Swan-song clouds finale

Yes, the fields will be full of shades, all right, this last weekend of the cricket season, but they are likely to relate more to scudding clouds than to Francis Thomp son's epic poem, At Lord's. Still, the end of summer - well, so-called summer, in the present instance - is always a time of regret for cricketers; tomorrow, that emotion will be tinged with sadness as Carlisle play their final match as a senior club, against David Williams' Leinster Cricket Union President's X1, at Kimmage.

And the club's final competitive game, Thursday's overs-reduced affair against Merrion, deprived Molins pere et fils of what would have been a unique double in Leinster cricket. Rodney needed only two wickets (he got one of them) to take the O'Grady Cup for bowling, while another 37 runs would have given his son Jason the Marchant Cup for batting, for the third successive season.

Thursday's win over Merrion gave Carlisle second place, just 35 points adrift of the winners, Leinster, in Section A of the Whitney Moore & Keller Senior League, which adds a touch of irony to tomorrow's swan-song game. But the League, like life, goes on, with Merrion and YMCA involved in crucial matches today and tomorrow, Rush being the opponents, in both instances.

With the demise of Carlisle and the probable addition of Cork County to Section B, the suggestion some weeks back was that only one club would be relegated from Section A, thereby maintaining two divisions of seven clubs each. Now, apparently, the LCU has decided that two clubs will be relegated from Section A, as usual, which means that next summer, six clubs will compete in Section A and eight, assuming that Cork County will be brought into the fold, in Section B.

Not even two victories over the weekend - which is unlikely, anyway - can save Rush from the drop, since they would still be behind Merrion and YMCA. Victory for Merrion today would make a YMCA win tomorrow simply essential; all at Claremont Road will be taking an avid interest in the events at Kenure this afternoon, and you better believe it.

Meanwhile, YMCA have announced the appointment of Kamal Merchant as director of coaching next season. Although now in the twilight of his career, Kamal is still a useful seam bowler and a solid early-order batsman.

As well as coaching and playing for YMCA, he will also work with schools on the south side of the city. Kamal has been with Cliftonville CC for the past three years, and before that he was attached to Downpatrick CC for 12 seasons.

Civil Service, Ireland's fourth oldest club and a fixture in the Phoenix Park for the past 135 years, will host their inaugural sixes tournament - described by club stalwart Anthony Morrissey as "an end-of-season slogging festival for junior cricketers across Leinster" - this afternoon.

Six teams of six players each will compete in six-overs matches with bonus points awarded for every six scored. Taking part will be Civil Service neighbours and rivals Phoenix, Leinster, Pembroke, Sandyford, Garda and County Wexford.