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7th May - Division 1: Clontarf v Railway Union

Saturday's match was the Division 1 clash between two unbeaten sides, Clontarf and Railway Union at Castle Avenue.  Neither side was at full strength: Joe Morrissey was resting a knee injury and on pram-wheeling fatigues; Graeme McDonnell was concentrating on his golf.

Railway thought there might be a bit in the pitch, so when they won the toss asked Clontarf to have a hit.  Alex Cusack has asked to open the batting this season, promising more aggression than he normally shows.  He took on Kevin O'Brien immediately with drives and legside flicks, and then turned his attention to Saad Ullah bowling from the Castle end.

The score after five overs was 36, and as Bill Coghlan joined in the fun with some booming drives, the ten over score rocketed to 76, 46 of which had come off O'Brien's bowling.  Railway took the bowling power play straight away, Paddy Conliffe relieving O'Brien.  His first ball was hit for four  to take Cusack to 52* off 35 balls.

Trent Johnston had already replaced Saad, and was indeed finding a bit in the pitch by bowling as quickly as I've seen him do for a couple of seasons.  In his fourth over, the 14th of the innings, Coghlan straight drove him, and the batsmen set off for what looked like three.  As Cusie neared the completion of the second, the fielder was gathering the ball close to the boundary.

Cusack slowed up, but Coghlan had turned blind and was racing to complete the three.  Belatedly, Cusack  set off for the third.  The throw was good, and reached Johnston at the non-striker's end.  Coghlan was home, so TJ swiftly relayed the ball to keeper Adrian D'Arcy, who ran Cusack out for 60 out of 98.

Rod Hokin was caught behind of Johnston, nicking a lifter – 104-2 in the 16th over – bringing in Andrew Poynter.  Trent couldn't believe it when Poyntzie survived an lbw shout.  I was in line and it was close!  Unfazed, the batsman was into his stride with drives and tucks off his legs, and the score reached 132-2 after 20 overs.

Coghlan reached his fifty just before the players were taken off for rain.  On return after twenty-five minutes – no overs were lost - Coghlan hoiked a short ball from Patrick Collins to deep square leg.  Conor Mullen stooped low, tumbled, and came up with the ball.  Nearby Clontarf team members shouted that the ball had been taken on the half volley, but the catch stood, the skipper gone for 55 and the score on 146.

Adrian D'Arcy quietly supported Poynter as the latter blazed toward his half century.  Collins had settled into a nice spell with his off breaks, and induced D'Arcy to play a fraction early, accepting a smart, low, return catch.  That was 168-4 in the 32nd over.

Chris Cahill played a couple of nice shots, there was an ironic cheer from the hutch when Mullen didn't claim a catch at square leg, and Poynter reached fifty.  Then Collins bowled Poynter, and one run later keeper Sam Farthing took an excellent legside catch to send Cahill on his way for 8.  Collins had a Guildford Four-for, and it was 188-6 in the 38th over.

Matt D'Arcy and Vijay Gopal added 27 runs before D'Arcy became Farthing's third victim, a diving catch low to his right.  Ropu Islam crashed 19 to raise the score to 240 as off spinner Greg Lambert started the last over.  Gopal hit a four and holed out to Kenny Carroll.  Killian Lynskey was run out trying to give Islam the strike.

Ropu heaved at the fourth ball and was stumped, 'Tarf all out for a disappointing 244, only 98 runs being added after the rain in 26 overs for he loss of eight wickets.  Collins took 4/40, Johnston an excellent 2/33, and Lambert 2/17.  Kevin O'Brien's last five overs went for only ten runs.

Clontarf needed a quick breakthrough, but Kenny Carroll and Tom Fisher got after Cusack, scoring 61 off the mandatory power play.  Leg spinner Rod Hokin replaced Saeed Ahmed who had replaced Cusack from the Killester end.  Immediately he had Carroll lbw for 21.

I've never umpired Hokin, but I'm constantly surprised by how many lbw decisions he gets with his leg break.  I'm not suggesting that Jim McGeehan was wrong to give this one, but Kenny didn't like it.  Rod should be grateful that I retired from umpiring at the end of 2003!

Mullen hung around for seven overs before slogging Gopal to Cahill – 86-2 – and in came Kevin O'Brien to settle the match.  Fisher had reached a fine fifty with plenty of trademark drives, but Wor Kev, as if to celebrate his contract with Gloucestershire, went into England mode, pulling and driving his way to 64 out of 90 in eleven overs, temporarily passing Fisher's score.

Bill Coghlan had to resort to himself, and trundled a ball through O'Brien's defence to trap him lbw.  Collins came out and played sensibly as Fisher closed in on his ton.  The left-hander was on 94*  out of 235 when Chris Cahill tried some liquorice allsorts to Collins.

With four to win, Collins took a single, but sloppy fielding and an overthrow made it into two.  Another two meant Fisher was stranded, and Collins 32* out of 245-3 in 37.4 overs.  The gamble to put Clontarf in had paid off, but only because the big fella had bent his back, a stupid run out, and, without Joe Morrissey, a lack of oomph in the 'Tarf batting below five.