Scorecard

Y.M.C.A. Cricket Club 1st XI v Merrion on Sat 26 May 2012 at 11.00am
Y.M.C.A. Cricket Club Won by 5 wkts.

Match report YMCA v Merrion, LHW Leinster Senior Cup, 1st Rd.
by coverpoint

On the best morning of the summer so far, the Claremont Road grounds of the YMCA looked a treat as Alan Lewis and John Anderson made the toss prior to this RSA Leinster Senior Cup first round tie between YMCA and Merrion. Anderson won and had no hesitation in batting.

We didn't have to wait for the action to commence. Ben Ackland cover drove Reinhardt Strydom's first ball to the boundary. Later in the over he pulled for another boundary. Dom Joyce pulled a four off the last ball of Rob Garth's first over, then Ackland was dropped off Strydom at slip by Albert Van der Merwe.

The resultant single brought Joyce on strike, and he immediately nicked off to Lee Cole behind the stumps. Next over Ackland shouldered arms to Garth and watched horrified as the ball crashed into middle and off. That was 13-2, and Anderson was joined by left-hander Tim Lang to rebuild the innings.

Both batsmen like a drive, both will pull anything short, and Anderson in particular likes to rotate the strike with well-placed singles. After ten overs they had taken the score to 54. Garth was given a rest and Trent Johnston was thrown the ball, more to see if he could bowl pain-free rather than in any expectation of a breakthrough.

In TJ's second over Anderson was dropped behind. There was a big lbw shout against Lang, and then the Aussie was given out caught behind. He came back muttering about YMCA having the umpires in their pocket, but I took that merely as typical down-under fair-mindedness.

I wouldn't argue with Anderson's knowledge and assessment of his own players, but I found his batting order very strange after number 4. John Blakeney used to be a most capable bat, but he's hardly played for the last few years, and missed a straight one same over to make it 66-4.

At six was Chris Allwright, who I would put behind brother Rory (nine), and at seven Patrick Tice, who has yet to do anything at Senior level. Both were blown away, Allwright bowled by TJ, Tice lbw half forward to Umar Jehangir. That was 80-6 in the 17th over, and deep doggy doo-dah time.

Kade Beasley is nothing if not a fighter, and while he grafted his skipper carried on batting, clipping Jehangir twice to the mid wicket boundary in the 19th over, and lofting Albert van der Merwe straight for four in the 24th. Beazo flat-batted Yaqoob Ali to the point boundary, and then Anderson had another dart at Albert.

He swung one to long on for two and his fifty, then lofted again to long off but got underneath it. Rob Garth was stationed for the catch, but just didn't pick up the flight of the ball sufficiently soon, and got to the ball on the half volley. Lunch was taken after 29 overs at 117-6, Anderson 53*.

Both batsmen looked for the ones and twos after lunch, and had no difficulty in finding them. We were treated to Trent Johnston's impression of Sydney Harbour Bridge, but the ground fielding was otherwise good. The 40 over score was 153, and only another 21 had been added in the seven overs up to drinks.

A straight drive from Anderson in the 49th over was the first boundary since lunch, and the skipper pulled Jehangir in the 52nd, Beasley off drove Sameer Dutt for 4 in the next, and a strong finish seemed on. But Jehangir got one to lift on Anderson, who nicked it to Lee Cole twelve short of his ton.

Rory Allwright was immediately on the offensive, Beazo completed fifty then straight drove Strydom before miscuing Jehangir to the selfsame Rainy to end an invaluable innings of 54 out of 215-8. Allwright (12*) and Damian Poder (10) put it about to take the score to 238 in the final over, when Poder and Sanjay Saharan were each caught off Garth.

The total of 240 was certainly competitive, and a lot more than the 160-170 that might have eventuated had Beasley not survived a caught behind appeal when about 20. I say it every week: you win some, you lose some; many players prefer not to walk, which is fine if they, like Beazo, also don't complain.

Johnston's spell of 6-2-13-3 was the bit of class that YMCA needed. The rest of the bowlers stuck to their task, Garth taking 3/43 and Jehangir 3/45. The Yak and Albertus Magnus were very tidy on a pitch that offered them little.

If the Merrion innings had started with a bang, then add plenty of crash and wallop to describe YMCA's start. Reinhardt Strydom took a boundary off Dom Joyce, then survived a caught behind shout (pad flap, so I'm told) and took another boundary. When Rainy got down to John Blakeney's end he took 4, 6, 6, 4.

Hang on, I hear the alert reader ask, what's Blakers doing trundling in when Merrion have a pro who opens the bowling in Australian state cricket (what used to be known as Sheffield Shield, but then changed to Pura Milk, and for all I know is now named for Nobby's Nuts or Vegemite). I'm told Tim Lang has the yips - he can't land the ball on the cut strip!

Rainy continued his plunder (narrowly missing a sleeping infant), and having taken 4, 4, wide, 6 off JB's second over, holed out to John Anderson for a nineteen ball 45 out of 50. Alan Lewis and Lee Cole were most definitely after the Lord Mayor's Show, but the score still reached 89 after ten overs.

Tyrone Kane is another Merrion frontline bowler not available (exams), so Sanjay Saharan gets a run. He bowls medium pace over the wrist, which appears to have none of the virtues of either medium pace or leg spin, but when the guy you're replacing has figures of 3-0-42-1, does it matter?

Damian Poder was doing OK with his offies, having lured Lewie into poking a catch to Saharan, but after seven overs had to go off with an eye injury incurred while batting (don't ask?!!!!!!!!). On 119, Lee Cole was caught off Saharan for 30, but this was hardly good news for Merrion. YMCA had 42 more overs to score another 122 with Simmi Singh and Trent Johnston at the crease.

And they did most of the work in their own distinct styles, Simmi all wristy drives and flicks, TJ the big front dog down the track and crashing boundaries. Tea was reached with 6, 4, 4 (guess who?) to arrive at 150-3 off 24 overs.

Ben Ackland had settled into a tidy spell, and was upset not to get TJ lbw padding up. John Anderson tried his leggies without any success, and Dom Joyce came back for a bit more tap. Ackland finally bowled Singh for 33 out of 196 in the 33rd over, when van der Merwe kept TJ company.

The Big Fella crashed his way to 68 before being adjudged lbw to a delighted Ackland. Actually, his best shot of the afternoon was a back foot steer to the extra cover boundary off Anderson, a very high class shot combining power and timing.

Sameer Dutt and van der Merwe concluded proceedings in the 43rd over, rendering Merrion's excellent fightback redundant. Ackland took 2/48, but nobody else will want to look at their figures.

I really hope that Merrion's season doesn't disappear down the drain with Lang's yips and Kane's exams - they've Clontarf twice and Leinster in the next two weeks. YMCA have Terenure twice and The Hills - I know which I'd prefer with two bowlers hors de combat.

Cheers,

Stu.
www.studaultrey.com


Merrion Batting
Player name RunsMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
15w 5b 13lb 
for 10 wickets
33
240 (59.4 overs)		     
B.Ackland b  Garth 9
D.Joyce ct  Cole Bowled Strydom 4
J.Anderson * ct  Cole Bowled Jehangir 88
T.Lang ct  Cole Bowled Johnston 24
J.Blakeney b  Johnston 0
C.Allwright b  Johnston 0
P.Tice + lbw  Jehangir 0
K.Beasley ct  Strydom Bowled Jehangir 54
R.Allwright Not Out  18
D.Poder ct  Johnston Bowled Garth 10
S.Sarahan ct  Strydom Bowled Garth 0

Y.M.C.A. Cricket Club 1st XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Reinhardt Strydom12.0152152.004.33
Robert A. Garth10.4143314.334.03
Trent Johnston6.021334.332.17
Umar Jehangir7.0045315.006.43
Yaqoob Ali Shah9.011700.001.89
Albert Van Der Merwe9.002600.002.89
Sameer Dutt6.002600.004.33

Y.M.C.A. Cricket Club 1st XI Batting
Player Name RMB4s6sSRCatchesStumpingsRun outs
extras
TOTAL :
3nb 25w 1b 5lb 
for 5 wickets
34
241		        
Reinhardt Strydom ct  Anderson Bowled Blakeney 45 18 19 6 3 236.84 2
Lee C. Cole ct  Beasley Bowled Sarahan 30 71 47 3 63.83 3
D. Alan Lewis ct  Saharan Bowled Poder 18 41 27 3 66.67
Simi Singh b  Ackland 33 64 60 3 55.00
Trent Johnston lbw  Ackland 68 84 70 9 2 97.14 1
Albert Van Der Merwe Not Out  8 39 28 1 28.57
Sameer Dutt Not Out  5 6 9 1 55.56
Robert A. Garth  
Ehtesham Ahmed  
Yaqoob Ali Shah  
Umar Jehangir  

Merrion Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
D.Joyce10.015900.005.90
J.Blakeney3.0042142.0014.00
D.Poder7.0029129.004.14
S.Sarahan8.0130130.003.75
J.Anderson4.012700.006.75
B.Ackland10.5148224.004.43

  • Umpire :
    TBC
  • Scorer :
    A.Mooney