Sprint Coatings Division One for the 2023 season saw Clontarf emerge as champions, by the absolute minimum of all possible margins. Their final day full points victory saw them finish 0.0006% above their nearest rivals Merrion in an incredible end to the season.
There were several twists and turns across the course of the season, however, much like it’s Open Competitions counterparts, the league wasn’t without it’s weather disruption, and that is why we begin our review of the events of the season in Round 3, on May 18th, as following two full rounds of washouts, the season got going with some belated fireworks…
MAY 18TH
The early cancellations meant what was essentially set be the opening gameweek would happen without several international players. Merrion eventually opened up the defence of their league title with a big win over Phoenix, Annabel Squires top scored for the Anglesea Road side with an unbeaten 89, before a disciplined all round bowling performance saw the side to a 106 run victory. Clontarf visited Leinster to kick off their season, with an excellent all-round bowling effort of their own keeping their hosts to just 98 all out. Ava Canning’s 3/10 put Leinster on top early in the chase, however Julie McNally’s 23 was enough to keep ‘Tarf on top and secure them a 5 wicket win to get the ball rolling. In Malahide, Pembroke batted first and Mary Waldron top scored with 24 as they managed 91/7 in their 20 overs, Arlene Kelly the pick of the bowlers with 2/9. The chase saw Bella Armstrong top score with 37 as Malahide ran out convincing 7 wicket winners. Finally in Skerries, YMCA batted first and Gaby Lewis made 75 in guiding the away side to 148/5 in their 20 overs. The Hills response got off to a great start, however when Mary-Anne Musonda was dismissed for 51, wickets fell at crucial moments for The Hills, resulting in them finishing 4 runs short of their target and seeing YMCA get their campaign started with a victory.
Highlight of the Round; Gaby Lewis 75 vs The Hills
JUNE 1ST
Just two games took place on June 1st, however two excellent games they were. In Castle Avenue, Clontarf batted first and 49* for Robyn Searle against her former side, The Hills, led the home side to 145/6 in their 20 overs. Chloe Ericson was the pick of the away side’s bowlers, with figures of 3/20 from 4 overs. The chase saw a brace of fine half centuries, 56 from Musonda again alongside an unbeaten 60 from Tahlia Dunne guiding the Skerries outfit to an 8 wicket victory with almost 4 overs to spare. Malahide faced Leinster, who had Laura Delany in the side for this fixture, the Rathmines outfit batted first and Delany duly top scored with an unbeaten 61 out of her side’s 130/4. In response, Bella Armstrong again led the way for Malahide, with her 63 guiding them to an 8 wicket win, with nearly 5 overs to spare!
Highlight of the Round; Bella Armstrong 63 vs Leinster
JUNE 8TH
The fifth round of the season saw for teams playing just their second game of the season, however the league was certainly beginning to take shape already. Leinster had the most convincing win of the round, they kept Phoenix to 103/5 in their 20 overs, as coach Claire Terblanche top scored with 43. The Rathmines side completed a straightforward 9 wicket win in 13 overs thanks to an unbeaten half-century from Rebecca Rolfe. Malahide also had a comfortable run chase in their fixture, The Hills making just 110/4, Aimee Maguire unbeaten on 45, before Amy Hunter’s 53 and Arlene Kelly’s unbeaten 35 saw Malahide home, Maguire backed up her runs with the only two wickets to fall as the away side ran out 8 wicket winners. An opening partnership of 123 between Christina Coulter-Reilly and Robyn Searle set Clontarf up to make 180/5 against YMCA, Coulter-Reilly was first out for 55 with Searle eventually run out for 90 in the last over as Tarf were able to set up another routine victory by 54 runs. Finally in Sydney Parade, Merrion batted first and a good opening partnership between Rebecca Stokell (44) and Leah Paul got them to 80, before they eventually made their way to 172/4, Paul making 77.
Highlight of the Round; Robyn Searle 90 vs YMCA
JUNE 15TH
Round 6 begins with three teams still yet to taste defeat in the season, however the first of those records to fall would be in Malahide, where YMCA batted first and made 181/3 thanks to 70 from Siúin Woods, 42 from Gaby Lewis and an unbeaten 41 from Sarah Forbes. The chase never really got going and Robyn Lewis’ 3/21 was the main contributor as Malahide could manage just 109/8 in their 20 overs. Merrion welcomed The Hills, and batting first the home side ran up 182/6, Stokell in the runs with 51 whilst Polly Inglis also made 46. Aimee Maguire’s left arm spin again shining for the visitors, as she took 4/26. The Hills were always on the back foot in the chase, and two wickets for each of Rachel Delaney and Sophie Stewart were the pick as Merrion ran out 75 run winners. Clontarf retained their unbeaten streak as they racked up 184/2 against Phoenix, Searle once again in the runs, this time unbeaten on 90. Phoenix could muster just 100 in reply as Alice Walsh took 4/16 to secure another big victory for Tarf. Finally in Rathmines, Clare Shillington’s 56 saw Pembroke make 134/5 in their 20 overs, however that wasn’t enough for the visitors to defend, as 30s from Laura Delany and Sophie MacMahon helped guide Leinster to a 5 wicket win with 4 balls to spare.
Highlight of the Round; Robyn Searle 90* vs The Hills
JUNE 27TH
The next round was officially the halfway point of the season, and with Merrion and Clontarf both still unbeaten the title race was taking a distinct two-horse-race shape. Merrion travelled to Rathmines in Round 7, and 40 from Rachel Delaney as well as 33 from Celeste Raack helped the side from 30/3 to a total of 136/7, Mary-Kate McLoughlin taking 3/15 whlist Joanna Loughran took 3/30. There was a fine all-round bowling effort from Merrion in the chase, as 5 of the 6 bowlers they used went below the required rate to restrict Leinster to 128/5, eventually 8 runs short of the target. Clontarf continued on their good run, making 145/1 against Malahide thanks to 61 from Coulter-Reilly and an unbeaten 74 from Searle, before excellent early spells from Freya Sargent and Sinead Thomson left Malahide with a mountain to climb in terms of run rate, as Tarf ran out 26 run winners. The Hills racked up a huge victory, making 226/2 thanks to an unbeaten century from their overseas player Musonda, whilst Tahlia Dunne also contributed with 57, there were 4 wickets for Tara O’Brien in the second innings as Phoenix were restricted to just 91/8. Finally Claremont Road was the scene of Pembroke’s first win of the season, as they made 127/8 thanks to Isobel Jennings’ unbeaten 60. YMCA were brilliantly placed at 106/2, however three wickets for each of Anna Beale and Zoe Bell restricted YM to just 119 from their 20 overs.
Highlight of the Round; Isobel Jennings 60* & 2 stumpings vs YMCA
JULY 6TH
This round saw the two fixtures which should have taken place on June 1st slated take place, however as YMCA conceded a walkover to Leinster, just the fixture between Clontarf and Merrion took place at Castle Avenue. An unbeaten 61 from Polly Inglis helped Merrion to 116/2 in their reduced 17 over innings. Christina Coulter-Reilly made 45 in the chase, however regular wickets for Merrion meant the home side were never really ahead of the game, with an unbeaten 17 from Alyssa Pasley eventually scrambling them over the line with 4 wickets and two balls to spare in the game, giving Clontarf the initiative in the league standings after 7 games of the season!
Highlight of the Round; Christina Coulter-Reilly 45 vs Merrion
JULY 13TH
Round 8 saw The Hills robbed of a fine first innings score by the weather, as they were 148/3 against Phoenix in Skerries before rain ended the game. There were however three games which did glean results. Firstly in Sydney Parade, Pembroke restricted YMCA to 117/5, Sarah Forbes making 32, before an unbeaten 58 from Clare Shillington guided the side to an 8 wicket victory. In Anglesea Road, Polly Inglis stamped her authority on the game with an unbeaten 107, as Merrion racked up 167/5 against Leinster, Katie Dillon the pick of the bowlers, emerging relatively unscathed with 2/19 from her 4 overs. In reply, Leinster lost wickets regularly as there were two apiece for Celeste Raack, Annabel Squires and Sophie Stewart in a total of 83 all out, another full points haul for Merrion. Clontarf welcomed Malahide to Castle Avenue, and bowled their opposition out for just 118, with Alice Walsh taking her second four wicket haul of the season as only Bella Armstrong (34) showed any major resistance. 50 from Coulter-Reilly saw Clontarf to a five wicket win with 10 balls to spare and helped them to remain in pole position at the top of the league.
Highlight of the Round; Polly Inglis 107* vs Leinster
JULY 20TH
Clontarf’s opening pair were again on-song, this time as they faced off against Pembroke in Sydney Parade, they produced a partnership of 214, with Christina Coulter-Reilly only run out off the final ball of the innings for 104, Robyn Searle finishing unbeaten on 79. Pembroke’s run chase was never in the game, as three wickets for Anna Marshall, as well as two apiece for Sinead Thomson and Julie McNally saw their side to a 101 run victory. Merrion responded in kind, making 192/2 in their 20 overs as Polly Inglis once again put her foot on the accelerator, making an unbeaten 124, supported by 44 from skipper Celeste Raack. Bella Armstrong made sure the chase went the whole stretch, as her unbeaten 93 got Malahide within 27 runs of victory, however Merrion kept themselves on track. In Phoenix, Robyn Lewis top scored for YMCA as they made 99/9 in their 20 overs, before three wickets for Alice Tector saw Phoenix fall an agonising 4 runs short, in spite of Claire Terblanche’s unbeaten 28. Finally, in Rathmines, Leinster made 141/7 in their shortened 19 over innings, Orla Bagnall top scoring with 47. The chase saw The Hills needing 131 from just 16 overs, and thanks to an unbeaten 68 from Mary-Anne Musonda, they reached their target with 2 balls and 7 wickets to spare.
Highlight of the Week; Christina Coulter-Reilly 104 vs Pembroke
JULY 27TH
Four fixtures became three quickly once again in this round of fixtures, as YMCA conceded their fixture to Merrion. In Phoenix, Pembroke ran up 210/7 in their 20 overs, with Clare Shillington’s excellent 145* the staple of the innings. Phoenix’s response saw Claire Terblance unbeaten on 55 as Pembroke were 61 run winners. In Rathmines, Malahide made just 105/6 in their 20 overs, Armstrong top scoring with 29. However a superb bowling effort saw Maria Kerrison take 4/18, along with three wickets for each of Beth Deacon and Ana Tarbox saw Leinster all out for 93, and a 12 run victory for Malahide. The surprise of the round saw The Hills run up 161/5 against Clontarf thanks to 92 from Tahlia Dunne. Clontarf could never get going in response, and Robyn Searle top scored with 30 as they could manage just 126/6, falling to a 35 run loss.
Highlight of the Round; Clare Shillington 145* vs Phoenix
AUGUST 3RD
Malahide hosted The Hills, who batted first, however they made just 125 all out in their 20 overs, as the in-form Tahlia Dunne top scored with 35, as Anna Kerrison’s 4/12 saw Malahide into half-time in the driving seat. Kerrison then backed up her bowling with an unbeaten 41, supporting Sarah Condron’s unbeaten 53 as they ran out 8 wicket winners with 4 balls to spare. In Claremont Road, YMCA batted first against Clontarf and 48 from Sarah Forbes guided them to 110/5. In response, 48 from the bat of Robyn Searle was more than enough to help Tarf to an 8 wicket victory inside 14 overs. In Phoenix, the home side batted first and were held to 69/5 by Leinster, Ava Canning the pick of the bowlers taking 3 wickets, the chase saw Sophie MacMahon top score with an unbeaten 31 as Leinster ran out 8 wicket winners. Finally in Anglesea Road, Merrion could make just 130/4 against Pembroke in a game which was must-win for the home side, Cecelia Joyce top scoring for the hosts with 45*. Síbha Bhoja’s 3 early wickets put Merrion in a good position after 7 overs, however an excellent unbeaten 81 from Mary Waldron saw Pembroke to a 6 wicket victory in the final over of the innings to deal a major blow to Merrion’s title hopes.
Highlight of the Round; Anna Kerrison 41* & 4/12 vs The Hills
AUGUST 8TH
With just two rounds of fixtures remaining, all was set fair for a blockbuster finish to the league campaign. Kicking off this round, in Sydney Parade, Pembroke batted first against Leinster and Shauna Kavanagh top scored as they made 114/5 in 20 overs. The chase was relatively straight-forward for Leinster, as Yolandi van der Westhuizen and Laura Delany both made unbeaten half-centuries in a 9 wicket victory with nearly 7 overs to spare. Phoenix batted first in Castle Avenue, and Clontarf restricted their opponents to 115/5 in spite of 45 from Zara Craig. Georgina Dempsey then took 3/12 in a brilliant opening spell, and at 48/4 Clontarf were in a bit of trouble. Alice Walsh however made a brilliant unbeaten 60 to secure a 5 wicket win for the league leaders with 4 balls to spare. In Skerries, The Hills made 141/8 from their 20 overs as both Tahlia Dunne and Mary-Anne Musonda both made 54, Síbha Bhoja continuing her good form with 4/19 to restrict the home side from getting away from Merrion late in the piece. A century opening partnership between Polly Inglis and Leah Paul guided Merrion to a 9 wicket win with nearly 5 overs to go and helped them claw back some ground on Clontarf at the top of the table.
Highlight of the Round; Síbha Bhoja 4/19 vs The Hills
AUGUST 14TH
Clare Shillington’s second century against Phoenix of the season guided Pembroke to 185/6, sharing a partnership of 95 with Hannah Little who made 28, as there were two wickets for each of Ali Keenan and Nevedha Saravanarajan. Phoenix were restricted to 72/9 in the 13 overs of their innings as Hannah Little took 3/20 along with Vanshika Shukla’s 3/4.
AUGUST 17TH
There were again just 3 fixtures in this round of fixtures as YMCA were handed a walkover by The Hills. The equation however was very simple across the board, Merrion entered the day needing one more point than Clontarf to secure the title. In the game which didn’t affect the top of the table, Pembroke ran up an excellent score of 166/2, before the weather intervened early in the second innings and scuppered their hopes of finishing the season with a victory. The first result of the evening was in Phoenix, who could manage just 94/4 in their 20 overs. Merrion duly chased the runs for the loss of no wickets, securing full points thanks to Polly Inglis’ 46 and Rachel Delaney’s 28. That meant Merrion had done all they could possibly do at that stage and all eyes turned to Castle Avenue. Batting first, Clontarf ran up 181/3 from their 20 overs, Robyn Searle making 64 not out batting through the innings, Alice Walsh supporting with 35 whilst Aoife Brennan made an unbeaten 38 to boost the score at the end. Clontarf’s captain Emma Butler put the side right on the front foot, before Sinead Thomson took 3/11 to bring the home side to the brink of a league title. Christina Coulter-Reilly wrapped up the innings taking 2/23 as Leinster were all out for 86, and securing the Sprint Coatings Division One title for 2023 for Clontarf.
Highlight of the Round; Sinead Thomson 3/11 vs Leinster
Clontarf CC will be presented with the Sprint Coatings Division One trophy at the CL Awards Night & Gala Dinner on January 19th in The Round Room of The Mansion House. All league winners as well as individual award winners will be presented with their trophies at the event, with tickets still available at the following link; https://buytickets.at/cricketleinster/967229