THE PRESIDENT’S LOG: EPISODE 6 – GETTING BUSY!

3 July - It has been suggested to me that the blogs are too long so my report on The Hipaclaptics’ gig at The Vineyard will be a model of brevity. According to my sources,  “The Vineyard was rockin’ on Saturday night.”

With discretion being the better part of valour, I had decided against going to cricket on Sunday because I had been at games on Friday and Saturday, and when our grandson arrived at our house at 12.00, his opening salutation was “Oh, Granda is at home !” If he maintains this line of attack, he will be the cause of me developing a persecution complex. However, his parents had indicated that they were going out for lunch, so I said that I might as well go to cricket, but that I would bring home a chicken curry.  

I drove out to Balbriggan and saw an interesting game between Balbriggan’s Second XI and The Hills’ Second XI which was won by The Hills. In the company of Miranda and Michelle, the 10,000 steps target was achieved, and after the game, the conquering hero brought home the chicken curry.

4 July - What was the possibility of attending games on four successive days? Slim, until Philip Smith and Michael Cotter of Cricket Leinster came to the rescue. Could I go to the IP50 game at Sydney Parade to facilitate a photograph being taken of the Leinster Lightning team and the President of Cricket Leinster? A compromise was arrived at by doing the shopping early, and then like one of the early Christian martyrs, I had to go to Sydney Parade to fulfil my Presidential duties. That version is for domestic consumption only because I was delighted to have the opportunity to watch the Leinster Lightning play the Northern Knights.

There are frequent comments on social media and websites regarding the sparse attendances at the IP50 games which I think are somewhat unfair because the games take place on weekdays when most cricket followers are working, but for people who are retired or on vacation, the games constitute  a wonderful opportunity to watch cricket being played to a very high standard.

Figure 1, Anna and John Morgan, two of the most loyal and dedicated cricket followers in the province

John and Anna Morgan were the among the early arrivals at the ground to ensure tenure of their favourite seat. They were joined in that location by Kathleen Gavin, Chairperson of The Hills CC and Martin Russell, past President of The Hills CC. When I arrived at the ground, one wicket had fallen, but Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin was at the crease, and that was an unexpected bonus for me because I didn’t know that he was playing. Cormac batted very well for an enterprising 67 runs, but the only other significant contribution to the score in the early stages was Simi Singh’s 33 runs.

At 166 for 7, the Lightning appeared to be in a spot of bother but at that point, Barry McCarthy came in to bat, and he was definitely a man on a mission because he batted magnificently to score 110 runs off 59 balls. He has always been a very whole-hearted, talented player, but for some reason, he has difficulty in persuading the selectors that he is worthy of a regular place on the international teams.  During the onslaught from Barry, Gavin Hoey contributed a valuable 24 runs, and Lightning ended on a very competitive total of 315 runs for 9 wickets.

Figure 2, Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin

Thanks very much to Philip Smith for the invitation to partake of the lunch which was provided by Bhawna and Philip Byrne of Pembroke Cricket Club. One of my late mother’s many sayings was “you get like those with whom you  associate”, and that was double-edged because it could be used either as affirmation  or criticism depending on the circumstances. This is a preamble to suggesting that Michael Dwyer is having an influence on my dietary choices because I ate Thai Green Curry with chicken (thanks Kathleen, I didn’t know what it was), fruit salad, Lemon Sicilian yogurt and bottled water which were all served with considerable panache by Michael Cotter.

I’m not sure if I will be able to maintain that healthy lifestyle because I am reminded of the comment  that a fellow Midlander made many years ago after he had eaten a salad (under duress), this “healthy eating could be the death of me.” Later in the day, John and Anna Morgan gave me some sandwiches, Kathleen Gavin gave me pain au chocolat, and warned me not to refer to it as a bun.

After lunch, the photographs were taken with due ceremony, and then I was able to divest myself of tie and blazer to watch the second innings in comfort.

In the second innings, it was very much game on when the Knights were 93 for 1, but two quick wickets were taken by George Dockrell, and that put the Lightning back in command. Neil Rock (81) and Cade Carmichael (43) led the counterattack, but just as the Knights had played themselves into a winning position, they lost 5 wickets for 16 runs, and that left the Lightning the winners by 54 runs.

6 July 2022 - I attended the funeral service for Mrs Audrey Ethel Tector at Rathfarnham Parish Church. It was a beautiful, moving ceremony, and a very fitting tribute to a much-loved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, mother-in-law, aunt, cousin, and friend.

7 July 2022 - Just before Christmas, Joe Curtis donated his wonderful photographic archive to Cricket Leinster, and since then, I have been scanning the photographs or simply looking at them. About two months ago, there was a technological crisis in our house and my laptop stopped reading the external hard drive with the result that 500,000 images became inaccessible. I left the hard drive into a computer repair shop to see if the data could be retrieved, and up to now, the efforts have been unsuccessful. Michael Gavin very kindly provided some images, and Joe Curtis, being a man of infinite patience and inexhaustible kindness, agreed to download the entire archive again. When the transfer is completed, I will back it up on every conceivable version of the Cloud.

Figure 3, Photo of the devastation created in Joe Curtis's house while he uploads photos again

It was a beautiful sunny evening and planning permission was readily forthcoming for me to travel to Observatory Lane for the women’s game between Leinster and The Hills. I have received a request to keep the report on this game as brief as possible. The Hills batted first and scored 116 runs, all out, and in reply, Leinster reached the target in 12 overs. I think that is succinct enough.  

8 July - With the help of Eddie Lewis, the task of cataloguing the scorecards for men’s junior cricket commenced this morning. Thanks to the brilliant work of Michael and Mary Sharp, we have scorecards from 1981 to 2009 for men’s junior cricket. We also have scorecards for women’s cricket, and work on those cards will be undertaken next week.

9 July - In keeping with established custom, I met with Michael Dwyer and Martin Russell for breakfast, and we opted for the “Basic Irish” because we didn’t wish to take the edge off our appetites for the scones, cream, and jam at The Vineyard. Michael and Martin have always been models of sartorial elegance, and I was under strict instructions from the fashion police to present myself suitably attired on this occasion.

In order to keep myself fully informed, I enquired from one on my fashion consultants how I might describe the colour of Michael’s trousers and I was told that the correct designation was “burnt orange”. This involved further research, and I discovered that “burnt orange is a medium dark orange that evokes visions of flames.” “It was officially named in 1915, and some say that burnt orange symbolises negative emotions such as selfishness, pride, or aggression, whiles others characterise burnt orange with autumn, evoking a feeling of warmth and comfort”. (Google)  

That piece of information has added appreciably to my quality of life, and I should mention in passing that Michael was lining out in this ensemble because he was going to Damien Dempsey’s concert that evening. I had heard of Damien Dempsey, but I didn’t know what he sang; according to Wikipedia, Damien is “an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk with contemporary lyrics to deliver social commentary”.

After those two lengthy digressions, it is back to the cricket, and we welcomed the YMCA team, officers, and supporters to The Vineyard. Brian Stirling was another very welcome guest, and it was great to get Brian’s opinions on a wide range of topics during the course of the afternoon. Before the game commenced, we had a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for the late Mrs Audrey Tector.

YMCA won the toss, elected to bowl, and the first Hills’ wicket fell when the score was 19 runs. Andrew Kavanagh (20) and Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin (48) combined to bring the score up the 81 runs before Kavanagh was stumped by Adam Rosslee, YMCA’s new keeper. Cormac was adjudged LBW 10 runs later, but Mark Donegan’s good form with the bat continued and he scored a superb 73* with shots all around the ground. There were decent contributions from Dylan Blignaut (26) and Levon Shields (24), and  The Hills’ innings ended on 223 runs. There was general satisfaction among the home supporters that the score was slightly above par.

From a YMCA perspective, a good start was imperative if the Hills’ score was to be threatened, and that did not occur. The first wicket fell when the score was 9 runs, the next one fell at 31 runs, and from that point onwards, wickets were taken at regular intervals. The only significant partnerships were 36 runs between Aaron Bailey (22) and Adam Rosslee (9), and 25 runs between Tom Anders (44*) and Finn Conaty (3). YMCA’s final score was 124, and The Hills’ margin of victory was 99 runs. 

The Hills CC was hosting an “Over-dressed Night”, and at the end of the YMCA game, I was asked to umpire a game for the very well-dressed women who were at The Vineyard. This was an interesting experience because it was a one-over game, there were no stumps, and there was a slight delay when the ball dislodged one of the participants’ nails, but apart from that, there were no other mishaps, and I was commended for my under-stated umpiring performance. 

Figure 4, Mark Donegan, Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin, Conor Maguire, Dylan Blignaut

10 July - I went to Malahide for the Ireland versus New Zealand game. The ground looked tremendous,  and the setting was less formal than that which had existed for the India games. In the company of Brian and Richard Stirling, and Matt Dwyer, I saw a wonderful game of cricket which ebbed and flowed, and in the final analysis, Ireland was unlucky to have been edged out. Harry Tector’s knock was absolutely brilliant, and Michael Bracewell was equally superb.

12 July - I went back to Malahide for the second ODI, but I was disappointed to miss the MCC Women v a CL President’s 11. There was overnight rain and a short delay to the ODI, but that did not detract from enjoying the company of Martin Russell, Bill Stuart, Matt Dwyer (The Hills CC), David O’Connor, Joey Mooney (North County CC), Elaine Coburn (Railway Union), Roland and Liz Bradley (Laois CC). Ireland lost the toss again and were two wickets down by the 5^th over. Some players got starts, but George Dockrell (74) was the only one to go on and make a substantial score, and 216 runs on a good batting wicket was well below par.  

Ireland took 7 wickets in the New Zealand innings, and I have a confession to make. As a result of looking around me, answering a query or looking at my phone, I didn’t see five of the wickets falling. It was suggested by some of my friends that I should stand with my back to the game, and Ireland might continue to take wickets. Ireland’s bowling and fielding were competent, but New Zealand had plenty in hand, and the target score was reached in the 39^th over.

14 July - Seán Hoare contacted me to say that he had material which he wished to donate to the Cricket Leinster Archive, and I met with him this morning. The names were written on the back of the first photo and Martin Russell identified everybody in the second photo.

Figure 5, Eddie Dunne, Jem Murphy, John Mooney, Simon Hoare, M. Manning

Figure 6, Back Row: Thomas McGrane, Jimmy Byrne, Johnny Archer, Seamus Clinton, Richard (Scobie) Byrne, Joe Clinton,  Gerry Byrne, Paddy Martyn. Front Row: Martin Byrne, George McNally, Richard (Flash) Dunne

In a recent blog, I repeated a disparaging comment which Seamus Ennis had made about the best way to play a bodhrán, and in the interests of balance, the picture below may be of interest to potential bodhrán players.

I called into Castle Avenue to watch the women’s game between Clontarf and The Hills, and it was good to have a chat with Susan Bray, President Elect of Clontarf CC. Clontarf who had a great win over Pembroke in the cup semi-final the previous evening, won the toss and chose to bowl first. Robyn Searle (31) and Miranda Andrews (26) batted well, but a total of 118 runs for 6 was never going to be enough. In reply, Christina Coulter Reilly batted brilliantly for 63*, and the target was reached in 12.2 overs. One of the highlights of the second innings was Amy Benson’s brilliant catch on the boundary to dismiss Aoife Brennan.

15 July - Back to Malahide for the third ODI, and again I saw a wonderful game in the company of David O’Connor, Joey and Anna Mooney and Martin Russell. It was heart breaking for Ireland to come so near to a marvellous victory, and we saw brilliant centuries from Paul Stirling and Harry Tector for Ireland and Martin Guptill for New Zealand. A win against one of the top ranked sides in the world can’t be far away if this level of performance can be maintained.

16 July - The first commitment of the day was to attend the funeral service for Mrs Adrienne Elizabeth Dockrell at Rathfarnham Parish Church. This was my second visit to this church within ten days, and the comments which I made regarding the previous occasion are equally relevant. The service was beautifully conducted and a very fitting tribute to a much-loved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, mother-in-law, and friend.

Michael Dwyer, President of The Hills CC, was also present at the funeral service, and we decided to partake of the obligatory breakfast before we ventured to Castle Avenue for the IBI Corporate Finance Premier League game between Clontarf and The Hills. In recent years, The Hills CC has tended to struggle against Clontarf, and this game was no different. Clontarf had solid contributions from Eoghan Delany (78), P J Moor (76) and David Delany (49), and its total for the 50 overs was a competitive 246 runs.

I had accepted an invitation from Mary Sharp to attend the unveiling of a plaque to Michael Sharp which was due to occur between innings at Pembroke CC’s ground. We were welcomed to Pembroke by Barry Tucker, President of the club; Craig Senior spoke on behalf of the members and Mary Sharp thanked the people who had attended the ceremony and those who had supported her since Michael’s bereavement, especially Cliodhna, her daughter, and Ciarán, her son.

Cliodhna and Ciarán spread some of Michael’s ashes in the tree/potted plant prior to unveiling the very appropriate plaque which will be a permanent reminder of a great servant of cricket. As we were chatting after the ceremony, it was said to me that we would never again see the level of voluntary service and commitment which Michael Sharp gave so willingly and so generously to cricket, and they are sentiments with which I concur unreservedly.

By the time, I got back to Castle Avenue, The Hills had lost 2 wickets and had no run on the board. Andrew Kavanagh (34), Mark Donegan (39), and Dylan Blignaut (38) got starts, but nobody went on to get the big score which was required. Spin bowlers have consistently been the bane of Fingal cricketers, and David Vincent was the player who inflicted the damage on this occasion by taking 5 wickets for 37 runs. The Hills went from 137 runs for 4 to 195 all out to give Clontarf its first league win of the season.  

The past fortnight has been incredibly busy, and I apologise for the diary becoming longer rather than shorter as was my intention. 

P.S.  Thanks to Philip Smith, Matthew Smith, Michael Gavin, Kathleen Gavin, Michael Dwyer, Martin Russell, Seán Hoare, Joe Curtis, Margaret Curtis, Mary Sharp, and Miranda Andrews who have been very supportive and have supplied photographs for this blog.