NORTH KILDARE VICTORIOUS IN JUNIOR CUP - AUGUST 4TH

What began as a double header day in Kenure ultimately only saw one result, as after the Sprint Coatings Division Four Cup final was abandoned after one innings, North Kildare secured the Junior Cup in the Division 2 equivalent competition to secure the first women's trophy of the season.

In the early game, Terenure had batted first and a top score of 31 from Lily Morgan had guided them to 107/7, however at one stage it was looking like being much much more, as a brilliant spell of bowling from Phoenix's Juliet Gargan saw her taking 6/16 to stop Terenure's early momentum and restrict them to a modest total.

The mid-innings rain was enough to put paid to that game, however thanks to the brilliant work of the grounds team in Rush, the Junior Cup Final was able to begin on time. With Merrion and North Kildare doing battle.

Merrion's skipper Aoife Brennan won the toss and elected to field first, and having lost their talismanic opener Melissa Scott-Hayward early on, they recovered brilliantly with a 100 run partnership between Rosie Neuman-Jones and Lucy Small. Neuman-Jones fell bowled by Brennan for 43 and saw the score 115/2 with 5 overs remaining.

That was Small's queue to really get motoring, as she hammered the ball to all parts, bringing up her half century and then dominating an unbeaten stand of 44 with Naomi Scott-Hayward, who needed to add only 6 of those runs as the total rose rapidly to 158/2 in their 20 overs. Small finished with an excellent unbeaten 80 to put North Kildare into an excellent position.

Merrion's chase kicked off quickly, with 22 coming off the first two and a half overs, however when Ally Boucher smashed Laoise Neuman-Jones down the ground, and looked up to see Melissa Scott-Hayward settling under the catch, the tone was set for the innings and the first wicket fell. When Isabel Light became her second victim, the score was 50/3 and Merrion's task looked extremely stiff.

Síbha Bhoja was constant throughout the first 13 overs of the innings, and her wicket appeared to spell the end, as Merrion were left with 88 needed from just 7 overs. Emma Beamish however had other ideas, and kept the side with the run rate for the next three overs, before falling when Zoe Lipson eventually bowled a tight 17th over, she was caught at cow corner trying to find a much needed boundary for a well made 33.

That left North Kildare to turn the screw, and eventually run out 28 run winners, as Merrion could muster just 130/6 in reply. Laoise Neuman-Jones, 2/30, and Zoe Lipson's 2/19 the pick of the bowlers for the victorious side.