Mooney and Sheridan Lead County to League Cup Semi-Finals – Saturday July 10th

North County and Clontarf won final day shoot-outs to win their groups and qualify for the Sports Hub Leinster Senior League Cup semi-finals. YMCA were almost mathematically qualified already, and they made their place safe with a comfortable victory over Leinster.

The real upset came at Anglesea Road where Merrion beat Pembroke by 46-runs to deny them any bonus points and overtake them for the last spot in the final four.

The game of the day was in Group D where North County hosted Dublin University in a straight shoot-out for a place in the semi-finals.

The home side displayed some exceptional power-hitting in amassing a total of 168/5, and despite an entertaining knock from Nicolaas Pretorius, the Students never really looked likely to chase down the target and lost by 41-runs.

Having been asked to bat, North County and Niall McGovern (32) in particular got on with things in a hurry. The opener stroked three boundaries in the second over and showed brilliant timing with straight sixes in the fifth over.

He fell to the first ball of the sixth over however, as Jack Atkinson delivered a slower ball that McGovern could only chip to mid-on.

The combination of Conor Hoey (1-20) and Atkinson (1-26) bowling through the middle overs kept the North County batsmen in check and the run rate very manageable. However, the loss of Eddie Richardson (15) signalled the charge from the home side.

John Mooney showed all his class smashing 38 off 19 with four huge sixes. They went all round the ground too, flicking them off his pads, pulling a full toss over square leg and a massive strike that cleared the clubhouse.

At the other end Sean Sludds (16 off 6) had some fun too as County took all the momentum into the second innings. Indeed, when Mooney reverse swept the final ball of the innings to the boundary, they had added 57 off the final four overs.

The Students’ had a mountain to climb, especially after the loss of David Cosgrave (6) with the score on 12.

However, Pretorius (55) and Michael Hogan (27) put on 82 for the second wicket, and while the required run rate was still high, they were set and looking in good touch.

Unfortunately for Trinity, both fell within four balls, and this signalled a collapse that ended the contest really. Richardson (2-17) and Andrew Sheridan (3-18) took wickets at will as nine wickets fell for 33 runs.

When Richardson removed Streek’s middle-stump, it was a comprehensive exclamation mark on a comfortable victory for North County who will look forward to a semi-final next weekend, no matter who they face.

Sports Hub Leinster Senior League Cup Group D

Inch

North County v Dublin University, Saturday July 10

North County 168/5 20 Overs (J Mooney 38*, N McGovern 32; C Hoey 1-20)

Dublin University 127 a/o 19.4 Overs (N Pretorius 55, M Hogan 27; A Sheridan 3-18, E Richardson 2-15)

North County won by 41 runs

Elsewhere in Group D, the dead rubber between The Hills and Phoenix at Milverton was cancelled due to a case of Covid within the Phoenix club and a danger of close contacts among the first XI.

In Group A, YMCA ensured smooth passage into the semi-finals with a comprehensive 87-run victory over Leinster at Observatory Lane.

With Jack and Tim Tector making 28 apiece and Bobby Gamble striking 34 alongside Mitchell Thompson’s unbeaten half-century powered YM to an imposing 167/5 at halfway. Any chance of chasing the total down was blown away by Mikey O’Reilly (3-15) and Cillian McDonnell (2-15) who reduced the home side to 16/4 early in the reply.

In the other group match, Terenure defeated Rush by 3-wickets at Kenure. Seamus Lynch’s 90 off 52 with nine boundaries and five maximums was the mainstay of an innings where Terenure chased Rush’s 164/5.

Nathan McGuire, singled out as one to watch in the reverse fixture, top-scored with 73 as Rush amassed a decent total, although Terenure would have been happy to have only been chasing 165, after Rush had made their way beyond 100 in jig time before they have even lost their second wicket.

In Group B, Cork County picked up a home win over Railway Union as Rudolph Pollard struck 46 in a total of 139/6. Kenny Carroll top-scored with 26 in reply but couldn’t repeat his match-winning heroics of earlier in the competition.

Instead, Harvey Wootton (4-28) and Abubaker Saddique (4-13) took wickets at regular intervals ensuring celebrations at The Mardyke.

Meanwhile at Anglesea Road in Group C, Merrion went into the game knowing nothing less than 24 points would do if they were to have a chance of qualifying, meanwhile Pembroke needed just the 2 points to ensure their safe passage to the semi-finals. Merrion won the toss and elected to bat but Pembroke started the brighter with the early wickets of Michael Lewis and Jack Carty who fell to Ryan Hopkins and Paul Lawson respectively, when Max Sorensen shortly followed at the hands of Lawson again, Merrion were in a spot of bother at 28-3 after 4 overs.

Wickets continues to fall at regular intervals, with Stanton, Glutz and Sidhu depating in quick succession, leaving the hosts 87-7 and in need of a special innings from John Anderson, who was still at the crease in 25 at the time. When he found and able partner in fellow country man James Hitchcock at the other end, the pair to get Merrion to 115-8 by the time Hitchcock departed for a quick fire 19 off 12 balls. Finally Anderson and captain Tom Stanton combined to get Merrion to a defendable 137-8, with Anderson finishing on a well made 66 from 52 balls. Scott Ruttle was the pick of the Pemrboke bowlers with 3-15 from his 4 overs.

When Tucker brothers Fiachra and Diarmaid emerged to open the batting for the visitors, Pembroke were in the fullness of knowledge that a defeat by less than 30 runs would see them safely through to the knock out rounds of this years senior league cup, but Merrion started the brighter with Tom Stanton leading by example and picking up 2 early wickets to leave Pemrboke 7-2. However after a steady partnership between JJ Garth and Theo Lawson that looked to have Pembroke on track for the bonus points required to qualify, this was soon broken though by Max Sorensen who's fine spell of 2-15 removed both Lawson and Garth to leave Pembroke 40-4.

After Sorensen's spell Pembroke never really recovered with wickets falling at regular intervals, including wickets for Kennedy, Sidhu and Carty. Pembroke showed some late resistance with 27 from Paul Lawson giving them a chance of reaching the 107 runs required to qualify but ultimately it wasn't to be for the foxes and the Anglesey Road men ran out 46 run winners to secure a home tie against North County next week in the semi-finals of this seasons Senior League Cup.

The final game of the day between Balbriggan and North Kildare at Jack Harper Memorial Park was a dead rubber in name only, as a star performance from Chris De Freitas saw the home side to a wide margin victory.

Balbriggan batted first, making 195 thanks in the main to Nathan Rooney’s quick fire 54, alongside De Freitas who made 31. The young South African then followed up his first innings runs by blowing North Kildare away in the second innings. The Kilcock men had started reasonably, making 73/4 off 9 overs, before De Freitas’ 5/13 saw them reduced to 106 all out.