Scorecard

Y.M.C.A. Cricket Club 2nd XI v Clontarf 2 on Sun 21 Sep 2014 at 12.00pm
Y.M.C.A. Cricket Club Won by 22 runs

Match report By Stu Daultrey

When I got home after the Newstalk fm interpro at Rathmines between Lightning and Knights, I got a message from my editor ordering me to Claremont Road for the Division 3 decider between YMCA 2 and Clontarf 2. Both clubs will finish in the top two, but the winner of this 20 over refix would take the Division title. I consulted with my good lady wife and she agreed to postpone the roast beef until five o'clock.

So on another grey, cool morning I drove to Sandymount wondering how anybody can spout so much drivel for so long as does Mariane Finucane, and get away with it. The only glimmer of sense is when she accidentally invites a guest or guests who are intelligent and/or interesting. Neither quality is found in Irish politicians, nor very often in Irish journalists. Sunday was no exception, and it was nice to talk to real people when I got to the ground.

Clontarf won the toss and decided to field. Vijay Gopal opened from the Aviva end, and Asim Nazir from the Wes Earl end. Asim bowled Dale McDonough for two in his first over, bringing in Jack Tector, who lofted Asim to the long on boundary in his second over, then attempted to drive Asim over mid off in his third. He didn't connect properly, but the bail sailed over Brian McDermott at mid off, and Brian turned, chase and held an excellent catch. Asim promptly bowled Sam Murphy and YMCA were 16-3 off 6 overs.

Gopal bowled out for 4-1-6-0 and Asim for 4-1-11-3. Harry Tector and Angus Dunlop found the odd boundary, Gussie's courtesy of a misfield by Gopal, and against David Delany's medium pace and Mark Collier's leg breaks, the pair took the score to 54-3 off 13, still no sort of total. Vishnu Mohanan was given one over, which went for 11. David Delany started his last over, signalled the first of the batting power play, and was driven through extra cover by Dunlop, a shot which took the more elderly of us right back to the 1990s. But he was caught behind next ball for 19 out of 70.

Later in the over Michael Kirk steered the ball out towards deep extra cover and set off for the easy two. For some reason Harry Tector hesitated before starting the second run, and Andrew Delany's throw to his twin easily beat Tector, who was run out for a very good 30. Hasir Sultan and Michael Kirk took the score to 94-5 with just two overs left, nowhere near enough. Kirk straight drove Collier for six, Sultan pulled him for six just over Gopal's head, but when he tried to repeat the shot Gopal took the catch, Sultan out for 26.

Ryan Hohn (4*) and Kirk (19*) took a dozen off the final over, and YMCA had dragged themselves up to a run a ball 122-6, which shouldn't be enough but at least had to be got. During the YMCA innings the cloud had both lifted and broken up, and it was now a beautiful sunny afternoon. Bobbo Forrest whacked Padraig Flanagan's first ball over mid off for four, took a single, got back to the striker's end and lost his middle stump. Vijay Gopal announced his intentions (as if we didn't know them already) by belting the ball over extra cover for four.

In Flanagan's second over Mark Collier was caught at mid off by Kirk for 5. Asim Nazir joined Gopal to face Jack Tector, who was keeping an excellent line and length with his floated off breaks, and Hasir Sultan, who had replaced Flanagan from the Aviva end. Gopal on 16, drove Sultan just wide of the bowler's follow through, and Sultan half stopped the shot. Asim called Gopal for the single, and the bowler had plenty of time to gather the ball and break the stumps before Gopal got anywhere near. That was 33-3, still better than YMCA's 17-3 after seven overs, but with the most destructive Clontarf batsman back in the hutch.

I am constantly appalled at the low standard of running between the wicket even at Division 1 level. It's dead easy, and something even the most limited of batsmen can do well. When the ball is hit in front of the wicket it's the striker's call, behind the wicket it's the non-striker's call. So that was never Asim's call, and Vijay should simply have let him run himself out. But he's too nice a guy! While I'm on this rant, you should never run looking over your shoulder - run to the other end, turn and look from the safety of being near your crease. If you could run faster looking over your shoulder, Usain Bolt would do it. He doesn't.

Neither Asim nor Niall Delany could make much progress against Sultan's medium pace and Harry Tector's off breaks, and Delany was bowled for 2 in the eleventh over to make it 43-4. When Callum Donnelly's left-arm over replaced Sultan, Asim drove him straight for six over Sultan's head, and the score had advanced to 72 when Asim was caught at cover by Harry Tector off Donnelly. Then Andrew Delany was caught by Kirk in the same over for 11, and after Harry Tector had bowled out to complete the batting power play, 'Tarf were 76-6, leaving 47 to be got in four overs.

David Delany and Brian McDermott took 20 off Donnelly's third over with drives, a slog swept six and a dropped catch in the deep, getting their team back in the hunt. But Sultan returned from the Wes Earl end and had Delany caught at wide long on, McDermott caught behind by JJ Cassidy, then bowled Aidan McDonald, all at a cost of just one run. Shane O'Brien was run out in the 19th over and it was all over, Clontarf bowled out for 100. The Tector brothers had sent down eight overs of off breaks for just 29, Flanagan took 2/18 from 3, Donnelly 2/34 from 3.3, and Sultan 4/14 off 4.

So YMCA 2 win the league, although there's very little between the two teams. Both are eligible to be promoted to Division 2, and the question is: how would they fare at that level? They won't normally have their first team players available to them, so take out Jack Tector and Mark Collier. I think YMCA 2 would do OK: Flanagan and Sultan seem decent enough as opening bowlers, and Harry Tector and Callum Donnelly respectable change bowlers, plus the blue rinse brigade of Alan Lewis and Angus Dunlop. Clontarf have Forrest, Gopal, Asim (not forgetting Junaid) and the three Delanys, all with first team experience, and Brian McDermott is a perfectly capable bat. It would be tough going, but I think they could survive.

One last thing: Gus Dunlop asked why the umpires called the batting power play after fourteen overs when he hadn't asked for it. The reply was that they had received a directive from the LCUSA telling them to do so. I think the LCUSA is wrong in this instance. In a full 50 over match, the batting power play must be called no later than the 36th over, and the 15th of a 20 over match is a pro rata constraint. But once a match is reduced, this constraint on the timing of the batting power play goes out the window. These 20 over refixes, although they start as 20 over matches and can only be 20 over matches, are played as if they had been reduced to 20 overs, so the batting power play regulation should be similarly applied. Over to you, LCUSA.

Driving home I got to thinking about one of life's mysteries: where do Red Scum supporters go when they lose? They're there in the pub, the full time whistle goes, they've lost 5-3 after being 3-1 up, you look round, and they've disappeared! I drove past several pubs on the way home, but there was no sign of them outside. I drove past Dundrum Shopping Centre and wondered if that's where they went, but I would never go inside to find out. Perhaps they turn into zombies: hang on, those that aren't from China or southeast Asia are mostly zombies already. Can anybody help me?

Cheers,
Stu.

Y.M.C.A. Cricket Club 2nd XI Batting
Player Name RunsMB4s6sSRCtStRo
extras
TOTAL :
1nb 6w 4lb 
for 6 wickets
11
122		        
Dale McDonough b A Nazir 2 6 8 25.00 1
Sam M. Murphy b A Nazir 4 21 14 28.57 1
Jack B. Tector ct B McDermott b A Nazir 7 13 11 1 63.64
Angus R. Dunlop ct R Forrest b D Delany 19 39 27 2 70.37
Harry T. Tector run out  (A Delany) 30 39 28 3 107.14 1
Michael B.G. Kirk Not Out  19 26 15 1 126.67 2 1
Hashir Sultan ct V Gopal b M Collier 26 18 16 1 2 162.50
Ryan G. Hohn Not Out  4 5 2 200
J.J. Cassidy   1
Callum P. Donnelly  
Padraic J. Flanagan  

Clontarf 2 Bowling

Player nameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Vijay Gopal4.01600.001.50
Asim Nazir4.011133.672.75
David Delany4.0029129.007.25
Mark Collier4.0037137.009.25
Vishnu Mohanan1.001100.0011.00
Aidan McDonald3.002400.008.00

Clontarf 2 Batting
Player name RMB4s6sSR
extras
TOTAL :
8w 1b 4lb 
for 10 wickets
13
100 (18.4 overs)		     
Robert Forrest b P Flanagan 5 3 3 1 166.67
Mark Collier ct M Kirk b P Flanagan 2 12 5 40.0
Vijay Gopal run out  (D McDonough) 16 26 21 2 76.19
Asim Nazir ct H Tector b C Donnelly 25 50 29 1 86.21
Niall Delany b H Sultan 2 12 15 13.33
Andrew Delany ct M Kirk b C Donnelly 11 22 17 64.71
David Delany ct S Murphy b H Sultan 6 16 6 1 100
Brian McDermott ct J Cassidy b H Sultan 16 16 9 1 1 177.78
Aidan McDonald b H Sultan 0 4 2 0
Shane O'Brien run out  (M Kirk) 3 5 4 75.00
Vishnu Mohanan Not Out  1 2 1 100

Y.M.C.A. Cricket Club 2nd XI Bowling

Player NameOversMaidensRunsWicketsAverageEconomy
Padraic J. Flanagan3.001829.006.00
Jack B. Tector4.001100.002.75
Hashir Sultan4.001443.503.50
Harry T. Tector4.001800.004.50
Callum P. Donnelly3.4034217.009.27

  • Umpire :
    C.McCarthy & J.Norton
  • Scorer :
    TCS