CRICKET/Leinster Senior Cup final preview: For the first time since 1983, the final of the Leinster Senior Cup - sponsored by Conqueror - will be staged on Saturday in the splendid and scenic setting of Malahide Cricket Club, where the opponents, fittingly enough, will be two other northside clubs, Clontarf and North County.
This will be a repeat of the final of three years ago, when Clontarf were the victors at Milverton, winning the Cup for the sixth time, their other successes being in 1943, 1950, 1969, 1992 and 1995.
No fewer than seven of the present North County side played in that final (the club's first) of 2000 - Conor and Dara Armstrong, Paul Martin, John and Paul Mooney, Joe (Big Bird) Murphy and Sean O'Connor. And their current captain, all-rounder Andre Botha, was also in action but was then on the Clontarf team.
Clontarf have four survivors again on duty - Thinnus Fourie, Ronan O'Reilly, Paul Ryan and Keith Spelman. O'Reilly was captain on that occasion, Ryan top-scored with 68 and won the man of the match award, while Spelman took 3 for 32.
Overall, Clontarf were deserving winners by 41 runs and North County were thus deprived of that elusive first Senior Cup victory.
The Fingal side may be favourites - just - this time around. But given their array of talent have not been exactly invincible this season; they lost to WMK League Section A leaders Malahide in a thrilling game last weekend, and are now third on the table, having lost two of their five matches.
But Clontarf's resilience was underlined when they defeated Phoenix in the semi-final two weeks ago having lost to the same opposition in the LHW Senior League final the previous Saturday; their blend of experienced and talented young players is certainly paying off.
Thus players like skipper Iain Synnott, Fourie, O'Reilly and Greg Molins have been well supported by a skilful coterie of up-and-coming youngsters like Bill Coghlan, Conor D'Arcy, Alex Cusack and Ross Maybury; an intriguing final seems to be in store.
The North West Senior Cup final will also be contested tomorrow at Eglinton, with Limavady and Glendermott in opposition. Limavady will be contesting their fifth consecutive final, Glendermott their first.
By defeating Scotland by five wickets yesterday Ireland Under-19 completed an unbeaten campaign in the European Championship in Holland and have qualified for the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh next year.
EUROPEAN UNDER-19 CHAMPIONSHIP: At Deventer, Holland: Scotland 132 all out (G Kidd 2 for 7, C Kelly 2 for 28), Ireland 133 for 5 (G Wilson 67, E Morgan 27). Ireland won by 5 wickets.
CLONTARF: I Synnott (capt.), T Fourie, B Coghlan, A Cusack, C D'Arcy, P Gada, R Maybury (W/K), G Molins, R O'Reilly, P Ryan, K Spelman. 12th man: B Nolan.
NORTH COUNTY: A Botha (capt.), C Armstrong, D Armstrong (W/K), S Grobler, D Harper, P Martin, J Mooney, P Mooney, J Murphy, S O'Connor, K Richardson. 12th man: T Rooney.
GLENDERMOTT (from): G Montgomery (capt.), G Watson, D Robb, R Robinson, V Gunawardne, S Doherty, S Montgomery, J Thompson, G Neely, P Gibson, M Ferguson, S Hargan, G McIlhatton.
LIMAVADY (from): I McGregor, D Curry, K Akmal, A Christie, M McDaid, R McDaid, V McDaid, K Burns, B Christie, S Kilburn, C Martin, S McMichael, J Thompson.
