CRICKET: A couple of upsets, some very close finishes, a 178-run massacre, eight centuries, a 99, a 98 not out and a hat-trick. . . you've just got to love the Royal Liver Irish Senior Cup.
And what a weekend it was for Clontarf. Having brought forward their Conqueror Leinster Senior Cup first round match against Leinster to yesterday due to next weekend's Ireland v Northants game in Castle Avenue, they had pretty much put all their cup eggs in one double-header basket.
In front of a sizable crowd in Bready, Clontarf pulled off a wonderful two-wicket Irish Senior Cup win with Clinton McHenry scoring the winning runs off the final ball of the 50th over. Set a modest-enough target of 218 to win - Alex Cusack had taken a hat-trick for the Dubliners - Clontarf got to within 11 runs of victory after 49 overs thanks chiefly to a fine knock of 65 from Greg Molins. With Andrew Cullen and McHenry at the crease, those final tense six deliveries for Clontarf yielded four, one, four, one, dot and, needing one to win, McHenry carved one through mid-on for four. Cue the wild celebration.
Then yesterday a maiden senior hundred from 19-year-old Bill Coughlan ensured that Clontarf became the first side to win their way into the second round of the Conqueror Cup (CYM and Malahide got there by virtue of byes).
Their total of 316 was too much for Leinster, who eventually went down by 153 runs.
Mind you, it's not like Leinster have never passed 300 themselves. Just the day before, in fact, they put on a mammoth 346 for 6 as they comfortably won away in the ISC to Carrickfergus, Mark Jones top scoring on 111.
Defending champions North County beat Donemana as expected at the Holm thanks to a century and four wickets from Andre Botha. There were wins, too, for Phoenix, Pembroke and The Hills.
Things were not so rosy for all Leinster clubs, however. In somewhat of a shock, the unfancied Ardmore beat Railway Union.
In other news, the ICU has announced an unchanged Ireland squad to take on Northants in the third round of the C&G Trophy.
