Third Man 9 July 2022
The return game between The Hills and YMCA in the IBI Corporate Finance League was played at The Vineyard on Saturday, 9 July. YMCA won the toss, elected to bowl, and the first Hills’ wicket fell when the score was 19 runs. Andrew Kavanagh (20) and Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin (48) combined to bring the score up the 81 runs before Kavanagh was stumped by Adam Roslee, YMCA’s new keeper. Cormac was adjudged LBW 10 runs later, and from a Hills’ perspective, it was important that the mistakes of last week’s game against Balbriggan were not replicated. Mark Donegan’s good form with the bat continued and he scored a superb 73* with shots all around the ground, and there were decent contributions from Dylan Blignaut (26) and Levon Shields (24). The Hills’ innings ended on 223 runs, and there was general satisfaction among the home supporters that the score was slightly above par.
From a YMCA perspective, a good start was imperative if the Hills’ score was to be threatened, and that did not occur. The first wicket fell when the score was 9 runs, the next one fell at 31 runs, and from that point onwards, wickets were taken at regular intervals. The only significant partnerships were 36 runs between Aaron Bailey (22) and Adam Roslee (9), and 25 runs between Tom Anders (44*) and Finn Conaty (3). YMCA’s final score was 124, and The Hills’ margin of victory was 99 runs.
For The Hills, the wickets were shared among Dylan Blignaut (2 for 19), Tomás Rooney-Murphy (2 for 23), Matthew Weldon (2 for 23), Jonathan Tall (2 for 26) and Ashley Bain (1 for 31). The Hills bowled well; Mark Donegan kept very well, but the general standard of The Hills’ fielding continues to be a cause of concern. Next weekend is a very busy one for The Hills’ First XI with a league game against Clontarf at Castle Avenue on Saturday, and an Irish Cup game against Lisburn at The Vineyard on Sunday. Until then, it is onwards and upwards.
