Leinster cruise to easy victory

Some clinical batting by the Byrne brothers Joe and Johnny - they shared in a match-winning stand of 128 for the second wicket - gave Leinster a resounding seven wickets victory over Malahide in the Conqueror Leinster Senior Cup final at Sydney Parade on Saturday.

In pursuit of a Malahide total of 194, made in 58.5 overs, Leinster had only to keep the scoreboard clicking along at a modest pace to get home in the third last over.

Their only worrying moment came in the sixth over when they lost captain Mark Jones who was needlessly run-out attempting a single that was never there.

But if Malahide thought there might be further quick inroads into the Leinster batting they were to be disappointed as the Byrnes dug in deep.

With admirable resolution they brought the score along at a comfortable rate to reach 140 for two after 44 overs before Johnny departed, caught at slip for an excellent 72 off only 99 balls.

His innings can be described as one of his best for some time. He was assured, responsible, and typically adventurous with his shots when the opportunities came.

Joe played the part of anchor man to perfection, mixing obdurate defence while chipping away at the Malahide score with deft strokes and clips mostly behind the wicket. He lasted right through the innings and faced 188 balls in his 75 not out including five boundaries. He fully deserved the man of the match prize.

The only other wicket to fall was that of Henderson Wallace who, to the disappointment of the good sized crowd, had made four off only three balls when he was caught at mid-on by Nick Riches with the score on 156 for three in the 47th over.

Of the seven Malahide bowlers tried, Nick Riches was the most economical with nine overs costing just 18 runs. Stephen Smith too had a meritorious effort conceding just 28 from his 11 overs.

Malahide will be disappointed with their batting performance after winning the toss and failing to bat out their 60 overs.

Losing Brian Gilmore, caught behind in the third over, was a wounding blow. Reasonable contributions came from David McGeehan (21) and Conor Armstrong (23), but half of the side were back in the pavilion for 109 after 42 overs.

Later Dara Armstrong showed resilience and purpose to return their top score of 50 including a sweetly struck six over square leg, while Damien Ryan's defiant 22 off 25 balls was also a good effort to improve the scoring rate.

Leinster bowled superbly, batted better and ran between the wickets better to fully deserve their success.