CRICKET CUP FINAL:A BRILIANT undefeated knock of 126 from their Australian professional Rod Hokin steered Clontarf to a hat-trick of Lewis Hohn Williams Senior Cup titles and the 10th in the club's history with an overwhelming 185-run victory over North County at Balrothery on Saturday.

Indeed, the sponsors may be tempted to add the 30-year-old all-rounder’s name to the title of the competition after he chalked up his second ton in the last three finals, averaging a shade over 153 in the 10 senior cup games since he arrived from Sydney.

Having won the toss and batted, Clontarf got off to a slow start, with opener Adrian D’Arcy struggling to get the ball off the square against County’s opening attack. He would succumb after facing 26 balls for just one run, when Irish international John Mooney trapped him lbw in the ninth over.

That brought Hokin to the crease to join Bill Coghlan and the pair would add 58 runs for the second wicket before Coghlan departed for 40 with the score on 73. They lost another key wicket just before lunch, when Andrew Poynter had his stumps rearranged by Andre Botha, to leave Clontarf on 81 for three off 32 overs at the interval. They upped the tempo after lunch as Hokin went past his half-century, but were still looking well short of setting a competitive total when Greg Molins departed for 13 in the 50th over to leave them on 163 for five.

The final was about the enter its key period, with Clontarf skipper Joe Morrissey signalling his intent with an early six, while Hokin brought up his century with another maximum as the runs started to flow freely.

Morrissey would hit another three sixes and three fours in a destructive knock of 40 in 26 deliveries, with Matthew D’Arcy also doing his bit with a quick-fire 13.

Hokin also opened his shoulders, lifting three more sixes to go with 13 fours in a 138-ball stay at the crease. When the dust had settled, Clontarf not only had a defendable total of 281 but also the most valuable commodity of momentum after clubbing 118 off the last 64 balls of their innings.

County folded in the face of a pumped-up fielding side. Hokin took a good catch at second slip as Conor Armstrong went for eight to the bowling of Alex Cusack, who then provided the key wicket of Botha. The pressure was on Mooney, but the skipper misjudged Hokin’s reactions in the covers as he was run out for four and by tea, the home side’s goose was cooked, as they collapsed to 59 for seven.

Some brief resistance from Francois van der Merwe delayed the inevitable before he was trapped leg-before on 34, with man-of-the-match Hokin fittingly sealing the win when he bowled Conor Shiel as County were skittled for 96 in the 30th over.

Afterwards, Morrissey was quick to praise Hokin. “Rod is the best professional in Leinster, not because he’s the most talented, but because he works the hardest. I’ve played senior cricket for 15 years and have seen plenty of flash in the pan pros, but I haven’t seen many deliver with the regularity he does. He’s been brilliant for the club.” Scoreboard in Sports Round-Up