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Merrion v YMCA.  LCU Division 1 match played at Anglesea Road, Saturday 31st July

What a super game of cricket was seen at Anglesea Road on Saturday by what grew into a very decent crowd.  Both Merrion and YMCA were short a few regulars, and the youngsters and oldies who filled in added to the fun.

John Anderson won the toss and opted to bat.  Regular opener Ben Ackland was accompanied to the middle by debutant David Watkins, and the pair quietly added 13 against James Parkinson and Reinhardt Strydom.  Then Watkins, who had been leaving the ball well, failed to get his bat out of the way and played on to Parkinson.

Next over, Strydom swung one back to bowl Ackland, leaving Greg Clarence and Dom Joyce to build the innings.  Like most Aussies, Clarence is very strong off his legs, and also drives beautifully.  The partnership had passed fifty when they were dropped in successive balls behind the stumps, Clarence on 24 and Joyce on 17.

Not long after, a heavy shower interrupted proceedings with the score on 81-2 after 18 overs.  When play resumed the match had been reduced by three overs a side, and Joyce was soon caught behind off Beacroft for 29.  Clarence started to tuck in to the YM change bowlers, allowing Anderson to nurdle his way slowly into his innings.

McAuley's little seamers were dispatched to all parts, and so too Warwick Armstrong's, delivered with a Monica Seles aaagh!  The louder Wazza groaned, the further he went.  From the Donnybrook end Rob Nandi put in a very good spell with his offies, keeping a very full length with plenty of air.

Clarence sailed past fifty and on to his ton, dominating a century partnership with his skipper.  On 110 Nandi got one through his defence, which was the cue for Anderson to step on the pedal.  With Beasley he added 52 before he holed out to Parkinson for 61.

Beazo, Rory Allwright and Simon Morrissey clattered through the remaining few overs to take the score to 268-6.  Strydom, with 1/40 off 10, and Nandi, 1/37 off 9, went for fours, Parkinson's ten reaped 3/54, and everybody else got tap.

At tea the D/L routine yielded a 47 over par score of 270, so YMCA were looking at 271 to win, and to be ahead of 74-0 or 84-1 at the 20 over mark.  As Alan Lewis stroked a boundary and stole a single, Reinhardt Strydom launched into Simon Morrissey and Ross McDonald.  After four overs the score was 25.

After five it was 53: dot, 6, 6, 6, 4 (off the edge), 6.  The gardens at the Ballsbridge end accumulated balls and more were served up from the dressing room.  Then Lewis wafted at McDonald, and Ackland's shout behind the stumps was answered in the affirmative by Azam Ali Baig.

Lewie was naughty to hang around as long as he did and attempt to discuss the matter before he was replaced by James Parkinson.  Greg Clarence bowled over number seven, causing “Rainy” to pause to have a look.  Anderson sent down over number eight, a maiden (the first of the match).

Rainy had raised his six count to eight, reached 78 out of 91, when he swung at Anderson, missed, and to his horror saw Azam's finger raised.  Another very unhappy bunny had to go.  Parkinson swung a lovely six, then smashed one into Ackland's gloves and trooped off.

There was a full and frank exchange of views back in the hutch.  “What are you doing, ****ing walking?  She (umpire Inge Bevers) wasn't going to give it!”  “Mate, I ****ing middled it, I couldn't hang around.”  Further expletives have been deleted.

Back in the middle it was 116-3, already ahead of the D/L target of 111 in 20 overs, but the black clouds had passed over, and Gus Dunlop was looking a passable imitation of his old self as he stroked singles and the very occasional boundary.

At the other end, Sean McAuley was supplementing Gussie's first ball single with five dots, and frustration mounted in the pavilion as the score fell behind D/L.  McAuley finally managed to free himself from slow left-armer Patel's shackles, and with Dunlop took the score to 166 in the 32nd over.

That was just ahead of D/L, but became par when Patel bowled Dunlop for 31.  It was still par when Patel bowled David Streek in his next over to make it 184-5.  Paul Beacroft had asked Lewie's permission to use his bat.  “Yeah, take it, it's done me no good for the past two matches.”

“Last week I smashed one into my pad and was given out lbw.  Today I missed the ball and was given out caught behind!”  One run later Beekers returned, lbw to Clarence.  Looking at the bat's inside edge he said to Lewie “I see what you mean!”

Steven Walsh went out to join McAuley, who reached fifty out of 206-6 in the 39th over.  A four and a six off Clarence, and lots of scampered singles with the odd boundary got YM back on track.  On 234 Walsh was dropped by Ackland, but on the same score McAuley was bowled for 77, leaving 37 to be got in four and a half overs.

Furious hitting reduced the target by 16 when Walsh was caught by Allwright in the deep off Joyce for 25 in the next over.  There were a few minutes of heavy drizzle which tempted the umpires to come off.  In fact, the rain cleared and no over would have been lost had they come off.

The Rob Nandi and Dale McDonagh-Kincaid did really well to get to 266-8 with one over to be bowled.  McDonald went to his mark at the Ballsbridge end to bowl his tenth over.  But Rainy was wide awake – Clarence and Patel had already bowled their tens, so McDonald couldn't – and called to Inge Bevers to prevent McDonald starting his over.

Johnny Anderson decided to bowl the over himself, a gamble for a leggie with only five needed.  Two leg byes of the first delivery made YM firm favourites, but young McD-K couldn't do anything with deliveries two and three.  He marched down the pitch to the next, swung, missed, and was stumped for 6.  Warwick Armstrong snuck a single off the fifth ball.

Rob Nandi needed two for a win, one for a tie.  I read the ball as the googly as it left Anderson's hand (shame I couldn't do that when I was batting, although I usually could when I was keeping!).  The ball clattered into Rob's pad and he and Wazza raced the single.

But Inge had raised the digit for the lbw appeal, so Merrion won by one run for the second time at Anglesea Road this season (as well as losing one by the the same margin).  Anderson finished with 3/25 off 7, Patel 2/33 and McDonald 3/52.

The YMCA contingent were far from happy, thinking they'd got the rough end of the umpiring decisions.  But they gradually cooled down as a couple of beers slipped down.  Gus Fleming was feeding me with a nice Malbec, and Eddie Lewis kindly bought me a pint.  It was all smiles by the time the wife came to pour me home.