Phoenix v The Hills, 31 July 2021. 

Third Man

With both teams having lost their opening games in the BuaKit Premier League, the spectre of relegation was going to loom large for whichever team lost Saturday’s match between Phoenix and The Hills CC at the Phoenix Park.  Phoenix had engaged in a major recruitment campaign during the close season, but a combination of injuries, international and interprovincial call-ups meant that it had been unable to field a full-strength team for much of the season, but on this occasion, apart from the injured Tyrone Kane, Phoenix was strengthened appreciably by the return of George Dockrell from International duty, and Nicolaas Pretorius from playing with Dublin University.

Tomás Rooney-Murphy, Captain of the Hills, won the toss and opted to field first.  The Hills’ opening bowlers, Rooney-Murphy, and Dylan Blignaut, bowled with fire and accuracy, and Phoenix had only accumulated 9 runs by the 6^th over when the first wicket (Mc Donough) fell to a brilliant run-out by Cian Nulty. Stephen Black was out LBW shortly after to the bowling of Tomás-Rooney Murphy. Two wickets fell in the 10^th over, both of which were taken by Rooney-Murphy, with the returning Nicolaas Pretorius out first ball to a catch by Athar Farooqi. George Dockrell and Adam Chester set about rebuilding the innings and added 40 runs before Chester was caught by Farooqi off the bowling of Killian McGrane. The crucial wicket of Dockrell was taken as a result of a smart catch at first slip by Murray Commins off the bowling of Killian McGrane. The last four Phoenix wickets added 58 runs, and Phoenix was all out for 130 runs in the 36^th over. The two young Hills’ bowlers, Nulty and McGrane, complemented the opening pair brilliantly, and each of them took 2 wickets. Rooney-Murphy took 3 wickets, and the other wickets fell to Blignaut and Sameer Dutt. The Hills’ fielding was a considerable improvement on the previous game, and Extras were restricted to 16 runs (11 wides, 2 no balls, 1 bye and 2 leg byes).

The target of 131 was reduced by 2 runs due to a rain-interruption, and the visiting supporters, all four of them, enjoyed a pleasant repast courtesy of Ms Rooney-Murphy while they contemplated a leisurely stroll to the target. To the certainties of death and taxes, can be added the facility of sports’ teams to induce all forms of stress and anxiety in their supporters as players contrive to make what appear to be straightforward tasks very difficult. In the first over of The Hills’ reply, Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin scored 8 runs off two beautiful shots, and in the next two overs, Phoenix conceded 17 Extras off a combination of wides and byes. The first wicket (Farooqi) fell when the score was 28, and McLoughlin-Gavin (21) and Murray Commins (18) brought the score up to 44 when McLoughlin-Gavin was adjudged LBW off the bowling of Aaron Cawley. Murray Commins’ dismissal when the score was 59 was similar to Dockrell’s – a catch at first slip when he nicked off to a ball from Conor Shiel. The next partnership, Dylan Blignaut and Mark Donegan, yielded 19 runs, but the brows of The Hills’ supporters were becoming increasingly furrowed as wickets began to fall with frightening regularity. Andrew Kavanagh was out when the score was 95, and four more wickets were lost for 29 runs. At 124 runs, with 5 required, Jonathan Tall, who had left the field due to an injury during the first innings, was obliged to limp to the centre as The Hills sought to achieve the required target. He faced 4 balls, and with a combination of forward defensive pushes and a deft flick, ensured that the onus would be on the imperturbable Dylan Blignaut to finish the game, which he did with considerable aplomb by scoring 4 runs.

Despite this victory, The Hills’ batting continues to give cause for concern. Blignaut (37*) batted superbly, and there were contributions from McLaughlin-Gavin and Commons, but the Extras conceded by Phoenix (39) were the top score of the day. Nevertheless, a win is a win, and the 20 points open The Hills’ account in the League. Until next Saturday’s visit of Merrion to The Vineyard, it’s onwards and upwards.

The numbers drawn in the Lotto last evening were:

6, 13, 19 & 26

There was no winner of the Jackpot.

Lucky Dip winners were Matt Dwyer and Mary O’Dwyer, €25.00 each.

Jackpot next week will be €1,800.00.

This Saturday the 31st will see The Hills host two Leinster cup finals at The Vineyard.

First up is the LHK Insurance Tillain Cup Final which will be contested by Civil Service 1 and Clontarf 2.

The game starts at 12.00

The second game is the LHK Insurance YMCA Salver Final and will be contested by Clontarf 3 and Malahide 3.

This game starts at 16.00

The numbers drawn in the Lotto last evening were:

1, 9, 13 & 27

There was no winner of the Jackpot.

Lucky dip winners were Chantelle Maritz and Jonathan Tall, €25.00 each.

The Jackpot for next week will be €1,750.00.

Third Man

An air of excitement and anticipation pervaded Leinster Cricket circles on Saturday last with the return of 50 overs games after the one-year hiatus which was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Local rivals, The Hills and Malahide met at The Vineyard on a gloriously sunny day in the first series of games in the Buakit Premier League competition. The Hills won the toss, and somewhat surprisingly opted to field first. By the end of the eleventh ball of the second over, this appeared to have been an inspired decision because Malahide had lost 2 wickets with only 2 runs on the board. That was as good as it got for The Hills.

 Callum Riches and Matthew Ford set about re-building the Malahide innings, initially with a period of consolidation, and then with a display of attacking shots which resulted in the ball being despatched to all parts of the Vineyard and beyond its confines, into the nearby woods and adjoining fields. It has been said frequently that catches win matches, but the corollary to this axiom is that dropped catches can result in games being lost. Matthew Ford was dropped when he had scored 40 runs, and he proceeded to punish The Hills for this lapse in the field by scoring a superb century. He was caught by Mark Dwyer off the bowling of Tomás Rooney-Murphy when he had scored 109 runs. At the other end, Callum Riches was accumulating runs steadily; he also scored a century, and his wonderful innings was ended by a run out when he had scored 140 runs. Fintan Mc Allister scored 34 runs in his cameo innings, and Malahide ended up on a score of 334 for the loss of 7 wickets.

The Hills’ bowlers toiled manfully, and there were wickets for Dylan Blignaut (3 for 83), Tomás Rooney-Murphy (2 for 60), and Jonathan Tall (1 for 64). Given the number of boundaries which were scored, (7 sixes, 36 fours), Sameer Dutt’s bowling figures of 0 wicket for 41 runs in 10 overs were highly commendable.  

As a group, sports supporters are probably the most optimistic people in the world, and during the innings break, some Hills’ supporters were of the opinion that the Malahide score was eminently gettable, given that the pitch was playing perfectly, and the outfield was lightning fast. However, for this prediction to come through, it was vitally important to have a positive start. The first wicket (Athar Farooqi) fell when the score was 11, and although several batsmen got starts, nobody went on to make the substantial score which was essential if the hosts were to make any inroads into achieving the target score. Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin (29), Mark Donegan (28) and Andrew Kavanagh (29) played some beautiful shots, but scoreboard pressure told, and wickets fell at regular intervals. The Hills’ final total was 147, and its innings ended in the 31^st over.

On this occasion, Malahide batted, bowled, and fielded better than the Hills. For The Hills, positives are in short supply, but in every walk of life, it is possible to have a bad day at the office. There is now a fortnight for the players to go back to first principles, reflect and return refreshed for the game against Phoenix in the Phoenix Park on 31 July. Until then it is onwards and upwards.

Postscript: Malahide CC has had a difficult time recently with the deaths of its Patron, Mr Norman Adams, his wife, Mrs Patience Adams, and a former President, Ms Evelyn Harmon. Prior to the commencement of the game at the Vineyard, there was a period of silence and reflection as a mark of respect. Ar dheis Dé, go raibh a n-anamacha.