CRICKET FOR BREAKFAST, DINNER & TEA - THE SEQUEL (PART THREE)

Blog Three, April - May

Cricket

The close season can be a very unsettling time for administrators as they deal with potential departures and arrivals at a club, and by the start of the new season, Murray Commins, Mark Donegan, Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin, Nathan Rooney, Bhavesh Lakhotia, Sam Smyth, and Jonathan Tall had indicated that they were either transferring to new clubs or would be unavailable for the season. Brandon Kruger and Mubeen Ali joined The Hills, Nicolaj Damgaard Laegsgaard returned to the club for a second season, and Tomás Rooney-Murphy was elected Captain of the First XI. In addition to coping with arrivals and departures, the club had to come to terms with relegation to the Championship.

27 April, The Hills (258 all out, Kruger, 62, Yaseen Sherzad, 62, Weldon, 47); v Civil Service (147, Laesgaard, 3 for 21).

Usually, the start of the cricket season is a time of anticipation and great excitement, but the atmosphere at The Vineyard was very muted for the first game of the season which was between The Hills and Civil Service. The Hills won comfortably but the standard of cricket never rose about the mediocre, and it was not a great augury for the season ahead for either team.

28 April, Fingal U23 (264 for 9, Kruger, 46, de Oliveira, 35) v South Dublin and Midlands U23 (140 all out, de Freitas, 6 for 12, de Oliveira, 3 for 16).

It was back to The Vineyard for a second helping of cricket at the weekend, but unfortunately, the game was very one-sided with Fingal U23s running out comfortable winners. The team’s performance was workmanlike, and the players did all that was necessary to secure a win over a weak South-Dublin and Midlands side. 

1 May – 3 May, T20 Festival at Sydney Parade

Given that it was early in the season, and it was still a novelty for me to be absent at cricket, planning permission was granted to enable my attendance at the three days of the T20 Festival. There has been a lot of criticism of the interprovincial series with the lack of intensity, identity and atmosphere being cited as evidence of minimal interest in the games. In many respects, Cricket Ireland is between a rock and a hard place because the most obvious means of achieving an improvement would be to play the games at weekends but that would have a negative effect on the league games in the provincial unions, and the unions very zealously value their own leagues. The lack of identity is a different matter, and it is arguable that the franchise experiment has not had the desired effect because with some players representing unions other than their own, there is a self-evident lack of passion in many of the games with one distinguished former cricketer referring to the games as “glorified nets”. For the players, other than those on contracts, there is also an issue regarding availability due to players’ work commitments when games are being played mid-week. When the interprovincial series was inaugurated, it was advertised as “best v best”, but that happens very rarely because the contracted international players are unavailable more often than not due to having played international games or because they are preparing for games. It could be argued that the best preparation for a game is to spend time in the centre but that is a matter for the international coach and the selectors to address. The lack of supporters has been cited as an example of a lack of interest but that is unfair because with the games being played in mid-week, the only people who can attend are retired. Having said all that, the active members of the retired community derive great enjoyment and pleasure from being able to attend cricket games, and the figures from the streaming might show that the interest in the interprovincial series is greater than its critics contend.   

I got out to Sydney Parade early each morning so that I could imbibe the atmosphere and get the required number of steps done. It was good to have a chat with Philp Smith, General Manager of Cricket Leinster, and Siobhán McBennett, the President of Cricket Leinster. I was with John and Anna Morgan, and Barry Grimes, and we were very well looked after by the Cricket Leinster and Pembroke personnel. During the break between games, we had a very nice curry, a fruit salad (the healthy option), and some fresh fruit.

1 May: North-West Warriors, 119 all out (Macbeth, 37, Hilton, 22; Mayes, 4 for 28, Humphries, 2 for 30); Northern Knights, 120 for 3 (Stirling, 59).

Munster Reds, 134 for 9 (G. Delany 44, McNally, 35, Barry McCarthy, 5 for 3); Leinster Lightning, 138 for 4 (Tim Tector, 54*, Harry Tector, 47).

The Tector brothers batted very well, and Tim Tector is making a strong case for inclusion on the international team.

2 May, Northern Knights 224/5 (20 overs; Paul Stirling 76, Mark Adair 44*, James McCollum 40); Munster Reds 125 (17 overs; John McNally 48, Josh Manley 24: Matthew Foster 3-21, Tom Mayes 3-34, Mark Adair 2-13).

John McNally had a good performance for the second day in a row, and he is definitely a player for the future.

North-West Warriors, 148 for 6 (Dockrell, 3 for 21); Leinster Lightning, 149 for 2 (Balbirnie, 81*, Tucker, 44).

3 May, Munster Reds 57/3 (5 overs: Curtis Campher 20, Tyrone Kane 16, PJ Moor 12, Gareth Delany 8*, Graham Hume 1-15, Craig Young 0-28, Ryan Macbeth 1-14):
 North-West Warriors 37/7 (5 overs: Curtis Campher 4-15, Josh Manley 3-12).

There was incessant rain during the morning, and it was only possible to play 5 overs per side.

Northern Knights, 191 for 9 (Carmichael, 74*, McCarthy, 3 for 43); Leinster Lightning, 192 for 5 (Tim Tector, 69, Tucker, 48, Balbirnie, 38).

That was the best game of the festival in terms of standard and intensity. The Knights’ score appeared to be a very competitive one, but Lightning chased it down in 17.1 overs. When all the teams are a full strength, the Leinster Lightning team is a serious proposition, and it was wonderful to see the international cricketers playing significant parts in each of the games. At different stages, people look for wholesale changes on the Irish team, but on the evidence of the festival, the players on the international panel with one or two possible exceptions are still appreciably better than any of the other players on the interprovincial teams.

4 May, Clontarf v Leinster 

I was looking forward to a trip to Cork and had planned to stop at Treacy’s of The Heath for breakfast but unfortunately, the ground at the Mardyke was unplayable, and Cork County was not in a position to come to The Vineyard. With a desire to see some cricket, I went down to Castle Avenue to watch Clontarf play Leinster. The Leinster team does not appear to be as strong as last year’s team, and it was bowled out for 112 runs (Wilson, 4 for 32, Cillian McDonnell, 3 for 28; Joey Carroll, 39). Clontarf reached its target for the loss of 2 wickets, and the only piece of excitement was an appeal for “handled the ball” when Clontarf needed 17 runs to win. 

5 May, The Hills II, 153 all out (Edson Silva, 70); Merrion II, 155 for 6.

The loss of players from the First and Second team panels allied with promotion to a higher division meant that the season was going to be one of transition with the aspiration being for the team to be competitive in every game. Most of the players who were unavailable were batters, and it was obvious from the first game that batting was going to be a problem.  The Hills batted first, and with 4 wickets down for only 11 runs, the worst fears of The Hills’ supporters were being realised, but Edson Silva (70) led a spirited fight back, and with a generous helping of Extras (33), 153 runs were scored in 41.3 overs. Merrion scored 155 runs in 37.5 overs with one player who was not named scoring 62*. Febin Manoj (2 for 18), Killian Everard (2 for 32), and Dakshin Eashwar (2 for 44) were the successful bowlers, and Mark Dwyer kept wicket well with one catch and one stumping. 

6 May, The Hills II, 124 all out; Phoenix, 107 all out.

Phoenix won the toss and elected to field first, and The Hills had an opening partnership of 72 runs between William Archer (44) and Joseph Russell (23), and that was exactly half of its total score. In reply, Phoenix scored 107 all out with The Hills’ bowling unit of Sohail (3 for 29), Everard (3 for 30), Kavanagh (2 for 32), and Manoj (2 for 15) was seen to good effect, and a solid fielding performance lifted some of the gloom around The Vineyard.

9 May, The Hills 1, 150 for 3; Malahide, 62 all out. (Women).

The Hills won the toss and elected to bat first, and although a wicket fell with only 16 runs on the board, Tahlia Dunne (77*) and Elise Noble (33) brought the score up to 101 before Elise was out in the 14^th over. A total of 150 for 3 was highly satisfactory, and left Malahide with a mountain to climb. Lara McBride (4 for 10), Aimee Maguire (2 for 11), Jane Maguire (1 for 6), and Chloe Ericson (1 for 4) were the successful bowlers, and Malahide lost its 10 wickets for 62 runs. When The Hills team is at full-strength as it was this evening, it will provide a stiff test for every other team in the league. On the social side of things, it was good to have a chat with Graham Ford who seemed to be settling in well in his new role at Malahide CC.

10 May

Ireland played Pakistan at Clontarf, and had a great win, but I had a prior commitment. The Kinsella family had invited me to attend the launch of Links of Love, a collaboration between Dermot Gilleece and Jimmy Kinsella. There was a huge crowd at Skerries Golf Club, and it was very enjoyable to hear Jimmy and Dermot in conversation with Shane O’Donoghue. The book which costs €20 is available in the Professional’s Shop, Skerries Golf Club or from Joe (Big Bird) Murphy.

11 May, The Hills 1, 83 all out; Dublin University, 86 for 5 (Leinster Senior Cup).

That game was scheduled to be in College Park, but the student occupation of the College grounds resulted in the match being switched to The Vineyard. The legendary weakness of Fingal cricketers against spin bowling manifested itself with a vengeance with all 10 wickets being taken by spin bowlers. The four scores in double figures were Laesgaard (14), Kavanagh (14), Rooney-Murphy (19*), and Extras (13), with Tomás Rooney-Murphy batting from the 8^th over to the 33^rd over when the innings closed. It was always going to be an uphill struggle to defend 83 runs, although Matthew Weldon bowled brilliantly to take 3 early wickets. However, at the other end, Stephen Black was playing solidly, and when he was joined by Gavin Hoey, the game was taken away from the Hills. Dublin University reached its target for the loss of 5 wickets, and last year’s finalists had succumbed at the first round. Gerard Siggins, Nigel Parnell, and Deryck Vincent each bought one of my books, so the day wasn’t a complete dead loss.

12 May, The Hills II, 98 all out; Balbriggan II, 101 for 6.

On Sunday, the two promoted teams from last year met at Balbriggan. The Hills batted first and the batting woes which had bedevilled the team continued, and it was bowled out in 24.4 overs having scored 98 runs. Ashad Farooqui scored 35, and extras amounted to 22. In reply, Balbriggan reached the target in 16.4 overs for the loss of 6 wickets. 

14 May, Ireland v Pakistan

It was deemed politically expedient to accompany the powers-that-be on a shopping expedition, and then to have a burger and chips before decamping to Clontarf for the Ireland versus Pakistan game. I met up with Joey and Angela Mooney, Sara and Derek Dockrell, and it was good to listen to insights from Joey on selection, tactics, and the manner in which he expected the game to unfold. Given that the game was a decider, it was a surprise that Paul Stirling, the captain, was “rested”, and Lorcan Tucker was given the honour of captaining his country. Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first. Tucker continued his run of good form by scoring 73, Andrew Balbirnie scored 35, and Harry Tector was 30*. Unfortunately, there was no acceleration, and Ireland ended on 178 for 7 wickets.  One of the truisms in cricket is that one never knows what a good score is until the second team has batted, and Ireland had an early success when the first wicket fell when 14 runs had been scored.  That was as good as it got for Ireland because Rizwan (56), and Azam (75) brought the score up to 155, and the target was reached in 17 overs. After the euphoria of Friday’s victory, that result was a wake-up call, and there were elements of the Irish team’s play which fell below their recent high standards. There were dropped catches, slipshod ground fielding, and the bowling lacked any threat. 

15 May, Munster Reds, 159 for 8; Leinster Lightning, 164 for 4

A trip to Sydney Parade was deemed to be the antidote to yesterday’s disappointing result, and I met up with Michael Dwyer, Martin Russell, John and Anna Morgan, and Trevor Freeman among others. Munster Reds batted first and scored 159 for the loss of 8 wickets with Ben Calitz, the top scorer on 54*. The Lightning team was much changed because it was bereft of its international players, but Tim Tector (65) provided evidence of the strength in depth in Leinster cricket. We were sitting in our usual spot when a drive from Tim Tector was heading in my direction. I wasn’t sure whether or not to take evasive action, and an attempt to catch the ball was hindered by the fact that I had a cup of tea in my right hand. Michael Dwyer, having been an outstanding wicket keeper dived across me to catch the ball, but he bumped into me, and dropped the ball. He was upset for the rest of the game because he rarely if ever in his career had dropped a catch. Our attempts to catch the ball featured on YouTube, and I felt that it was my civic duty to inform the commentary team the identity of the person who dropped the catch. Back to the game, the other successful batter was Chris de Freitas (31*), and the target was reached in the 19^th over.

18 May, Carrickfergus, 217 all out; The Hills, 218 for 6. (Irish Senior Cup)

In making the arrangements to travel to Carrickfergus, my two usual passengers had other pressing commitments. Ciara, Michael Dwyer’s partner, was having a birthday party which Michael deemed it imperative to attend, and Martin Russell was going to a religious ceremony for one of his relations. When it appeared that I would be travelling to Carrickfergus on my own, my wife having declined my kind invitation for her to accompany me to a cricket match, George Kitteringham, The Hills’ scorer for many years, contacted me to request a lift and so I had company when we stopped at the Carrickdale Hotel for breakfast. 

At Carrickfergus, I met up with Brian Stirling, and he had brought treats from home for me. His mother-in-law had been a confectioner, and Beat, Brian’s wife, had inherited her mother’s talent. I spent the day eating scones, and sweet cakes to such an extent that I was too full to accept Roger Bell’s kind invitation to partake of burgers and chips during the innings break. I was also given a pile of cakes to bring home, and later, I sent my wife’s thanks to Brian and Beat for their kindness. In addition to being plied with cakes, scones, and tea, I also had a very nice experience as I was walking around the ground. I heard a call of “Author, Author,” and I looked around to see who was being called, when I realised that I was being called. Leslie “Tonto” Thompson, the legendary Carrickfergus groundsman, indicated that he wished to buy The Story of Cricket in Laois, and I was delighted to fulfil his request, having advised him that the book was dominated by references to cricket in Laois from 1833 to 2023.

In addition to eating cakes, selling books, and meeting people, I completed the mandatory 11,000 steps while I watched the cricket. Carrickfergus batted first and scored 217 runs. The bowling stars for The Hills were Matthew Weldon (3 for 60), and Febin Manoj, a debutant, had 3 for 22. In reply, the first Hills’ wicket fell when 45 runs had been scored, and then a partnership of 93 runs between Andrew Kavanagh (61) and Tomás Rooney-Murphy (61) looked to have made the victory a formality, but a middle-order wobble, meant that The Hills did not reach its target until the 48^th over. It was good to see some Hills’ batters getting runs, and it was to be hoped that the good form could be maintained for the rest of the season.

19 May, The Hills II v Sandyford

With the help of Google Maps, Martin Russell and I eventually reached Marlay Park to watch The Hills II play Sandyford. The Hills batted first and scored 211 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. In reply, Sandyford scored 90 all out. As I walked around the ground, I stopped to chat with a gentleman who said that he had played cricket while he was at college in England. I asked him what college he had attended, and he said that he been at Strawberry Hill. I mentioned James Hunston, a classmate of mine from Portlaoise, who had also attended that college, and the gentleman whose name I have forgotten, said that he had been in the same year as James who is now sadly deceased. I will never cease to be amazed at coincidences and how small the world actually is. 

21 May, St Joseph’s, Rush v St Columba’s, Senior Schools’ Final.

I watched the Senior Schools’ Final between Rush and St Columba’s at Anglesea Road. A very strong Rush team scored 278 runs for the loss of 4 wickets with Finn McGee, top scoring on 133 runs and Callum Armstrong, the son of Conor, the former Irish international, scored 68 runs. Scoreboard pressure was always going to be a factor, and St Columba’s ended on 181 runs with Seb Dijkstra (58) and Jan Dijkstra (50) being the main contributors to its score. It was wonderful to see the elation among the Rush players and supporters as they celebrated the school’s first ever win in the Senior Schools’ Cup.

23 May, Skerries Community College v St Andrew’s (Junior Girls’ School Final)

I received a phone call from Kevin Gallagher to say that Meena Baskarasubramian, Chair of Youth and Schools’ Committee, and President elect of Cricket Leinster, was unable to attend the Junior Girls’ Schools Final due to a work commitment and would I be in a position to officiate at the presentation of the trophy? The bait for me was that Skerries Community College was one of the participants, and many, if not all of the players, are members of The Hills CC. Catherine Archer who does such great work with our youth teams was one of the mentors, and the team was accompanied by Mrs Anne Marie Weldon, a member of the staff of Skerries Community College. Skerries batted first and scored 112 runs for 6 (T. O’Brien, 35, A. Scollard, 18. V. Scollard, 12). In reply, St Andrew’s scored 90 for the loss of wickets, and the wickets were taken by C. O’Connor (3 for 25), T. O’Brien (1 for 6), V. Scollard (1 for 16), E. Ericson (1 for 26), and C. Emmet, 1 for 12). 

24 May, Ireland Over 50 v England Over 50.

I watched that game in the company of John Morgan but in truth there was very little to report. Due to incessant drizzle, the game was reduced to 21 overs per side. Ireland batted first and got 121 runs for 9. In reply, England got the required runs for the loss of 2 wickets, and it was evident that there was a significant disparity between the two teams with the English players being involved in regular Over 50 league cricket while many of the Irish players are retired or semi-retired. 

25 May, Terenure, 178 all out (Laesgaard, 3 for 32, Manoj, 3 for 20, Kruger, 2 for 41); The Hills, 179 for 8 (Kruger, 54, Rooney, 53). 

The Hills won the toss and elected to field. Terenure scored 178 all, and in reply, The Hills reached the target for the loss of 8 wickets, with the home side being indebted to Kruger (54), and the returning Rooney (53) who rescued the team from a perilous situation when 2 wickets had been lost for 10 runs. The cricket was of an indifferent standard, and the most exciting part of the day was a stray dog had run into The Vineyard from the railway bridge in Skerries. Numerous spectators attempted to catch the dog, and Brendan Garry took charge of it (not sure what gender it was) when it tired.

26 May

The Hills had no game, but I met up with Matt, Michael, William Dwyer, Martin Russell and John Archer for breakfast where yesterday’s game was the subject of very detailed critical analysis. After breakfast, we walked the Head, and Michael Dwyer showed me a framed photograph of memorabilia related to the late Richard (Flash) Dunne. Michael asked me if I would draft a note to explain the context of each item. 

Richard (The Flash) Dunne, 1938-2017

Richard Dunne was a much-loved supporter of The Hills CC who was very easily recognised by his Hills CC cap and smoke billowing from his trademark pipe as he strolled around cricket grounds all over Ireland. For Richard, the only unfulfilled ambition which he had for The Hills was that the club would win the Irish Senior Cup, and when The Hills won it in 2012, Max Sorensen presented his medal to Richard in recognition of Richard’s abiding love for the club.

30 May, The Hills 1, women, 104 for 6; Clontarf 1, 105 for 4. 

The Hills won the toss and elected to bat and the first wicket (Tahlia Dunne) fell when 22 runs had been scored. Cliodhna O’Riordan was also run out, and the loss of two of the stronger batters allied to Elise Noble being unavailable due to injury, left The Hills on the back foot. Rebecca Gough (27), Jane Maguire (24), and Lara McBride (18) were the main contributors to The Hills’ score of 104 in 20 overs. During the break between innings, Clontarf CC courtesy of Ciarán McNally treated all spectators to burgers because that was the first home game the Clontarf women’s team and there was also the opportunity to have a lengthy conversation with Susan O’Neill (nee Bray), the President of Clontarf CC.

There was always a sense that 104 runs would not be sufficient, and Clontarf chased down the score in 15.4 overs. The Maguire sisters, Aimee (2 for 19) and Jane (2 for 19) were the successful bowlers, and Lara McBride (0 for 25 in 4 overs) also bowled well.  The performance of the bowling unit was very important because Ed Joyce, the National Coach, and Ciara O’Brien, were interested spectators at the game.