MERRION RETAIN PERFECT START AS FORKIN LEAVES YM IN A SPIN

On an excellent evening for their battery of left-arm spin, Merrion were indebted to their 16-year-old Danny Forkin who produced an incredible spell of bowling taking 4/21 starting off with what was his first senior wicket for the club, as they ran out 67 run winners over YMCA, maintaining their 100% start to the season so far.

Earlier in the evening, Merrion skipper Tom Stanton had won the toss and elected to bat first, sending out their two star inter-pro men, Jack Carty and Stephen Doheny, to open the batting. Carty began well, dominating the first 4 overs, before Doheny attempted to launch Cillian McDonnell out of the ground in the 5th. He picked out the fielder on the long-off boundary, who dropped the chance for 6, doubling Doheny's total. The opener took that as his cue to accelerate.

The pair took the score to 70 in the 10th over, before Doheny shuffled too far across his stumps and was bowled by Rory Anders for 32, just 8 balls later, Carty attempted to drive Jamie Forbes, but missed and was bowled for 42. John Anderson and Dom Joyce then added 26 for the 3rd wicket, before Joyce attempted to pull Sam Streek from a good length, missed and was bowled for 14. Anderson and Max Sorenson proceeded to stroke 37 from the next 22 balls before the number three was stumped by Cassidy for 33.

Sorenson powered some lusty straight boundaries in the final 7 balls, finishing up with 22 not out from just 13 balls, as Merrion made their way to 150/5 in their allotted overs. Rory Anders was the pick of the YMCA bowlers with 2/31. The murmurs from those watching on the club house side was that the home side had made it to about a par score.

YMCA's reply started slowly, and they lost their skipper Jack Tector LBW to Tom Stanton from the final ball of the second over. Rory Anders and Tim Tector then shared the best partnership of the innings, before Anders was caught at long-off by Sorenson to give Danny Forkin his first wicket.

Tim Tector, on 26, then spooned Forkin to cover from the final ball of the 10th over, before Mitchell Thompson fell LBW to the first ball of the 11th as Amish Sidhu joined in on the act. Tom Anders was LBW to Forkin from the first ball of the 12th, followed by Cassidy closing out the 13th over by chipping Sidhu to long-off where Carty swallowed the catch. Danny Forkin then rounded off his excellent spell by bowling Jamie Forbes from the last ball of his 4th over, the 14th, to leave YM 73/7 and reeling.

Andrew Blair-White had avoided the carnage that was happening around him and was nudging and nurdling runs as they presented themselves, however when himself and Mikey O'Reilly thought about taking on Dom Joyce's arm, both nearly ended up at the same end before O'Reilly was run out for a duck.

Merrion's T20 success in the Senior League Cup included a tactic of having Jack Carty bowl the death overs, and he resumed this role in Power Play 3, delivering the wickets of Cillian McDonnell and Sam Streek in consecutive deliveries to earn himself figures of 2/7 and close out a 67 run win for his side.

BUAKIT PREMIER LEAGUE

AT ANGLESEA ROAD
MERRION - 150/5, 20 overs (J Carty 42, J Anderson 33, S Doheny 32; R Anders 2/31)
beat
YMCA - 83/10, 16.4 overs (T Tector 26; D Forkin 4/21, J Carty 2/7, A Sidhu 2/22)
by 67 runs