LEINSTER BACK ON TRACK THANKS TO SPARROW, ROLFE & RIDGEWAY
Leinster’s season was put back on track this evening thanks to a good all-round performance which saw them ultimately run out 6 wicket winners against Phoenix in the featured game of the day.
Having won the toss, Phoenix elected to bat first, and thanks to Nevedha Saravanarajan’s 28 & Lucy McDonough’s 20, made a decent start before Sophie McDonough’s unbeaten 18 saw them to a reasonable total of 106/4 from 20 overs. Jenny Sparrow was the pick of the bowlers for the home side, taking 2/13, whilst there were good spells from Ava Canning and Joanna Loughran who both bowled their compliment of four overs for just 14 runs.
In reply, Rebecca Rolfe and Ellen Ridgeway put together an excellent stand of 73 at the top of the innings, running well and punishing any loose deliveries to the boundary. Rolfe was bowled by Sophie McDonough before the same bowler accounted for Joanna Loughran for just six.
All the while Ridgeway kept moving the score along, losing Jenny Sparrow with the score on 94, before being stumped by Lucy McDonough off the bowling of Diya Syam for 42. At which point Leinster needed just 8 to win. Ava Canning (8*) and Katie Dillion (3*) saw their side home to a 6 wicket win without further mishap.
Elsewhere in Division One, YMCA delivered another victory in Castle Avenue, beating Clontarf by 8 wickets thanks primarily to a strong bowling effort, which saw Alice Tector the pick taking 3/18, whilst Vanshika Shukla took 2/22 as the home side managed 94/8. In reply, Jennifer Gray’s 36, along with Sarah Forbes’ unbeaten 38 guided the Claremont Road side to a convincing 8 wicket victory, to propel YM to 2nd in the table.
In Skerries, Malahide chased The Hills’ 114/8 with 10 balls to spare. Arlene Kelly marked her Irish call-up by making an unbeaten 42, supported by Anna Kerrison’s unbeaten 38 as Malahide secured their first win since the opening night of the season. Earlier in the evening, Clíodhna O’Reardon made 35 not out, supported by Rebecca Gough who made 28 in guiding the home side to their total, whilst there were two wickets apiece for Malahide openers Sarah Condron and Isobel McCormack.
Finally we have the closest game of the evening at Sydney Parade. Merrion batted first, and having had a major stumble from 20/0 to 33/4, saw an excellent recovery effort from Leah Paul who made 77, supported by Rachel Delaney’s 33 dug their side out of the hole and made a very decent total of 151/7 from their 20 overs. Louise McCarthy the pick of the Pembroke bowlers, taking 3/20 from her four overs, whilst there were also two wickets for Anna Beale.
In reply, Pembroke had a solid start, moving to 51 before losing their second wicket, Lou Lou Little dismissed for 17. From that point onward, the chase was all about Shauna Kavanagh and Clare Shillington. Kavanagh kept the tempo at a good rate, scoring at near a run a ball throughout, whereas Shillington got on the attack, bringing up her half century in quick time before being dismissed eventually for 51 from 32 balls including 5 boundaries and a maximum. The game came right down to the last delivery, with Pembroke needing 6 to win, Kavanagh smashed a ball which landed right out by the boundary and was adjudged to be a boundary 4 rather than the maximum her side required to see them to victory.
SPRINT COATINGS WOMEN’S DIVISION ONE
THURSDAY MAY 26TH
At Observatory Lane
Leinster 107/4, 16.5 overs (E Ridgeway 42, R Rolfe 30; S McDonough 2/31)
beat
Phoenix 106/4, 20 overs (N Saravanarajan 28, L McDonough 20; J Sparrow 2/13)
by 6 wickets
At Sydney Parade
Merrion 151/7, 20 overs (L Paul 77, R Delaney 33; L McCarthy 3/20, A Beale 2/24)
beat
Pembroke 150/3, 20 overs (S Kavanagh 55*, C Shillington 51; L Paul 2/21)
by 1 run
At Castle Avenue
YMCA 95/2, 13.3 overs (S Forbes 38*, J Gray 36; F Sargent 1/9)
beat
Clontarf 94/8, 20 overs (A Tector 3/18, V Shukla 2/22)
by 8 wickets
At The Vineyard
Malahide 115/2, 18.2 overs (A Kelly 42*, A Kerrison 38*; K Boylan 1/13)
beat
The Hills 114/8, 20 overs (C O’Reardon 35*, R Gough 28; S Condron 2/20, I McCormack 2/26)
by 8 wickets