The numbers drawn in The Lotto last evening were;

5, 8, 16 & 17

There was no winner of The Jackpot.

Lucky Dip winners were John Scally & Miranda Andrews, €25.00 each.

The Jackpot next week will be €4,350.00.

Many thanks to C&T Supermarket for their continued support.

Third Man

On a gloriously sunny day, Lisburn Cricket Club’s players, officials and supporters were welcome visitors to The Vineyard for the quarter-round game in the Irish Senior Cup. Lisburn lie top of the NCU League, thanks to a record of 8 wins and only 1 loss, and the “word on the street” was that Faiz Fazal, the overseas player, was a superb cricketer. However, it was emphasised that Lisburn’s cricket team was far from being a one-man band, and that it had a number of other very competent cricketers in its ranks. The Hills welcomed back Murray Commins after a long absence through injury, and it was hoped that his return would provide an extra impetus after the disappointing defeat against Clontarf on the previous day.

Lisburn won the toss, elected to bat first and The Hills’ opening bowlers were subjected to some very harsh treatment by Fazal (39) and Jonathan Waite (45). By the start of the 10^th over, Lisburn had scored 80 runs, and Hills’ supporters were talking in terms of the team chasing at least 350 runs. Fazal’s wicket was the first to be taken, thanks to a smart catch behind the wicket by Mark Donegan off the bowling of Ashley Bain. Waite was clean-bowled by Tomás Rooney Murphy when the score was 97 runs, and two further wickets were taken in quick succession thanks to a run out and another clean-bowled by Rooney-Murphy. At 103 runs for 4 wickets, it appeared that The Hills had come back into the game, but it was at this juncture that Lisburn’s strength in depth became evident. David Millar scored a superb 77; there were also contributions from Adam Berry (17), Robert Rankin (13), and Mark Berry (25), and Lisburn’s final total was 248 runs all out after 41 overs. The Lisburn players and coaching staff were very disappointed that they had not succeeded in batting out the overs, and The Hills were very pleased to have clawed their way back into the game.

This was not one of The Hills better performances with the ball, and Ashley Bain (2 for 39) was the only bowler to have an economy rate below 4. Tomás Rooney-Murphy took 2 wickets for 45 runs in 7 overs; Jonathan Tall’s figures were 2 for 55 and Levon Shields took 3 for 45 in 9 overs. 12 wides were bowled, and the fielding continues to resemble the parson’s egg – “good in spots”.

The Hills did not have the hoped-for good start. The first wicket fell when there were 24 runs on the board, the next wicket fell on the same score, and the third wicket fell when the score was 50 in the 15^th over. Murray Commins (56) and Mark Donegan (49) combined very well to bring the score up to 145 runs, and Hills’ supporters were daring the hope for a positive outcome to the game. However, in a situation similar to the Clontarf game, the batsmen who were in did not go on to accumulate big scores. After the departure of Donegan and Commins when the score was on 154 runs, there was big pressure on Dylan Blignaut to bring the team home. He batted competently, but again when he was well-set, he was out on 31 runs. Tomás Rooney-Murphy scored 12 runs; Extras were a very generous 33 runs, and The Hills ended on 215 runs which was a deficit of 33 runs.

It is important to maintain a sense of perspective and balance when commenting on a disappointing result. There is a good spirit among The Hills’ players, and they show a strong commitment to the club. However, it is necessary to take a long, hard look at the results of the past two days, and the common element in each game was that players who are well-set are tending to lose concentration and to make poor decisions in terms of stroke-making. Talented players do not suddenly become poor players, and confidence is a huge element in every sport and in every walk of life. The away game against Phoenix on Saturday next is the ideal opportunity for the players to return to their early season form. Until then, it is onwards and upwards.

Third Man

With three defeats and no wins, this game was in the “must win” category for Clontarf, and of all the teams in the IBI Corporate Finance Premier League, The Hills was probably the team that it would have chosen to play against when it was in this predicament because in the recent past, The Hills invariably reserved its worst display of the season for games against Clontarf. The Hills won the toss, elected to bowl,  and had a very positive start when it took a wicket when there were only 9 runs on the board. A period of circumspect cricket followed, and The Hills’ bowlers were totally on top in the early stages of the game. A second wicket fell when 45 runs had been scored, and it appeared that The Hills would be adding to Clontarf’s tale of woe. However, a stand of 122 runs between Eoin Delany (78) and P J  Moor (76) altered the complexion of the game completely, and when Eoin Delany was out with the score on 188, David, his brother, revelled in the challenge and scored a quickfire 49 runs. The last ten overs of an innings are crucial because whichever team comes out on top, goes into the second innings with a sense of momentum. Clontarf put on almost 80 runs in the last 10 overs and could be very content with its total of 246 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. With regard to the bowling figures for The Hills, Tomás Rooney-Murphy took 2 wickets for 51 runs off 10 overs, Dylan Blignaut took 1 for 35 off 10 overs, and Levon Shields took 1 for 33 off 5 overs.

247 runs was a daunting target for The Hills, and it became even more daunting when it lost 2 wickets with no run on the board. Mark Donegan (34) and Andrew Kavanagh (39) set about rebuilding the innings and compiled a stand of 57 runs. Dylan Blignaut (38) and Andrew Kavanagh added a further 48 runs, but wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, and The Hills was always well behind the required run-rate. There were contributions from Levon Shields (18) and Matthew Weldon (23), but the big innings which was required from at least one Hills’ player never occurred, and The Hills ended up on 195, beaten by 51 runs.

In many respects, this result was a self-fulfilling prophecy because in recent times, The Hills have rarely played well at Castle Avenue. What was unusual about this performance in comparison with other Hills’ performances this season, was that the batsmen who got starts did not go on to compile a big score. The ground fielding continues to be a source of concern, but the bowlers deserve credit for a disciplined display because only 5 bowling extras were conceded, and wicketkeeper Mark Donegan did not concede a single bye. The Hills will have an immediate opportunity to address some of the failings when it entertains Lisburn at The Vineyard on Sunday in the Irish Senior Cup. Until then, it is onwards and upwards.     

The numbers drawn in The Lotto last evening were;

1, 10, 25 & 32

There was no winner of The Jackpot.

Lucky Dip winners were Pascal Henchy & George Kitteringham, €25.00 each.

The Jackpot next week will be €4,300.00.

Many thanks to Specsavers Swords for their continued support.

Lucky Dip Draw

Cash Prizes

1st. €1000

2nd. €500

3rd. . €250

4th. €250

Are you feeling lucky? Tickets priced between €1 Minimum to €10 Maximum. Scratch ticket to see what your price is ..

Draw will take place on 3rd Sept 2022.

Live music By “The Macks” on the night with BBQ on the evening.

Tickets can be bought from any club member, behind the bar and at The HillBillies Cafe.

All support is welcome.

All fundraising goes towards club development

7th June 2022

Simon Adderley

Hills Minor B’s come back in some style!

Adamstown 118-7 (Nett 83) Lost to The Hills Minor B Navy 139-4 (Nett 119). The sun reminded us all what warm weather cricket is like and The Hills reminded us that never giving up is a great attitude to have in life. The Hills Captain Ryan Clinton won the toss and elected to bat first and The Hills pairs scored as follows:

Daniel Adderley & Tom Jackson 21-1 (one 4), Leo Russell & Sam Clinton 38-0 (one 6 and one 4), Ryan Clinton & Gary Costello 20-2, James Maguire & Callum Walsh 29-1, James Davies & Jack Sheridan 31-0 (two 4s). Giving The Hills a total 139 for 4 wickets (Net 119), a challenging total for Adamstown to chase.

Having taken an age to get through their overs the home team decided to attack the Hills bowling from the start with their opening pair returning 47-0 (special mention to Sharwan who batted beautifully for 35), second pair brought the score to 72-0 and third pair moving to 96 without loss until the 11th Over.Enter Jack (rocket arm) Sheridan rifling in a direct hit from long stop to bring The Hills their first wicket and restoring belief that was beginning to wilt in the evening sun.

A transformed Hills side dived to save 4’s (James M), produced another 2 run outs (Leo & James M) and gave us further wickets from Jack, Ryan, Tom (2) to come away with a hard-earned win.

Many thanks to Adamstown for producing very welcome food and drinks at the changeover, very much appreciated by all the players. Thanks to all the parents who made the journey and round the M50 in time for a 6pm start.