studaultrey.com

Some highlights of the Leinster innings

Fewer highlights of the Terenure innings

2nd May - Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup preliminary round: Leinster v Terenure

Monday morning saw me visit my elder daughter before dropping down to Rathmines to watch the preliminary round of the Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup fixture against Terenure.  I had a walk around the older moai from yesterday, on umpiring duty today, and was told that the younger moai was playing in the Division 1 up at Inch against Clontarf.

Leinster's Robbie Kenealy strained his shoulder in the warm-up, and his team was allowed to bring Asif Hussein in his place.  Robbie scored the game on his iPad.  It looked good.  I hope there's an equivalent Android app for my Samsung Tab.

As I set up the cameras on the balcony, I heard a thin voice from the Terenure boys down by the old scorebox attempting to sing.  When it stopped there was a round of applause, as if in relief.  I discovered from Plates Brennan that it is a CYM/Terenure tradition that debutants have to sing before they go out to play.

What I had heard was Jason Kleyweg, the overseas player, offer up 'Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika'.  All I can say is 'Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo'.  Leinster won the toss and batted, but it was a good start for Terenure.  Mark Jones spanked two fours off Kleyweg and then was lbw to Brennan.  Three overs later Dave Lucas lost his leg pole to Kleyweg.

Brennan brought in Eoin Vaughan to silly mid off to Anton Scholtz, and the little Aussie promptly blasted the ball at Vaughan's head.  Vaughan parried it over his shoulder and onto the ground.  Later in the over Scholtz swung one high over extra cover, but the pursuing fielder couldn't lay a hand on it.

Having had those two let-offs, Anton settled into his A game, working the ball off his legs and cover-driving beautifully.  Craig Mallon is less fluent, a block or hit merchant, but today his hits were well-executed, mainly drives.  One hundred was passed inside twenty overs, and after Kleyweg and Brennan, Terenure were struggling for bowlers.

Tariq Iqbal's medium pace and Ben Hoey's leg breaks were occasionally good, but more often poor.  Ben will be good when he grows up, as good as Uncle Conor, we hope for Ireland's sake.  Scholtzy passed fifty out of 113-2 in the 22nd over, and Tiggy likewise out of 145-2 in the 28th over.

In the 34th over Scholtz impatiently flicked Kleyweg through to Nathan Carroll for 93 out of 184.  JP O'Dwyer quickly got his large frame moving and his large shoulders opening.  The score moved past 200 and had reached 246 in the 42nd over when Tariq bowled Mallon for 73.

JP reached his fifty and was also bowled by Tariq.  Corey Edwards (16) and Gavin Gilmore (12) were bowled by Brennan, but Peter Byrne ruined Plates's final figures by hitting his last two balls for boundaries as Leinster closed on 316-8.  Brennan took 4/53, Kleyweg 2/56 and Iqbal 2/76.  The national coach was impressed by Hoey's 0/65.

Terenure loses a lot of the younger players it develops, disproportionately to Phoenix and Pembroke.  The pitches in the Park can be good, but are sometimes as lively as the Terenure mat.  Apart from two or three strips right over by the railway line, Pembroke's can be minefields.  So what's the attraction of Sydney Parade?

This season Terenure did gain a recruit in Andre Botha, but he wasn't registered in time for this match.  Had he been available Terenure might just have kept Leinster to a gettable score and might just have got it.  But they weren't going to get 300+.

And they didn't.  And how they didn't!  Colm Morgan had no idea where the ball was after an lbw shout from Corey Edwards, responded late to Kenny McDonald's call for a leg bye, and was run out at the non-striker's end.  McDonald was then riddled neck and crop by Will Lennon.

Vaughan was lbw to Edwards, Hoey bowled by Lennon, and Kleyweg caught at slip by Jonesey off Lennon.  That was 14-5 in 8 overs and curtains.  But there's always hope.  Stand-in keeper Gavin Gilmore was in the horrors, giving Tom Lynch a couple of lives, and Nathan Carroll had survived the initial carnage to play some good shots.

But in Lennon's seventh over, Carroll straight drove uppishly, and the Kiwi held on to the return catch to make it 40-6.  Keith McCarthy was lbw to Peter Byrne in the 19th over and Tariq Iqbal bowled by Hugh McDonnell in the 22nd over to leave the score at 50-8.

There was then a gutsy stand between Lynch and Lingala which saw off Edwards's second spell and raised the score to 89, when Lingala was run out.  Brennan survived five balls, but was bowled by the last ball of the 30th over leaving Lynch on 29*.

Star of the bowling show was Will Lennon with figures of 10-5-12-4, supported by McDonnell (2/20), Byrne (1/8) and Edwards (1/42).  Bring on Muckamore on the 14th!