Divisions 1 & 2: Review of the weekend 4th-6th June; preview of weekend 11th-12th June
There was a packed programme of Division 1 matches over the bank holiday weekend, seven in all. I correctly predicted the results of two out of three on Saturday, but got all four wrong on Monday! Let's start with the one I got wrong on Saturday, the match at Milverton where unbeaten Railway Union were the visitors.
Missing Kenny Carroll to international hockey, Railway promoted 'keeper Sam Farthing to open with skipper Fisher. He made unlucky thirteen, and Conor Mullen didn't last too long, so Trent Johnston had establish a base. He and Fisher added 55 before the latter departed for 43. With Patrick Collins (24) TJ added a further 78, and then with Mo Tariq 64 more. Then Trent was out for 117, leaving Mo (26) and Saad to take the total to 263-6, good, but not out of sight. Naseer (2/35), Joseph Clinton (0/36) and Luke Clinton (1/31) were the bowlers not to suffer.
Saad whipped out openers Dwyer and Kumar, but Mike Baumgart steadied the ship with Yogesh (28) in a partnership of 75. Another 74 came in tandem with Max Sorensen before the skipper was run out for 78. Naseer came and went, then Max and Tomas Murphy added 50 to get The Hills to the brink. Sorensen was run out for 94, Murphy bowled by Saad, but old soldiers Joseph Clinton and Darryl Calder got their team home by three wickets with two balls to spare. That the big fella was unable to bowl probably edged it for the Wilberries.
At Anglesea Road the Merrion top three put their side in command. Ben Ackland (33) and John Anderson (61) batted around Dom Joyce's 105 to get the score to 185-1. Tyrone Kane added 34 and Matt Petrie 24* to get the 50 over total to 295-7. Of the Pembroke bowlers, only Allan Eastwood (0/38) didn't suffer too much. The 'Broke were never in it, although Jono Hickey (48) and Barry McCarthy (55) made it look respectable at 238 all out in 45.3 overs.
I was in the Park to witness a straightforward win for Phoenix over YMCA. The visitors batted first, and looked OK at 51-1 and 99-2, but thereafter nobody could stay with Samir Dutt. The refugee from Old Belvo was robbed of his ton by a spectacular catch at extra cover by Corie Dickeson, and had to settle for 97 out of 194 all out. Another Belvo escapee, Sadaf Raza, took 4/40 with his leggies. Phoenix lost Bray and Gallagher early doors, but Rory Flanagan's solid 63, Conor Kelly's rapid 44 and Dickeson's savage 58* got the parkies home inside 42 overs.
The Hills continued to enjoy their holiday weekend on Monday after recovering from 31-3 to post 235-7 thanks to 57 from Darryl Calder and a brilliant 120 from Max Sorensen. Joe Morrissey's ten overs yielded 2/16, Anwar's nine 1/30 and Rod Hokin's ten 1/45. A solid start from Alex Cusack and Adrian D'Arcy (44) looked good for 'Tarf, and even after the loss of Cusie and Hokin they reached 101-2. Mark Dwyer (4/46) went through the middle order to make it 156-7, then the Forrest brothers and JoMo made 20s to leave the last pair thirteen to win. They got ten of them before Anwar was stumped off the penultimate ball.
In Sydney Parade, Pembroke battled to 186-9 in their 50 overs against Phoenix thanks to 30 from Theo Lawson, 41 from Jono Hickey and some late order defiance. The Phoenix bowlers shared the wickets around. The visitors were favourites at 61-2, but crumbled to the medium pace of Ryan Hopkins (4/32). Ted Williamson made 41 at the top and Vaidayanathan (crazy name, crazy guy) 30 late on. Paul Lawson (3/24) assisted the demise of Phoenix, 144 all out in 42.4 overs.
I was the other side of Park Avenue in a howling easterly gale (although the clouds were travelling in the oposite direction) watching North County stumble to 37-4 with poor batting before Richie Lawrence (71) and Adam Coughlan (57) added 123 with some very good batting. A crisp 39* from Mini Garry lifted the score to 226/7. Greg Lambert took 3/36. The Railway top four all contributed (Carroll 29, Fisher 43, Mullen 31, Johnston 33) before Mo Tariq's pugnacious 60 took them home. Adam Coughlan (1/30) and Richie Lawrence (2/39) again impressed.
The third Sandymount match was in Claremont Road, where Merrion could score only 181 all out. Ben Ackland's 28 and John Anderson's 58 at the top were balanced by Peter Blakeney's 25 and Matt Petrie's 31 in the lower middle order, but nobody else got past 10. Reinhardt Strydom took 3/36, Robert Garth 2/33 and Samir Dutt 1/18 off their tens. YMCA took their time getting the runs, with 27 from Alan Lewis, 28 from Dutt and 20* from Steven Walsh complementing Strydom's 87*. Matt Petrie bowled his ten for 1/31 and new (to me) boy K Shimmons 1/29.
Moving to Division 2, I was incorrect in only one prediction, Leinster beating Terenure, but only just. Terenure were 37-0 then 37-4, including Andre Botha for a duck, three of those wickets going to Joey Carroll (no longer P Unregistered now that his surname is spelled in full, and 3/25). Nathan Carroll (63) and Justin Kleyweg (27) got the 'Nure to 148 all out in 44.1 overs, Anton Scoltz plucking low-hanging fruit to garner 4/27. That should have been that, but 79-2 (Mark Jones 35, Zac Curtis (29) and Scholtzy 23) became 131-6 and 142-8 before Corey Edwards (23*) got Leinster home. Plates Brennan (3/26) and Barney Hoey (3/43) were the Afro-Americans in the timberyard.
In the Village, Malahide must have suspected that their 233-7 wouldn't be enough. Nick Turner top-scored with 69, Johnny Pryor scored 29 at the top, and the unbroken eighth wicket partnership of 55 between Andy Pyne (37*) and Glenda Kirwan (25*) got the People out of even bigger doggy doo-dah. Rush were 30-3 with main man Tipu Gul gone, and 74-4 with other main man Dan van Zyl out for 24. Enter Lionel Jansen (55*) to join Shahid Iqbal (131*) to blast Rush home in the 41st over.
On Sunday, Malahide had another match, at Inch against North County 2 and nearly made a Horlick's of it. The Village People asked County to bat, and when the home team were 169-4 (John Andrews 30, David Casey 36, Shane Plant 34) must have wondered if they'd done the right thing. But thereafter only Nolan (51) and Manmeet Singh (19) offered as County were all out for 234 with one ball to go. Malahide were 20-3 and 73-5 (Jimmy Govan 30) before being rescued by 78 from Callum Riches, 27 from Andy Pyne and 45* from Pete Saville to get home in the last over by three wickets.
There were three matches on Monday, only two of which I can tell you much about. I presume the Cabra scorecard is still being transliterated from the original Sanskrit. At Kenure, The Hills 2 were 5-3 and 72-6 (Amer Raza 26), before Mal Byrne (62) and Nadim Akhter (44) gave the Wiberries something to bowl at. Tipu Gull took 4/15 and Dan van Zyl (3/30) as The Hills 2 were all out for 187. Dan (106*) and Sean Monks (63*) then took less than 30 overs to get home by ten wickets. Wilberries: null point.
At Rathmines, Cork County were 85-1 when Corey Edwards dismissed Barry. Bruce Koch scored 76 of the next 117 runs before being last out with the score on 202. Joey Carroll took 4/37. Leinster collapsed to 37/5, then 74/7 (Anton Scholtz 26, Barry 4/42) before Peter Byrne (36) and Carroll added 69. Will Lennon's 23 got Leinster to within 22 of victory, but Carroll (66*) and Khuda Buksh (1*) got home at the end of the 46th over.
At Cabra, Terenure racked up 338, Andre Botha scoring his 24th Leinster Senior century (140). Old Belvedere could manage only 200, of which Simi Singh scored 108*. There was the outstanding first round tie in the LHW Senior Cup, when Old Belvedere travelled to Milverton to play The Hills 2 on Sunday.
The Hills struggled early on, being 28/3 and 58/4, but then Mark Clinton joined Amer Raza. Amer made 68, Mark 63, Peter O'Donnell 31 (nice to see George back) and Darren Byrne 20 to raise The Hills to 259 all out in 58 overs. Hilal Asad (2/23) and Rajesh Chawla (2/69) had done the early damage, and Farman Yousa Ullah (4/61) dealt with the middle. Belvo stuttered to 110-5 (Nadim 3/42) before Shoaib Ali (29) helped Simi Singh raise the score to 167-6, and then Farman Ullah (24) to 228-7. When Singh was out for 91 with the score on 236, that was it – Belvo 241 all out in 42.3 overs. The Hills 2 now entertain Rush in the next round, conquerors of their firsts. Can they? No.
That's last weekend sorted out. What about next weekend? It's the second round of the Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup, and there are two cracking ties in Dublin. I shall be at Castle Avenue where Brigade are the visitors. I expect home advantage to prevail, but the Derry side are no walk-overs. Defending champions, Merrion, are at home to Donemana. The visitors are Irish Cup specialists, and I fancy them to win.
Railway Union host Eglinton, which should be a walk-over for the home team, and Phoenix host Glendermott. Phoenix should win, but I wouldn't put my house on it. Pembroke should be too good for Bready, which leaves the two away fixtures. If Leinster can find Bonds Glen, they can win.
North County travel to The Lawn to take on Waringstown. The home team lack a fifth bowler, but their batting top five is immense. Without last year's pro, Jimmy Boyland, the County bowling, Mooney excepted, is plain. The County off-spinners, Richie Lawrence and Adam Coughlan, might be the key. But will Coughlan play? Too close to call.
There is a Division 2 match in the Mardyke on Sunday, where Old Belvedere are the visitors. Home win. If the weather forecast is wrong I shall be back at my alma mater in the Phoenix Park, to watch Civil Service take on YMCA 2 in the Storm Cricket Trophy second round. In my eight years at Service, we never won a single Senior 2 Cup match. Let's hope the new sponsor helps Service.