Leinster Division 13, Sunday 7th May
Halverstown won by 67 runs
The beginning of the cricket season is always eagerly anticipated. You think about it for months and then when you are about to get in the car you remember your kit. Did the whites get washed and where are they? Why didn’t you replace the missing studs in your boots at the end of last season? The biggest question both literally and metaphorically is whether you’ll fit into your whites. Of course it’s a bit of a squeeze and you blame the new washing machine for shrinking them although you have a sneaking suspicion that the extra helping of pudding with clotted cream might have been a contributory factor.
Eventually you are off and what nicer place to visit than College Park. However it is about more than cricket. It is also the people you play with. Apart from the old hands we have a few new faces. Gunter, Barra and Rehan are welcomed into the fold. They look sharp and eager to play. The elder statesmen are genuinely happy to see each other and shake hands. Ronaldson and Threadgold are the senior players~ Halverstown's answer to Stadler and Waldorf. Ashan is back and has done more to recruit new players than anybody. Moon, Wasif, Idrees and now Rehan. Barry is on a sabatical nursing an injured hip and we will miss his whirlwind opening knocks. Richard is not playing today as he is acting 12th man at Lord's in all but name. Last but not least our skipper, Mick, a ruthless tactician, is back to lead us for a second season.
It is also pertinent to remember those who are playing on another shore. Alan Ruddock and David Gray are much missed and their contribution to the club is ever present. Two contrasting characters whose love of the game and the Club are what it is all about.
The sun was out and it was warm. Skipper, Mick Neville, won the toss and decided we should bat so that we could stamp our authority on the game. Within a few minutes we were 9 for 4. The legendary Halverstown collapse usually occurs when we are 50 for 2 but clearly we couldn’t wait. At the midpoint of our innings we were 43 for 6 and victory looked unlikely. In our defence the grass wicket was poor and wholly unpredictable. A number of balls didn’t bounce and that probably accounts for the relatively high proportion of LBW’s. Also there was only one sight screen. However it was the same for both teams and so there was no advantage.
Redemption came in the form of Ashan Syed who set about scoring 25 runs before being recklessly run out by his partner. However he had stiffened the resolve of the team and more runs followed from newcomer Gunter Bayer (18) and veteran Des Drumm (11*). The innings finished on 124 runs, a highly unlikely prospect 20 overs earlier. Gorry took 4 for 9 and was the pick of the Trinity bowlers.
Trinity went into bat and their openers built a solid partnership before Syed and Threadgold struck. Barra MacNiocaill, a round the wicket off break bowler, came on as first change and he and Syed carved up the opposition between them getting 4 wickets apiece. Gorry (28) was the only other batsman to offer resistance and he looked extremely dangerous until a snorter from Rehan undid him. Again the poor wicket contributed to the demise of some of their players. After 23 overs they were all out for 57 and Halverstown had seized success from the jaws of certain defeat by a margin of 67 runs.
The outstanding player for Halverstown was Ashan Syed who top scored with 25 runs and took 4 wickets. The new boys did well. Gunter 18 runs; Barra 4 wickets; and Rehan the crucial wicket of their premier batsmen. We look forward to their continuing involvement with Halverstown.
Our next fixture is against Pembroke at home on Saturday 13th May.
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