The headline message is that North County defeated Merrion by 8 runs under DLS in a match reduced to 46 overs a side.
For North County, Malcolm Nofal hit a sensational 114 (13x4, 6x6) before returning to take the final wicket with Merrion needing just 9 from 6 balls to pull off the unlikeliest of victories.
Eddie Richardson (95) put on 217 with Nofal as North County threatened to post a score close to 400 at one point. For Merrion, Jack Carty struck 66 off 46 balls before Sean Stanton’s scintillating 54 off 25 (5x4, 4x6) brought Merrion back to the brink of victory.
At the outset of the game, there were some soft areas due to the recent rain and a half-hour delay was put in place to allow for as much drying as possible.
Merrion started well, reducing North County to 27/3. The vital partnership always looked like being the in-form Malcolm Nofal and Eddie Richardson.
By the 29th over, the pair had put on 151 together and were playing shots all round the ground. The follow-through for the Merrion bowlers had continued to be a challenge. At this point, discussions were had which resulted in the players taking an early tea to let things dry a bit further.
Following tea, play recommenced with the match reduced to a 46-over encounter.
Nofal and Richardson carried on regardless after the break taking their partnership to 214 before a mix-up over a single cost Nofal his wicket.
The very next over, Richardson fell too as a Jack Carty full pitched ball proved his undoing.
After the big partnership, North County added 69 runs for the loss of the final five wickets as they were bowled out for 313 with two balls left in the innings.
County took regular wickets in the early stages of the Merrion chase, beginning with captain Joyce in the first over. When John Anderson (37) was bowled by Nofal in the 17th over, Merrion were 86/4 and struggling to keep up with the required run rate.
Jack Carty (8x4, 3x6) pushed the run rate along in partnership with Kane (43) and Lewis (15), bringing Merrion back into the game.
Carty’s brilliant 66 came to an end when he picked out Sheil on the square leg boundary and then Sheridan had Tice caught by May at deep mid-wicket leaving Merrion 228/8, needing 85 off just under 8 overs.
It was now that Sean Stanton decided to have a little fun. Swinging from the hip, he played some extraordinary shots but also some brilliant shots.
Suddenly from simply seeing what he could score, he had batted Merrion into a winning position. With just 9 needed off the final over, the Merrion balcony began to sense a memorable victory.
The value of Malcolm Nofal to this North County team shone through again however. Thrown the ball by skipper Niall McGovern, Nofal speared in the first ball of the final over to bowl Stanton and deliver the 8-run victory to the immense relief of the home side.
What a day in North County. 617 runs scored, 20 wickets taken, 8 overs lost to a wet run up, a century, three half-centuries, next week’s Leinster Senior Cup semi-final between the sides should be entertaining!
Mason Alexander LHW Financial Planning Premier League
At Inch;
Match reduced to 46 overs
North County 313 a/o 45.4 overs (MNofal114, E Richardson 95; JJWalsh3-25)
Merrion 304a/o 45.1 overs (JCarty 66, S Stanton 54; A Sheridan3-58)
North County win by 8 runs under DLS