Cricket, it is so infuriating, maddening and exasperating. No matter your age, your experience, your talent, this damn game has the ability to please, tease and distress you. Just when you start to become disillusioned with the game, something drags you back for more and more.
This weekend took one through all three phases and yet still left the need for more. Firstly on Saturday a game took place in College Park and although the vast majority of the crowd knew nothing about our sport, 22 players who play Division 12 cricket played in front of what was likely to have been the biggest crowd of the weekend, including a full programme of Division One (so glad the LCU avoided the term “Premiership” or its ilk) games. It also sadly involves the longest walk to the middle from the top of the pavilion, down the steps, through the gates and across 70 yards of grass. The walk back seems twice as long, especially if you hadn’t remained in the middle long enough to catch your breath from the arrival.
The “what grinds my gears”, disillusioning part of the game was seen on Sunday when the game was changed for the want of a neutral umpire who had taken his tests and passed the examinations and knew the Laws of the Game. Perhaps this is just another grumpy old man rant, but surely players don’t go home to their wives and children and when asked how their day went answer along the lines of ‘I scored 34 for 3’. No player should be treated as an endangered species when it comes to decisions. No-one deserves that protection. Superstars, even greats of their games have had failures, lost finals, missed putts for majors. It is this very fallibility that makes us love our heroes. Who do we prefer, John McEnroe or Ivan Lendl? Do we not cheer when a former star has one last hurrah, one last shot at glory? There has been some talk of arranging neutral umpires for lower divisions, but surely all that is needed, especially in the lower, lower leagues is the realisation that it is the taking part, that there is no glory, no prize funds, but many a chance to extend the Spirit of Cricket, to make friendships, develop relationships between Clubs and actually enjoy a game of cricket.
So in a post-weekend reflection, cricket had both pleased and grated, enthusiasm for cricket was waning and knowledge that the sentiments above would garner comments along the lines of ‘taverner’s cricket for you’, ‘it has to be competitive’ and ‘you don’t know what you are talking about,….. again’.
However, two games that took place this week lightened the mood (and incidentally shortened the rant here). Firstly Pembroke fielded a first XI on Sunday with an average age of less than 20 and included in their ranks was JJ Garth. JJ, youngest son of internationals Johnny and Anne-Marie, is 13 years of age and took three senior wickets with his leg-spin. That news will make the batsmen who got out to him in Division 12 last season feel a bit better. This was quickly followed on Tuesday night when Twitter announced that in the Women’s Senior Cup match at Sydney Parade, Pembroke had bowled Clontarf out for 22. The major news though was that Louise McCarthy had taken 8 for 1, yes, 8/1, yes really, eight wickets for one run. She had a bowling average on the night of 0.125. Four of her wickets came in four balls, a double hat-trick. Having watched Louise grow over the years as a player, and just as importantly, as a person, one could not be more delighted for her. Suitably she also finished the match, striking a 6. Emphatically, this could be called for years to come, “Louise’s match”.
So just when you are feeling down about cricket, the game walks back through the door, grabs you and shouts, ‘but you lurve me’, and makes you glad you play this strange game.
Now onto the bit you really wanted to see, the fantasy leaders in the various categories that seem to have developed into regulars. Just to be different and see who is paying attention we’ll do it in reverse order this week.
80 stumpings have been captured by 49 different wicket-keepers. Mary Waldron has just been appointed captain of the Irish Women’s team for the remainder of the county championship starting with the ‘international’ against Wales and also remains in the leaders table for stumpings. Sojin Kurian leads with 5 victims in his 9 matches to date.
Stumpings
Catches win matches is a cliché only because it is so true. In many cases it is the converse that is true that dropped catches lose matches. Congratulations to those who held on and commiserations to those who suffered the agony of seeing one reach the turf. Leader in this category is Sean Rooney who has taken 13 catches in 12 matches. Although on a catches per match basis, K. Mistri [North Kildare] and Roshen Varughese [Swords] both have 3 and lead C. O’Riordan [Dublin University] (2.75 catches per match) and JJ Garth’s elder brother Robbie Garth [YMCA] (2.50).
Catches (includes wicket keepers who might be wearing nice heavy padded gloves but do have to work exceptionally hard to take the chances that come their way).
As Louise McCarthy’s titanic efforts to gain 8/1 was a Womens game and is not included in our statistics here, there is no change to the top 3 of the best bowling analysis with Phoenix’s Matt Lunson and his 7/5 still the benchmark. Chris Siddell [Malahide] and David Poff [Pembroke] remain the others who have taken seven wickets in a game.
48 times a bowler has celebrated taking five wickets in an innings. The amazing thing is that only two bowlers have done so twice; Sijo Mathews of relative newcomers, Cabinteely and Eddie Richardson of North County. 46 different bowlers, from 28 different clubs have managed it once.
When it comes to bowling average, Mervin Mathai [Swords] may only have 50 points in total and lie in 1,209th place overall, but his sole over, conceding zero runs and taking one wicket will not be beaten if he does not bowl or play again. 885 players have taken a wicket and seven of those have an average in excess of 100.
Bowling averages (number of wickets in brackets)
Paul Rodgers [Leinster] remains, for those students of Animal Farm, the “Boxer” of Bowlers. Flogged to exhaustion by captains, but just keeps running in and producing the goods. 22 wickets at less than 16 would show why captains are so keen to give him the ball.
Overs bowled
In an ‘overs bowled per match’ played order, three players have bowled more than 10 overs per game, which is only possible for players who have appeared in the 60 over Leinster Senior Cup. The three players are: A. Morris [Malahide], Jonno Cook [Pembroke] and Max Sorenson [The Hills].
Finally for the bowlers the most sought after prize, that of leading wicket taker. Out on his own is Dublin University’s Vishnu Mohanan with 25. Those players outside the top 10 are 10 wickets behind, but the season is still young and many wickets will fall.
Wickets taken
Worthy of note and so it is noticed, is that K. Chaudhary’s 17 wickets have come at an average of 4.06 with a strike rate of better than a wicket every two overs.
Now moving onto the batsmen we start with the highest score which remains with the 160 scored by I. Mohammed [R&SPU].
Highest scores
43 centuries have been scored and in a similar fashion to the five wickets in an innings no-one is dominating this category as 41 players have reached their tons once and two have done so twice. Whether it’s whatever is in the water or that Balbriggan’s pitch is made for batting on, the two players to twice reach a century come from the North Dublin Club, M. Farrukh and Adrian Harper.
Three players have each managed 4 half centuries, but none have been able to convert a score into a century. P. Byrne [R&SPU], M. Hippolitus [Dundrum] and T. Affleck [North County] are the leaders whilst another ten players have scored three. 295 fifties have been recorded, made by 229 players.
Dom Joyce [Merrion] still leads the players with runs but no dismissals and therefore no average. The players who have suffered at least one dismissal and therefore do have an average are lead by six players who are averaging over 100.
Batting averages
In the run scoring chase, no one player has made it past 400 runs and only 25 players have more than 250 runs. Unsurprisingly Balbriggan fill two of the top three spots. However the leader is P. Byrne [R&SPU] who will surely break the 400 run mark in his next innings unless he has a blow out of Bradmanian (whether it is actually spelled like that or as spell checker wanted it to read “Romanian”, take your pick) proportions. Here are the top 25.
Runs scoring
Some players just want to play. JJ Garth [Pembroke] has already at this stage of the season played for every team in Pembroke from Sixth to First team. Pembroke have six mens teams and JJ has played 12 games. And this does not include any representative games or school games or even underage games he might be playing. Add to this the fact he trains and also plays a lot of “stump test” in the nets means that, amongst other things, the mileage on his parents car must be increasing each week. And don’t forget that his brother Robbie is playing for YMCA when fit and his sister also plays for Ireland and Pembroke when examinations are not rearing its ugly head. However, despite all of this JJ is not the player of all players in Leinster who has played the most games, nor not even the most played by a Pembroke player. Living the dream of playing the maximum possible games of cricket are Diarmuid Tucker [Pembroke] and R. Wing [Malahide] who have both played 14 matches.
Most matches played
1,623 people can now claim to have played cricket this season. Some, such as those named above, have played a lot. Others may have been dragged screaming and kicking to fill a spot and some haven’t even been registered. But all have had a chance to enjoy the game, to watch some rain fall, to partake in teas and even to have contributed to a team effort and win, lose or as Balbriggan and Pembroke did last weekend, tie.
The top overall fantasy table is now lead by Leinster’s Gareth Delany with 770 points. He is 34 points ahead of K. Chaudhary of Wicklow and a further point behind is M. Farrukh of Balbriggan. I have shown the top 20 point scorers below and also the highest point scorers in each Club.
Overall points leaders
Club leading three points scorers
Adamstown
Bagnelstown
Balbriggan
Cabinteely
Castleknock
Civil Service
Clontarf
Cork County
Dublin University
Dundalk
Dundrum
Greystones
Halverstown
The Hills
Knockharley
Laois
Leinster
Longford
Lucan
Malahide
Merrion
Mullingar
North County
North Kildare
Pembroke
Phoenix
Ring Commons
Railway Union
Rush