CUS PREVAIL IN FINAL OVER THRILLER!

The Boys Senior I Schools final today saw an absolutely thrilling fixture, as CUS eventually saw off an excellent High School side with just three balls to spare in a remarkable end to the season.

Having won the toss, the Rathgar school batted first, and they got off to nothing short of an excellent start. The opening pair of skipper Ethan Clarke and Rob O'Brien taking their partnership beyond 50 in the 12th over, and continuing until the 20th, when Clarke's wicket, caught and bowled by Ethan Marshall for 33, saw drinks taken with High School 98/1.

O'Brien carried on fluently, adding another half-century stand with number three Gethin Kelleher, before finding himself skying a full toss to be caught at mid-wicket for an excellently made 74. When Kelleher was dismissed for 39, only Eli Clarke could manage double figures, as HSD pushed themselves just beyond the psychological marker of 200, finishing 204/7 in their 40 overs. James Arnett the pick of the bowlers for CUS, taking 2/48 from his 10 overs.

The chase began in sedate fashion, CUS moving to just 38 in their first 10 overs, and losing Joe Morrissey in the process to a steepling boundary catch, the first of two wickets for Eli Clarke. When Mitchell Grant became the third man to fall, bowled by Rob O'Brien, the Leeson Street men needed 100, however had their star-man Ethan Marshall set and going on 37.

Marshall continued serenely, moving past his half-century, and accelerating slowly as the finishing line became more prominent on the horizon, however when the Clontarf clubman was on 62, disaster struck, as he and William Cleere attempted to steal a quick single off a dropped-catch. Gethin Kelleher fired the ball to Ethan Clarke who whipped off the bails and set the game firmly in the balance, 59 needed from 10 overs, with two relatively new batters at the crease.

Cleere more than made amends for this, as he and Rory Honan proceeded to bludgeon the ball to all corners of Anglesea Road, and although their efforts were met with some fantastic fielding, they ran hard between the wickets, turning ones into twos and gradually easing the pressure as they once again came within sight of victory.

When the third last over went for just one, the game swung back towards High School, however 12 from the second last saw some remarkable shots from both batters pull their side right back into the tie, leaving them needing just two from the last. There was one final twist however, as Cleere was dismissed for 30 from the first ball, before Kelleher bowled a dot. Hugo Fitzgerald however scythed a drive through backward-point for four, securing victory with three balls to spare, and sending the CUS side into delirium.

Congratulations to all involved with CUS on this fantastic achievement in being the Senior I Boys Schools Champions for 2025.

HIGH SCHOOL DUBLIN
204/7 in 40 Overs (Rob O'Brien 74, Gethin Kelleher 39, Ethan Clarke 33; James Arnett 2/48, Ethan Marshall 1/36, Chris Butler 1/46, Vihaan Puri 1/56)
lost to
CUS
207/6 in 40 Overs (Ethan Marshall 62, William Cleere 30, Rory Honan 29*; Rob O'Brien 2/36, Eli Clarke 2/56)
by 4 wickets