Cricket/Senior Cup: There will be at least three Dublin clubs in the last four of the Irish Senior Cup after Rush, Phoenix and Railway Union all registered wins on Saturday. North County can still make it a Leinster full house if they beat Strabane after that game was washed out at the northwest venue.
In the southern games, fortune certainly favoured the teams batting first as each side posted big totals with none of their opponents capable of successfully chasing them.
At Milverton, the team of the year so far, Railway Union, clocked up a massive 327 for eight off 50 overs with Adrian Murphy hitting a typically fluent 113. Kenny Carroll celebrated his call-up to the senior national side with another big innings, falling eight short of what would have been a sensational fifth century of the season.
Mind you, the way he is batting these days it won't be long before he gets it and Ireland fans will be hoping it will come during the upcoming European Championships where he will most likely open the innings.
In reply, The Hills were never in the hunt and were eventually dismissed 194 runs short.
Only captain Bryn Thomas (64) stood up to the Railway bowling as The Hills were all out for just 133.
Gourav Singh was the pick of that attack, taking four wickets for 24 and there were two wickets apiece for Carroll and left-arm seamer Gary Black.
In the Phoenix Park, the last Northern Cricket Union side left in the competition Lurgan had no answer to the home side's total of 324 for eight.
Robert Nandi was the day's top scorer with 125 while Corie Dickieson (73) and David Ford (65) did their bit for the 1986 champions.
Francois Viljoen took four wickets and then 31 runs for the Pollock Park side but it was never going to be enough to overhaul Phoenix's huge total.
Meanwhile, over in Castle Avenue there was a slightly closer affair with Rush beating their north Dublin rivals Clontarf by 51 runs.
Brián O'Rourke top scored with 73 and William Porterfield hit a half-century as Rush registered 249 for nine off 50 overs.
A target of 250 to win at Castle Avenue is far from impossible, especially for a team with the batting of Clontarf but despite 73 from Trent Johnston, the home side never really looked like winning, losing wickets at crucial stages through the innings.
This is fast becoming a season to forget for the Castle Avenue side.
North County's replay against Strabane is meant to take place this Friday but the national team will be away at the Europeans in Glasgow so County would therefore be without John and Paul Mooney as well as Andre Botha, while Strabane would be missing Peter Gillespie.
The management committee of the ICU will meet tomorrow evening to discuss the matter and the draw for the semi-finals will also be made then.
