68 for the first wicket.  Then Manks (34) and Jackson Santosh (28) were out, and only Alan Reynolds (57) kept the Village in it until William Richardson (31*) and Kamal (26) got them to 240-9.  Mullingar didn't hang around: Ejaz  made 135* (21 fours off 94 balls).  Ali Haider (33) and O'Neill (46*) helped him home with 7.4 overs to spare.  I wonder where Ann is these days.