Their first Leinster Senior Cup final (sponsored by Conquerer) was hardly a happy occasion for the CYM club, who lost by 46 runs to YMCA over the weekend. The neutral Castle Avenue ground might have been a help, but there was a certain air of inevitability about this confrontation, even as early as when the deluge held up the proceedings on Saturday.
By then, CYM had held YMCA to what looked an attainable total of 210 for 9, off the regulation 60 overs. Chris Cruikshank top-scored with 47, and Carl Hosford rowed in with 36, but when Angus Dunlop and Alan Lewis were dismissed cheaply, CYM looked in not so much as a shout as with a deafening bellow.
But that historic first Senior Cup win was not to be.
Play resumed at 2.0 yesterday afternoon and a good opening stand of 51 runs from Davy Van Der Walt and Rory Flanagan merely flattered to deceive, in the heel of the hunt.
Van Der Walt had made made 34 and Flanagan had hit 23 and the prospects were pleasing at that point for CYM. But then enter Alan Lewis, whose superb throw shattered the stumps to run Van Der Walt out - and that early break-through meant that the end was nigh.
Of the remaining batsmen, only Conor Kelly and Colm Morgan (who had kept a good wicket on Saturday) reached double figures.
Stewart Taylor bowled well and was well supported by Stuart McCready as YMCA won the cup for the first time since 1994.
YMCA
M Broadmore c Morgan b Lax 19
C Hosford c Morgan b Thomas 36
C Cruikshank lbw b Kelly 47
A Dunlop c Morgan b Kelly 14
A Lewis c sub (Kerrigan) b Kelly 19
S McCready c Dwyer b Kelly 10
J Hoey c Lax b Kelly 1
S Taylor not out 18
S Wilson-Moore b Esterhuizen 1
D Butler b Esterhuizen 0
S O'Gorman not out 8
Extras 37
Total (for 9, 51 overs) 210
Fall of wickets: 1/22; 2/95; 3/132; 4/134; 5/161; 6/168; 7/171; 8/173; 9/173.
Bowling: M Lax 11-1-29-1, B Esterhuizen 12-1-32-2, T O'Neill 4-0-23-0, R Carroll 10-2-34-0, B Thomas 12-2-32-1, C Kelly 11-1-49-5.
CYM
D Van der Walt run out 34
R Flanagan c Butler b Taylor 23
M Lax c Lewis b Taylor 6
B Thomas c Hoey b Taylor 0
B Esterhuizen b Cruikshank 3
C Kelly c Lewis b Dunlop 29
W Dwyer run out 0
C Morgan not out 21
R Whitney b McCreavy 0
T O'Neill lbw b McCready 4
R Carroll c Butler b Dunlop 5
Extras 39
Total (all out, 51 overs) 164
Bowling: S McCready 12-2-51-2, S Wilson-Moore 4-0-24-0, C Cruikshank 12-3-21-1, S Taylor 12-3-23-3, A Dunlop 10-0-37-2, S O'Gorman 1-0-1-0.
YMCA won by 46 runs.
Man of the match: Chris Cruikshank (YMCA).
Umpires: A Tuffery, R O'Reilly.
LEINSTER LEAGUE SECTION B.
At Park Avenue: Railway Union 126 (39.5 overs), (S Young 42, N O'Brien 28; P Byrne 4 for 35, R Hastie 4 for 42), Pembroke 130 for 6 (39.3 overs) (P Davy 45 no., O Gilchrist 22; R Whelan 3 for 38). Pembroke won by 4 wickets.
YMCA SALVER FINAL: at Claremont Road_ Pembroke III 141 for 8 Malahide III 134 for 8.
