THE LOCALS - North County - dismally failed to live up to the name of their home ground at Man O' War CC in Fingal yesterday, as efficient Pembroke carried out a cricketing equivalent of the Slaughter of the Innocents and duly booked a place in the semi-finals of the Lewis Traub Senior League.
The sun even shone, to further warm the hearts of the Pembroke men, who enjoyed a really productive weekend, having knocked Leinster out of the Conqueror Cup on Saturday. Yesterday, the overnight celebrations of that particular success seemed to have taken their toll, for how else to explain that it took Pembroke 46.2 overs to dismiss opponents whose batting was about as fragile as fine old bone china?
Only five North County batsmen got into double figures, three of them just about managing to make the cut, as it were. The top scorer was Richard Beukes with 21, but when he departed the scene with the score on 54 for 4 the onlookers were to be treated to an unseemly relay race between the pavilion and the middle, as the poisoned chalice was handed on from one to the other with unhappy alacrity.
Brendan Garry, Barry Grimes and Patrick Martin all had the dreaded zero entered after their names in the score-books, as four more wickets fell with only four runs added. Ian Solomon, John Davy and Richard Hastie had made the earlier break throughs, and now Solomon ably supported Hastie, who expertly filleted the lower half of North County's innings, ending with 6 for 25, off 8.2 overs.
At 8 for 58, an early finish was well in sight. But Dermot Murphy, who smote two sixes into the nearby stream, and Tom ("Chink") Mooney put on 23 for the ninth wicket, in the circumstances something of a heroic effort, even if one not likely to create any miracles, before the innings closed at 88 all out.
Ted Williamson and Peter Davy got the runs without loss for Pembroke, coping easily with a North County attack which was limited, to put it kindly. Both players have been enjoying a good season with the bat, and yesterday Williamson reached his half-century off 47 balls, scoring two sixes and six fours in the process.
Skipper Davy should be well pleased after a fine weekend for Pembroke. One in which they reached two major semi-finals; now it's all there to play for.
Ireland's team to play Yorkshire in the NatWest Trophy at Headingley tomorrow week shows four changes compared to the side involved in the last competitive outing, against Glamorgan, the subsequent match against Essex having been rained off.
Back in action will be Decker Curry, Ryan Eagleson, Kyle McCallan and Alan Rutherford, who takes over as wicket-keeper. The 12th man is Merrion's Ed Joyce, whose recent excellent form will surely enhance his chances of ultimate recognition.
Four players - Gordon Cooke (Limavady), Neil Doak (Lisburn), Peter Gillespie (Strabane) and Declan Moore (The Hills) - were not considered because of injury. The broken finger which Moore suffered in a recent Fingal League match may jeopardise his chances of playing again this season.
The visit of the Pakistan Women's squad - they were to have played three matches against Ireland this week - has been called off. A "serious law and order situation" in Karachi is the reason for the cancellation.
