The Vineyard: where The Hills and Merrion will play each other in the IBI Corporate Finance Leinster Senior Cup final on 29th July.
The teams had contrasting paths to the final.
In a low scoring match played at the Vineyard Railway bowled well and held The Hills to 176/7 in their 40 overs. That they even got this many was due to some middle order recovery work by Albert van der serve [39] and Ryan Cartwright [23]. The innings had started well enough with 47 for the first wicket before Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin for caught behind off Robin Russell and Mark Donegan [34] followed soon afterwards - run out. The top order did not contribute much and even with the runs from the middle order the overall total seemed well below par. Robin Russell was the pick of the bowlers with 3/29.
Despite an early run out set-back, Railway also started well with Kenny Carroll and Abdullah Hafiz bringing the score past 50 before the next wicket fell. But thereafter wickets fell at regular intervals and then, when Kevin O’Brien fell with the score at 108, in a spectacular collapse of six wickets for twenty runs. For The Hiils there were three wickets for van der Merve [3/27], Cartwright [3/24] and Yaqoob Ali [3/24].
In the second match at Anglesea Road Merrion got off to a disastrous start losing both openers before double figures were reached. It was slow going for some time and at 105/6 Clontarf were well on top. But John Anderson was still at the crease. When he was joined by Patrick Tice [35] the pair put on the first real partnership of the match [68]. Further wickets fell but at this point Anderson was scoring off nearly every ball he faced. But it was the explosive end to the innings - 28 off the final over - that brought the total to a respectable 229/9 and Anderson’s personal total to 126*.
Clontarf started steadily. They lost Declan Gallagher with the score at 31 but then Brad Barnes [36] and Bill Coghlan [66] brought the total past the 100 mark with plenty of overs in hand. At this point Anderson came on and took two wickets, while Tom Stanton had Coghlan stumped at the other end. Despite the loss of wickets Clontarf still looked to be in command with John Mooney batting within himself and Robert Forrest doing the hitting [23 in 14 balls]. But the re-introduction of Max Neville turned the match as he took the vital wicket of Forrest and had a wicket maiden the following over. Conor Kelly was then run out going for a second run and with Tyrone Kane also keeping things tight Merrion looked well in command with 44 needed off two overs. And then for the second time in the match there was an over of explosive hitting - as Mooney hit the penultimate for 27 runs with a series of sixes over the pavilion. One over to go and 15 runs needed. A single and Mooney was on strike. But Kane [3/22] held his nerve and with a series of slower deliveries he brought Merrion home by 9 runs, bowling Mooney off the last ball.
A really great game of cricket enjoyed by an excellent crowd at the match and something over 300 following the ball by ball commentary over the closing overs.