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Pembroke v Phoenix: Division 2 match played in Sydney Parade on Sunday 15th August

On a beautiful summer Sunday morning I made my way to Sandymount to watch the Division 2 encounter between Pembroke, third in the table, and Phoenix, in top spot.  A win for Phoenix would copper-fasten their promotion to Division 1.

A win for Pembroke would make them favourites to take the second promotion place to join Phoenix in Division 1 next year.  While they had Andy Balbirnie to boost their team, they were missing skipper Allan Eastwood, called up again for Ireland, and regular keeper Graham McCoy.

Corey Dickeson called correctly and decided to make first use of a pretty decent-looking pitch, a rarity of late in Sydney Parade.  Rory Flanagan and Ben Larkin faced Barry McCarthy and Ryan Hopkins.  The pitch was indeed true, and Larkin soon got his drive going to complement the clip through mid wicket.

Bill Whaley soon replaced McCarthy from the Sydney Parade end, and Hopkins gave way to Andy Balbirnie at the Sandymount end.  Larkin was missed at slip by Theo Lawson on 21, but Whaley made the breakthrough when he bowled Flanagan for 14 out of 48 in the ninth over.

The left-handed Ted Williamson, once a Pembroke player (but who hasn't he played for?) pottered in his Munster manner while Larkin set about the Pembroke bowling.  On 37 he survived a nick to stand-in keeper Rohit Bahl, up over the stumps to keep him in his crease, and reached his fifty, out of 82, in the 21st over.

Balbirnie finished his spell, conceding just 28 runs, and was replaced by Andy Leonard.  The leg-spinner bowled Williamson for 25, and as Larkin crashed merrily on, the Phoenix middle order succumbed to Leonard and the return of McCarthy.

Conor Kelly was caught behind for 10, and to his disgust, David Langford Smith chased a wide down Rohit's throat in the same over.  Dickeson popped a dolly catch off Leonard's bowling and Graham Flanagan was very smartly stumped off McCarthy.

That made Phoenix 151-6, and the likely 250 total was now in danger of being less than 200, surely not enough.  Morne Bauer is a lot better bat than his number eight position, but he just can't buy a run at the moment.  However he could keep his money in the bank for a rainy day, because Larkin had powered his way to a hundred out of 173.

McCarthy bowled out, finishing with 3/58, and was replaced by Whaley.  Leonard had been hit out of the attack by Larkin and was unimpressed by his futile wait for a recall.  In his place his skipper for the day, Steven Moreton, was plying his leg breaks quite tidily.

The 49th over began with the score on 198.  In it, Larkin hit a six and was bowled for 120 out of 208, and Osama Khan nurdled out the rest of the over.  The final over from Moreton was savaged by Bauer and Khan, the latter finishing 6, 6, 4 to give a total of 231-7.

Leonard's figures of 2/32 off eight compared favourably with Whaley's 2/30 off six and Moreton's 0/45 off nine, but like all bowlers Lennie can never see why he can't always do his ten and, indeed, why batsmen shouldn't have to retire when they've faced sixty deliveries – what's sauce for the goose is surely sauce for the batting gander!

After a tea that was even better than the pitch, the 'Broke's openers, Balbirnie and Theo Lawson, set off in pursuit of twenty more runs than they wanted to.  Balbirnie looked in good touch and had made his way to 19 out of 32 in the eighth over when Bauer produced what looked to me a leg-cutter which hit the top of middle and off.

Theo Lawson and Steven Moreton battled their way to 44 in the thirteenth over when Langford Smith held one back to induce a return catch from Lawson (8).  The next ball clattered into Ryan Hopkins's pads and even Andrea Bocelli would have got the finger up.  Del Boy McGeehan certainly did.

Danny Barclay goes for his shots, and had reached ten out of 58 in Bauer's penultimate over when he swished at one going down the leg side.  Graham Flanagan acrobatically pulled the ball into his gloves and claimed the catch, as did Bauer.  Barclay was unimpressed, and Bauer had run past him by the time Azam Ali Baig finally lifted the finger.

The 'Broke boys in the hutch were not happy bunnies, and even less so when Moreton, 10, lobbed a catch to Larkin off Masud Ahmed.  It soon became 67-6, as Conor Kelly picked up an excellent return catch off his boot-straps from Brian O'Rourke.

Barry McCarthy is always aggressive as a batsman, and Rohit Bahl showed that he can be, and the pair added 38 in the next six overs to take the score past one hundred.  Bahl survived a chance to Khan, and they got better and better, Rohit reaching his fifty in the thirty-ninth over with 67 still needed for victory.

McCarthy had been becalmed by Matt Lunson's leggies, and was dropped on 43 by Rory Flanagan.  The glaring miss didn't cost – he was bowled by Lunson without addition to his score.  Leonard joined the fun and the Pembroke revival continued, helped by a Larkin drop.

If there is such a thing as Mastermind in Australia (unlikely, I know), Ben's chosen specialised subject would be dolly-drops.  Lennie swung one six off Lunson, and went for an encore.  He didn't quite get it but I thought that Polly Kelly would have to step on the rope after taking the catch.  He used his height to take it a yard inside the rope and had plenty of room to steady himself.  Super catch.

53 were still needed in 6 overs, three of them to be bowled by Langford Smith.  Paul Lawson helped Bahl to add 32 of them, but was lbw in the second of Lanky's overs.  Bill Whaley blocked out the rest of the over, leaving Rohit to face Rory Flanagan.  He chose to slog, missed and was bowled for 73.

Phoenix had won by 20 runs and gained their promotion with the 21 points.  There are always ifs and buts in any game of cricket: if Larkin had been caught before he reached fifty; if Barclay hadn't been given out caught behind; if Bahl had been held on 17 or 56.  

To me the one that matters is Khan's 664 finish.  Had Pembroke been chasing 222 to win rather than 232, Bahl and Whaley may well have decided to get the last ten runs in singles, eschewing the slog.  Whatever way you look at it, there's very little between the sides.

Should Pembroke gain promotion, they'll find it just as tough as will Phoenix to stay up.  Certainly, neither will do it with their current playing resources.  It could be argued that Pembroke's will get better as they mature, but the same can't be said for Phoenix's.  Interesting times, indeed.