BARRY McCARTHY was man of the tournament as the Irish Universities claimed the Hone-McGregor Tri-Series at F P Fenner’s Ground in Cambridge yesterday after a four wicket win over the hosts.
The UCD and Pembroke all-rounder followed his 96 and 5-41 against Scotland with a match-winning 56 not out.
It was the first time the Tri-Series has been held but it can now be added to the British Universities Championships previously won by Ireland in 1988, 1990 and 2000.
Chasing 254 to win on the famous old ground, Ryan Hopkins and Hugh Pike went after the bowling from the off. Hopkins was out in the sixth over, but already 48 was on the board and Ireland were on their way. Pike, driving beautifully, hit 11 fours in his second fifty of the Tri-Series before he nicked to Merrion's Patrick Tice.
Will Von Behr kept the momentum going, and although wickets continued to fall, Barry McCarthy was in rampant form. He and Bobbo Forrest put on 62 for the sixth wicket before the DCU/Clontarf man was caught for 37 off the bowling of Ballymena leg-spinner Michael Taylor.
McCarthy eased past fifty in 53 balls, and was joined by UU’s Richard McCarthy to see the innings home.
At the beginning of the day, and with the first ball of the innings, Peter Chase found the edge of Sajdeh’s bat and Jordan McClurkin held the first of his three catches. While Chase was expensive, his pace proved too much for the Light Blues and he took 4-73 off his 10 overs.
The Hone-McGregor trophy is named after the first Irishman (Nathaniel Hone) and Scot (Gregor McGregor) to win Blues for the English university. Hone, who won nine Ireland caps between 1868-84, first played at St Columba’s College in Rathfarnham, which provides a link to the 2014 competition through Cambridge’s Ireland U19 wicketkeeper Patrick Tice.
Tice made just 8 when his former team-mate Chase demolished his stumps, but a late flurry by Hill and Crichard took 90 off the last 11 overs to bring them to 253-7. While he was wicketless, Junaid Amin impressed with 10-0-28-0, while Trinity’s golden find Will Von Behr took 1-30 off ten.
RESULTS
Monday: SCOTTISH STUDENTS 176 all out (49.5 overs; A Laycock 45, N MacLeod 42, S Bell 3-33, B Wylie 2-29) lost to CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 180-5 (31.1 overs; T Dowdall 43no, B Wylie 30) by 5 wickets
Tuesday: IRISH UNIVERSITIES 362-6 (50 overs; B J McCarthy 96, T E Kane 58, H A C Pike 57, R Hopkins 57, R J Forrest 29no) beat SCOTTISH STUDENTS 284 all out (38.2 overs; C Burns 89, T Foulds 83, B J McCarthy 5-41, P Chase 2-43) by 78 runs
Wednesday: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY 253-7 (50 overs; L Hill 47, R Crichard 46no, P Chase 4-73) lost to IRISH UNIVERSITIES 256-6 (B J McCarthy 56, H A C Pike 52, R J Forrest 37, W Von Behr 28, E Bath 3-37)
SQUAD