Cork county’s bowlers almost help pull off one of the biggest shocks in this competition when they came up 2 wickets short against Clontarf in a pulsating 1st round tie of the Irish Senior Cup at Castle Avenue.
Having lost the toss and put in to bat on a wicket which produced some two paced and variable bounce, County posted a modest total of just 143 from 44 overs in difficult conditions. Cork County captain Stephan Grobler top scored with 26 with contributions from Durity (23), Amin (23) and Wootton (22), however, the middle order failed to provide the support and runs required to set a competitive total.
In contrast, the Cork county’s bowlers almost help pull off one of the biggest shocks in this competition when they came up 2 wickets short in a pulsating 1st round tie. Defending a total 144, County really put it up to last year’s beaten finalists who will be glad to have put today’s game behind them.
A fiery opening spell from Junaid Amin set the tone as the Clontarf top order were forced to take unnecessary risks to take the initiative away from the County attack. Bauer came into the attack and with an inspired spell of bowling blew away Poynter and Nazir and had Delaney dropped at second slip. Abubakar Saddique joined Bauer with a tight and masterful spell taking 3-19 off his 10 overs and put the hosts on the verge of elimination.
Having survived a difficult early period at the crease, Clontarf captain Eoin Delaney (36*) guided his side to a hard fought victory thanks to support from his younger brother David. County, on the other hand, will have gained huge confidence from this game and will look forward to the rest of their first season in the top flight.
View the full scorecard by clicking here.
Below are a collection of video clips recorded by Deryck Vincent of Clontarf CC.