Cricket: In their 10th year as a senior club, Rush have made it through to their first Conqueror Senior Cup final with a hard-fought game over nine-times winners of this competition YMCA.

It was a day of silly shots and tight bowling as first YM's batsmen and then Rush's chose ill-conceived strokes, to ensure a low-scoring game. At the tiny Kenure ground and on a reasonable batting track, YM's 136 total did not look like it would cause Tipu Gull's team any problems.

But with all the time in the world to play with, the Rush batters chose to go for big shots and regularly paid the ultimate price. Only Gull himself stuck around, ending up on 55 not out.

YM bowled an excellent line, always keeping the pressure on the batsmen, and that dropped catch aside, gave a good display in the field. But defending 136 was never going to be easy and before a sizable and vociferous home crowd, Gull saw his team home with just two wickets in hand.

Earlier, some excellent bowling from Shahid Iqbal and man-of-the-match Gull frustrated the YM batsmen and Niall Mullen reaped the benefits, picking up five wickets, nearly all of them to foolish shots, rather than out-and-out good deliveries.

Rush will now face Clontarf in July 24th's final (at Park Avenue). After falling to Phoenix in the semi-final of the LHW League on Saturday, 'Tarf had a comfortable enough win over Merrion despite a fine stand of 130 for the seventh wicket between Joe Morrissey (80) and Gus Joyce (50), a partnership that threatened to turn Clontarf's weekend into a nightmare.

Earlier Dom Rigby (73) and Greg Molins (72) did most of the damage for Clontarf as the home side posted a formidable 277 for 7. In the end, Merrion fell 58 runs short with Alex Cusack the pick of the bowlers with his 3-46.

On Saturday, North County won through to the final of LHW League after a facile, nine-wicket victory over Pembroke at Sydney Parade. They will take on Phoenix in that final on Sunday July 11th (not July 10th as is says in the LCU handbook) at Inch.