LEWIS LEADS YM TO VICTORY - SPRINT COATINGS DIVISION ONE - 8.7

Gaby Lewis was the star performer this evening in the Phoenix Park, as her 70* led her YMCA team to a comprehensive 8-wicket-win over the newly promoted Phoenix inside 18 overs.

There was drama before a ball was bowled, as Lucy O’Reilly pulled her quad in the warm-up just minutes before the start, and without a replacement immediately on hand, YM were forced to take the field with just 10 players, with O’Reilly able to bat in the case of an emergency.

Having won the toss, Phoenix skipper Ali Keenan elected to bat first, and her side got off to a flying start, as Georgina Dempsey lofted two boundaries over cover as there were 16 taken from Gaby Lewis’ first over. However in the second over she was run out for just 9 as when Nevedha Saravanarajan was caught at cover off a free hit, Gaby Lewis had the awareness to throw down the non-striker’s stumps.

Saravanarajan followed in the next over for 7 when she was caught by Jenny Gray off Emma McEvoy’s bowling. Ella Pasley and Lara Maritz added 26 for the third wicket, before Pasley was given run out for 14 by another Gaby Lewis direct hit as the pair attempted to steal a third run on an overthrow. Maritz then skied a short ball from Vanshika Shukla back to the bowler who took a comfortable catch to dismiss the Phoenix star for just 11.

Lucy McDonough drove Robyn Lewis aerially to Gaby Lewis at cover where she took a comfortable catch to dismiss the Phoenix keeper for a duck. At which point Ali Keenan and Ashlee King came together. The pair progressed the score to 110 before King swept Robyn Lewis and top edged the ball to short third-man, where Mya Naughton took a comfortable catch. Keenan then hit Alice Tector straight into the hands of mid-on to be caught for 19, before very next ball Zara Craig was LBW to Kate McEvoy, she then bowled Alison Black for a duck to leave the home side 118/8.

More drama then occurred as YMCA were penalised 12 penalty runs for a slow over rate. This allowed Phoenix to close out their innings on 135/9. Kate McEvoy’s 2/14 was the pick of the bowling efforts, with Robyn Lewis also taking 2 wickets, costing 22 runs.

Gaby Lewis and Sarah Forbes opened the batting for YMCA facing up to Lara Maritz and Georgina Dempsey. After a quiet first over, Lewis greeted Dempsey with a perfect on-drive along the floor to the straight boundary and never looked back. After the PowerPlay the pair had reached 48 for no loss as anything loose was punished to the boundary.

Lewis then found another gear, taking 20 of the 25 runs scored in the next two overs, before depositing a 6 over deep-mid-wicket off the final ball of the 10^th over to move the away side to 92/0 and absolutely rocketing towards their target. Unfortunately for Forbes, Lewis’ clean ball striking did eventually manage to work against YM, as she hammered a straight drive, Dempsey stuck out a hand and deflected the ball onto the non-striker’s stumps to see Forbes dismissed for 23.

Robyn Lewis joined her sister at the crease and she scored 16 out of their partnership of 22 to keep the visitors ticking towards victory. Robyn then attempted to swing a Zara Craig slower ball into the leg side, missed, and was bowled for 16, a dismissal which left her captain shaking her head at the non-striker’s end.

That brought Jenny Gray to the crease and along with Gaby Lewis the pair ticked the final 16 runs they needed down with ones and twos. Lewis then finished her innings as she started as she unfurled another on-drive, this time in the air, to the boundary to complete the chase and see her finish on 70*.

Elsewhere in Division One, The Hills got their campaign up and running with a victory over Clontarf. The home side batted first and after a solid start from Jane Maguire and Amy Benson, who both made 20, suffered a wobble from 42/0 to 54/4. Miranda Andrews made a quick 31 from just 17 balls to get them to 95/6, before a 50 partnership between Tess Maritz, who top scored with 35, and Aisling Byrne (16) saw them to 158/8 in their 20 overs. Aoife Brennan’s 2/24 the pick of the ‘Tarf bowling.

Jane Maguire and Katie Boylan then bowled very economical spells, going for just 14 and 16 runs respectively in their 4 overs. Aoife Brennan made 24, while the mainstay of the visitors innings was 35 from Anna Marshall, however the ‘Tarf effort was stunted badly by 4 run outs, and they could only manage 113/8 in their 20 overs, seeing The Hills run out 45 run victors.

Meanwhile in Observatory Lane, Leinster batted first against Pembroke, and their top three saw them most of the way to their 148/7 in 20 overs. Sophie MacMahon made 28 in an opening partnership with Rebecca Rolfe of 55 before being dismissed. Rolfe then went on to add 78 with Laura Delany before the opener was dismissed herself for 34. No other Leinster batter passed 4 as Pembroke rallied to keep them to a lower score than had initially looked on the cards. Laura Delany was eventually dismissed for 43 by Hannah Little but the pick of the Pembroke bowlers was Clíona Tucker who took 2/27 in her 4 overs.

Pembroke started at a reasonable pace, but Mary Waldron was run out early on for 11. LouLou Little and Shauna Kavanagh saw the score to 43 before the former was stumped by Ellen Ridgeway off MacMahon for 14. This saw Orla Prendergast to the crease who upped the tempo, making 25 off just 14 balls before she fell to Katie Dillon, who was about to turn the game for the home side. She trapped Shillington LBW for a duck, before Kavanagh fell in the same manner to Laura Delany for 33, Dillon then had Tucker stumped for a duck and with that, a 16 ball spell had taken the air out of Pembroke’s chase. They made their way to 117/6 off 20 overs to see Leinster 31 run victors, Katie Dillon finishing with 3/14 in a match-winning bowling spell.

Finally at Anglesea Road, Merrion batted first and made 151/3 in their 20 overs, they were without Rebecca Stokell due to a niggle so Rachel Delaney shifted up to open alongside Leah Paul. They shared a partnership of 34 before Delaney was out for 18, Cecelia Joyce then joined her skipper and they added 63 before she was run out for 34. Paul and Celeste Raack added 28 before the Merrion captain was out for 39, after which Raack and Sadhbh Breslin guided their side to their final total. Sarah Condron’s 1/20 the pick of the Malahide bowlers.

Malahide’s openers again were in good form, their star duo of Caoimhe McCann and Amy Hunter added 55 before the skipper was dismissed for 15 LBW to Delaney. Sadhbh Breslin then took the prized wicket of Hunter, caught by Delaney for 42 to leave Malahide 68/2. Leah Paul and Julianne Morrissey both spun out typically economical spells, returning figures of 0/11 and 1/17 from their respective four over spells, which in the end were crucial in tying Malahide down and allowing them to make just 136 from their 20 overs, seeing Merrion to a 15 run win.

SPRINT COATINGS DIVISION ONE

JULY 8^TH

At Phoenix Park
Phoenix – 135/9, 20 overs (A King 32; K McEvoy 2/14, R Lewis 2/22)
lost to
YMCA – 137/2, 17.5 overs (G Lewis 70*, S Forbes 23)
by 8 wickets

At Milverton
The Hills – 158/8, 20 overs (T Maritz 35, M Andrews 31; A Brennan 2/24)
beat
Clontarf – 113/8, 20 overs (A Marshall 35, A Brennan 24; L McBride 1/12, J Maguire 1/14, K Boylan 1/16)
by 45 runs

At Observatory Lane
Leinster – 148/7, 20 overs (L Delany 43, R Rolfe 34, S MacMahon 28; C Tucker 2/27)
beat
Pembroke – 117/6, 20 overs (S Kavanagh 33, O Prendergast 25; K Dillon 3/14)
by 31 runs

At Anglesea Road
Merrion – 151/3, 20 overs (L Paul 39, C Joyce 34, C Raack 28*; S Condron 1/20)
beat
Malahide – 136/4, 20 overs (A Hunter 42, A Kerrison 24; J Morrissey 1/17)
by 15 runs