The Irish Cricket Union's (ICU) latest representative initiative, the Inter Regional Challenge 2002, got under way at Pollock Park in Lurgan on Saturday when, as had been anticipated, the Southern X1 defeated the Northern Cricket Union (NCU) side by three wickets.
But it was a close call, and the NCU side surely would have triumphed were it not for Peter Davy, batting at number four, whose unbeaten 69 made him the game's top scorer and deservedly won him the man of the match award.
The "champagne moment award" (designed to add to the occasion and judged by the media) went to the NCU's Ian Cleland for his fine running and diving catch which dismissed Conor Armstrong off the bowling of Andrew White. But over-all, be it said, there was rather more of a feeling of stale beer than that of bubbling champers about this match, which had few truly memorable moments.
Jason Molins won the toss and put the NCU in to bat, and after White and Stephen Dyer had given the North a respectable start with 40 for the first wicket, a slump followed and soon they were tottering on 64 for 4. The early damage was done by Emmet Whaley, with some help from Conor Armstrong; and he ended as the Southern X1's best bowler, with an impressive 4 for 17 off 8.5 overs.
Like Davy would do for the South, David Kennedy had done for the North, top-scoring with 60 off 111 balls, including five boundaries, before he was caught by Paul Mooney off Whaley's bowling. A total of 166 was hardly formidable, but in next to no time, the Southern X1 was struggling on 39 for 4, partly thanks to some lbw decisions which were dubious, to put it kindly.
Molins was one such victim, having just hit a lively 23 which included four boundaries. But though Barry Archer, Dom Joyce and John Mooney all went cheaply, the determined Davy got valuable support from Paul Mooney, Dara Armstrong and Greg Molins; Davy's 69 runs were scored off 111 deliveries, and included two huge sixes and three fours.
This was something of a lack-lustre encounter, not helped by a modest attendance, despite the fact that all senior NCU league fixtures had been cancelled for the occasion. Still, it was an encouraging start to their campaign by the Southern X1, who now meet the North West (NWCU) at Malahide next Saturday.
NORTHERN CRICKET UNION X1
A White c J Molins b C Armstrong ... 16
S Dyer c Joyce b Whaley ... 15
A Patterson c D Armstrong b Whaley ... 4
D Kennedy c P Mooney b Whaley ... 60
K McCallan st D Armstrong b G Molins ... 5
D Menaul lbw b P Mooney ... 11
P Shields lbw b G Molins ... 18
S Donnelly run out ... 0
P Tate c Hastie b C Armstrong ... 3
A Rose c C Armstrong b Whaley ... 12
I Cleland not out ... 0
Extras (LB8, NB3, W11) ... 22
Total all out, 50 overs) ... 166
Fall of wickets: 1/40; 2/40; 3/49; 4/64; 5/93; 6/139; 7/143; 8/149; 9/161; 10/166.
BOWLING: C Armstrong 10-0-30-2:P Mooney 10-0-30-1: E Whaley 8.5-3-17-4:Joyce 4-1-18-0: G Molins 10.1-1-38-2: R Hastie 7-0-25-0.
SOUTHERN X1
J Molins lbw b Tate ... 23
B Archer lbw b Tate ... 5
D Joyce lbw b Cleland ... 0
P Davy not out ... 69
J Mooney b Cleland ... 3
P Mooney run out ... 14
C Armstrong c Cleland b White ... 6
D Armstrong c Patterson b Tate ... 13
G Molins not out ... 14
Extras (B1, LB6, NB4, W10) ... 21
Total for 7 wickets, 46 overs ... 168
Did not bat: R Hastie, E Whaley.
Fall of wickets: 1/30; 2/31; 3/33; 4/39; 5/67; 6/83; 7/139.
BOWLING: P Tate 10-1-19-3: A Rose 3-0-27-0: I Cleland 10-1-38-2: K McCallan 10-0-27-0: A White 10-1-41-1: S Donnelly 3-0-9-0.
Man of the match: Peter Davy (Southern X1).
Champagne moment winner: Ian Cleland (NCU X1). UMPIRES: D Caldwell, C McElwee.
England turned back the clock rather than look to the future when they chose to largely ignore their promising Academy intake for the opening Test against Sri Lanka next week.
Instead of calling up young Warwickshire batsman Ian Bell or Glamorgan seamer Simon Jones, though, they reverted to previously-tried performers and recalled Derbyshire's Dominic Cork, while John Crawley's resurgence since his move to Hampshire has also been rewarded with a call-up.
ENGLAND SQUAD (for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's starting on May 16th): Nasser Hussain (Essex, capt), Mark Butcher (Surrey), Andrew Caddick (Somerset), Dominic Cork (Derbyshire), John Crawley (Hampshire), Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire), Ashley Giles (Warwickshire), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Alec Stewart (Surrey, wkt), Graham Thorpe (Surrey), Marcus Trescothick (Somerset), Alex Tudor (Surrey), Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire).
