14 May 2022     

Third Man

Both teams had only a slim possibility of qualifying for the semi-final stages of the Sports Hub Senior League Cup, but momentum is a crucial component in all sports, and with the prestigious Irish Senior Cup games being played next week, the winning team in today’s encounter would have a very valuable confidence boost. For the fourth week in a row, Tomás Rooney-Murphy won the toss, but in a departure from recent practice, he decided that The Hills would bat first. Murray Commins’ wicket fell without a run on the scoreboard, but from that point onwards, The Hills’ batsmen rose to the occasion. Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin celebrated his call-up to the Leinster Lightning squad by having an absolutely superb knock;  he faced 145 balls, hit 6 fours, and scored 113 runs. The partnership of Cormac and Andrew Kavanagh put on 137 runs which ended when Andy was out for 56 runs. Mark Donegan (36 runs) picked up the gauntlet, and the next partnership yielded 72 runs. Dylan Blignaut and Bhavesh Lakhotia were dismissed cheaply, and Cormac’s brilliant knock ended on the last ball of the innings when the score was 247 runs with Tomás Rooney-Murphy being the not-out batsman on 14 runs.

Railway Union’s innings had a disastrous start as Dylan Blignaut took a wicket with the second ball of the first over. Dylan who bowled a very hostile spell, then took the second wicket when the score was only 12. Philip Le Roux and Kenny Carroll brought the score up to 37 runs when Le Roux became Blignaut’s  third victim. In recent years, Railway Union’s ability to score has depended almost entirely on Kenny Carroll, and he could only watch in dismay as the fourth wicket fell when the score was 49. It was on that score that the pivotal incident of the game occurred when Carroll was out to a magnificent catch by Murray Commins off the bowling of Ashley Bain. Jonathan Tall and Athar Farooqi, the spin twins, then began to weave their magic and the last 6 wickets fell for 19 runs.  The bowling honours were shared by Blignaut (3 for 16 off 5 overs), Bain (1 for 13 off 5 overs), Tall had the wonderful figures of 4 wickets for 3 runs, and Athar Farooqi continued to impress with figures of 2 wickets for 7 runs. In complimenting the bowlers, it is important to stress that they were supported by a very fine fielding display; Murray Commins took 3 catches, Mark Donegan had 1 catch and a stumping, Tomás Rooney-Murphy, Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin and Jonathan Tall had 1 catch each.

This was a very complete performance by The Hills, and from the point at which the toss was won to the third ball of the 25^th over in the second innings, the team was totally in control of the game. Next weekend, The Hills face a double weekend, with the first assignment being an arduous journey to the North-West when Fox Lodge will be its opponents; it is unfortunate that the team will have to travel back immediately after the game because there is a home match against Trinity College on the following day. Until next weekend, it is onwards and upwards.

The numbers drawn in the Lotto last evening were;

5, 7, 18 & 22

There was no winner of The Jackpot.

Lucky Dip winners were Liam McAuley & Chantelle Maritz, €25.00 each.

The Jackpot next week will be €3,850.00.

Played at The Vineyard

Sunday saw The Vineyard draped in glorious sunshine and believe it or not there was no east wind coming in from the Irish Sea.

Civil Service won the toss and elected to bat.  Lorcan Woodhouse took the gloves behind the stumps and quickly accounted for two wickets off the bowling of Sam Smyth and Luke Clinton.  Next wicket, Nilesh Joshi (32) fell to the bowling of James Fleming. This brought Dhiraj Shetty to the crease and he stayed until the very last over when he was bowled by Sam Smyth. Dhiraj put on a fine 70 off 105 balls with one six and three fours. Best bowling for The Hills were Sam Smyth with 3 for 35, Luke Clinton with 2 for 39, a wicket each for Barry Grimes, James Fleming, Will Archer and Athar Farooqi. Credit should be given to Lorcan Woodhouse for his fine wicket keeping display in taking three catches and not conceding a single bye in 42 overs, not bad for a bowler! The Target to win was 175 which looked eminently possible given that this team had chased down 290 the previous week but we had no knowledge of their bowling attack.

John Derham (31) and Athar Farooqi (13) opened the batting for The Hills getting to 48 before the first wicket fell in the 13^th over. Another wicket fell in the next and this brought Gavin Morgan and Ashad Farooqi (12) to the crease. The bowling was good and runs were hard to come by but this pair put on a patient 52 run partnership that proved critical to the outcome of the game. Gavin Morgan went on to make an undefeated 82 off 86 balls including four 4’s and five 6’s. Despite this excellent performance the game went down to the last over needing a single. Morgan blocked the first ball but despatched a mighty six down the ground to seal the win. Other contributors with the bat included Sam Smyth (12) and James Fleming (9*).

Thirdman

In recent times, the ground at Sydney Parade has become something of a fortress for the home team; thus, it was more in hope than confidence that The Hills travelled across to the Southside to play Pembroke on Saturday last. The Hills won the toss, and as has been its custom for some time, decided to field first. With the wicket of Rob Kelly being taken when only 8 runs had been scored, the auguries were positive for The Hills, but that was as good as it got for the visiting team. The Tucker brothers, Diarmuid and Lorcan, provided an object lesson in combating any of the difficulties which might be posed in the early stages of an innings with loose deliveries being despatched to the boundary and good deliveries hit for 1 run or blocked. The second wicket partnership brought the score up to 112 runs, and by the half-way stage of the first innings, it appeared that The Hills would be chasing a score somewhere in excess of 300 runs. It was greatly to the credit of The Hills’ bowlers and fielders that they persevered in the face of an onslaught from Lorcan Tucker who was eventually dismissed by a brilliant piece of fielding by Tomás Rooney-Murphy off the bowling of Ashley Bain when he had scored 116 runs. The last five Pembroke wickets were taken for 35 runs, and Pembroke ended up on 269 runs which was slightly above par, but it meant that The Hills had not been batted out of the game. Of The Hills’ bowlers, Tomás Rooney-Murphy continues to lead by example and took 3 wickets for 36 runs in 10 overs; Dylan Blignaut’s figures were 2 for 46 in 8.1 overs and Ashley Bain took 2 for 63 in 10 overs

When a big target is being chased, it is essential that some of the top order batsmen score heavily; Cormac McLoughlin scored 6 runs, Mark Donegan was run out without scoring, Andrew Kavanagh scored 2 runs, and Murray Commins (40) was proceeding very nicely until he was deceived by a straight ball by Paul Lawson. The pressure was now on Dylan Blignaut (71) and Tomás Rooney-Murphy (22) and a stand of 90 runs caused some furrowed brows among the Pembroke faithful. Dylan’s wicket fell when the score was 177 runs, and the last 4 wickets fell for 8 runs to give Pembroke a victory margin of 84 runs.

On the day, the better team won, but The Hills showed great resolve by continuing to compete despite elements of its performance being well-below its usual standard. The most positive thing that can be said from a Hills’ perspective is that it is still possible to qualify for the semi-finals if the last three games are won. On Saturday next, The Hills play Railway Union at Park Avenue, and until then, it is onwards and upwards.

PS: . With the continuing debate about “teas” being provided between innings, it is appropriate to thank Pembroke CC for its hospitality when it fed players, officials, and guests. There is also appreciation for the External Catering Section of The Hills CC which provided supplementary catering for the visiting supporters.

Third Man

Both of these teams had contrasting fortunes in the opening series of matches,  with Malahide coming out on top in a close game against Phoenix, and The Hills losing an equally close game against North County. The Hills won the toss and as is its custom, opted to field first.

The wisdom of this decision was borne out by the fall of a wicket (Hackney) in the first over and Muntha in the second over, with the wickets being taken by Dylan Blignaut and Tomás Rooney-Murphy respectively. Adam Doyle and Matthew Ford set about repairing the damage and compiled a stand of 34 runs which ended with the fall of Doyle’s wicket which was taken by Ashley Bain. Any hopes that Malahide had of a recovery were shattered by a superb spell of bowling by Matthew Weldon and Dylan Blignaut which resulted in the taking of 4 wickets for 3 runs. From that point onwards, it was attritional stuff with the batsmen seeking to eke out whatever runs they could. Fintan McAlllister top-scored for Malahide with 24 runs, and there were only two other batsmen (Muntha, 11 and Doyle 17) in double figures.

The Hills’ bowlers had a field day, with Matthew Weldon continuing to impress with 3 wickets for 18 runs in 5 overs; Dylan Blignaut took 3 wickets for 25 runs in 8.1 overs, and the other wickets were taken by Ashley Bain (2 for 14), Tomás Rooney-Murphy (1 for 17) and Levon Shields (1 for 6).  Mark Donegan was in superb form behind the stumps and took 4 catches, while Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin took 2 catches.

With the Malahide innings finishing early, The Hills’ batsmen had to negotiate a potentially tricky period before tea. Cormac McLouglin-Gavin started like a man on a mission; he faced three balls, and his figures were 4, 6, and out. Despite the early departure, Cormac’s onslaught set the tone, and it was apparent that The Hills’ batsmen had decided to chase down the score as quickly as possible.  Levon Shiels was slightly more circumspect, but then lost patience, and was dismissed on the last ball before tea when the score was 44 runs.

Catering continues to be a topical issue in Leinster Cricket circles, and The Hills’ Catering Department excelled itself as usual. The two teams, officials and guests were treated to wonderful hospitality with pride of place being given to lovely sandwiches, meringues, apple slices, scones, and cheesecake. To continue in catering mode, Barry and Sandra are providing a tremendous supplementary service so it can be recorded without fear of contradiction that no one will ever die of hunger or thirst at The Vineyard.

Suitably refreshed, it was back to the cricket, and the patrons at The Vineyard had the opportunity to savour the batting of Murray Commins, the recent recipient of a contract from Cricket Ireland. He batted beautifully for 53* and played some magnificent shots all round the wicket. The only other wicket to fall was that of Mark Donegan when the score was 73; Murray and Dylan Blignaut then knocked off the required runs, and the game  ended  in the 19^th over.

This was a very comprehensive victory for The Hills, with all aspects of its game in excellent working order. There will be sterner struggles ahead, with the first of these coming on Saturday, 7 May when The Hills travel to Sydney Parade to cross swords with Pembroke and its galaxy of international stars. Until then, its onwards and upwards.

The numbers drawn in this weeks Lotto were;

13, 19, 26 & 28

There was no winner of The Jackpot

Lucky Dip winners were Tracy Clinton & Matt Dwyer, €25.00 each.

The Jackpot next week will be €3,800.00