The cancellation of last Saturday's Inter Regional Challenge match between the Southern X1 and the North West Cricket Union (NWCU) because of the downpour which caused flooding on the Malahide outfield was of no help to the national selectors as they met to pick the Ireland team to face Nottinghamshire in the C & G Trophy third-round match at Castle Avenue on May 29th.
Perhaps understandably, the side had to be chosen on reputations; the NWCU squad, for instance, which has yet to play in the Inter Regional Challenge, has provided four players in the team proper, as well as the 12th man. The 12th man is the talented youngster from Donemana, William Porterfield, who is admittedly a major prospect.
No overseas professional player has been included, and while North County's all-rounder Andre Botha would have been an automatic choice, he has an ankle injury which rules him out of contention. In the view of the selectors, other overseas players would have returned home when Ireland play Berkshire and (hopefully) Norfolk in August and September in next season's C & G Trophy campaign, while Botha is now resident in Ireland.
The team shows two changes compared to the side which defeated the Hampshire Board X1 by 32 runs at Southampton last September, as Andy White and Gary Neely come in for Botha and Dom Joyce. Once again, the team will be captained by Jason Molins.
Last Saturday's aborted Inter Regional Challenge match will not be re-scheduled. The next game in the series will be that between the NWCU X1 and the NCU X1, to be staged at a North West venue on June 9th.
IRELAND: J Molins (Railway Union, capt), A Patterson (Cliftonville), A White (North Down), P Davy (Pembroke), P Gillespie (Strabane), K McCallan (Cliftonville), P Mooney (North County), D Heasley (Glendermott), G Neely (Glendermott), J McGonagle (Donemana), A McCoubrey (Ballymena). 12th man: W Porterfield (Donemana).
LEWIS TRAUB LEAGUE
Section A
At Sydney Parade: Malahide 162 (42.5 overs) (R Strydom 59, R Gale 37; P Byrne 4 for 27, R Hastie 2 for 22), Pembroke 163 for one (36 overs) (P Davy 72 no., B O'Rourke 55 no; D Ryan 1 for 17). Pembroke won by nine wickets.
At College Park: Railway Union 76 (27 overs) (N O'Brien 18, P Johnston 15; G Gilmore 3 for 16, D Block 3 for 10), Leinster 72 (31.3 overs) (W Lennon 25, J Moffat 18; M Tariq 3 for 12, R Whelan 2 for 9, A Corcoran 2 for 18, G O'Brien 2 for 23). Railway Union won by 4 runs.
Section B
At Terenure: CYM 158 for 9 (46 overs) (C Morgan 62, S Moore 29; B Spanner 5 for 26), Merrion 159 for 4 (37 overs) (B Spanner 56, S Tolputt 38; C Kelly 2 for 34); Merrion won by six wickets.
At Phoenix Park: Phoenix 126 for 6 (27 overs) (A Bhandari 29, J Bray 26), North County 129 for 4 (26.5 overs) (D Van Der Welt 58 no). North County won by six wickets.
