Ger Siggins
Saturday brings YMCA the short distance up to Anglesea Road for one of the biggest games in the club’s history. In the 34 years since the Irish Senior Cup was founded, YM have been in a baker’s dozen of Leinster Cup finals, winning 11, but have yet to reach a decider in the premier club competition in the land.
It has rankled with many of the great stars that have shone on Claremont Road in that time, but perhaps this weekend the latest group of men to wear the club colours will finally lay that ghost.
We’ve met Merrion twice before in second round ties, in 2008 (when we lost by three wickets and our top three batters were Paul Beacroft 76, Rob Nandi 36 and Angus Dunlop 35) and last year, when we lost by 101 runs despite a battling 81 by Tom Fisher and 3-62 by Padraig Flanagan.
But the semi-final is the cruellest place to lose a game, and YM have gone down four times.
1988: lost to Lurgan (h)
Seeking a cup double, YM began their campaign with a bowl-out win over Eglinton before beating Woodvale by three runs in round two. Phoenix were beaten by 13 runs in the quarters but YM came up short against Lurgan in the semi-finals.
1992: lost to Waringstown (h)
On this cup run YM beat Fox Lodge, squeaked past Limavady on fewer wickets lost, before overcoming Woodvale by 16 runs in a classic (Angus Dunlop 120, Mark Nulty 108). In the semi the mighty Waringstown international pair of Paul McCrum (4-17) and Alan Nelson (3-16) demolished YM for 85 and won at a stroll.
1998: lost to Strabane (h)
In Round 1, YM beat Bready on fewer wickets lost, then eased past The Hills (Toby Cohen 4-18), beat Muckamore after a replay (Paul Linehan 60; Angus Dunlop 41 and 4-13), beat Phoenix in the quarters (John Hoey 62, Stu McCready 52no) before losing to Strabane by three wickets (Linehan 41, Hoey 3-27)
2013: lost to Clontarf (h)
Another attempt at a cup double went sour after a mighty run. Round 1 saw Lisburn head north after a nine wicket trouncing (Reinhardt Strydom 93*, Jack Tector 57*) before Pembroke were beaten in a dramatic derby. Simi Singh took 5-50 as Theo Lawson made 104, but vital innings by Albert van der Merwe (78) and Alan Lewis (61) saw YM home with 11 balls to spare. Claremont was again the venue for the quarter-final where Yacoub Ali’s 5-39 helped dismiss North County for 217 before Simi made 68 and van der Merwe (83no) and Lewis (54no) again provided the runs.
A fourth home draw brought Clontarf over on the August bank holiday and despite Trent Johnston’s 66no, Strydom’s 74 and Jeremy Bray’s 44, 215-7 didn’t look enough. With rain around, the target was reduced by DL and Bill Coghlan’s 80no cruised past the target.
As in the three previous Irish Senior Cup semi-final defeats, the team that beat YMCA went on to win the trophy.
So make sure you get along and support the first XI in their bid to become All Ireland champions for the first time!