Mooney believes home advantage key for North County

LEINSTER SENIOR CUP FINAL: IT IS fitting that the last Lewis Hohn Williams Senior Cup decider of the decade sees the two dominant teams in the competition's recent history face off at Balrothery today (11am).

North County enjoy the considerable benefits of home advantage against Clontarf and will be hoping to turn the tables on last year’s final when they lost a low-scoring encounter at Castle Avenue.

That victory was the ninth in Clontarf’s history and fourth since the turn of the century in a 60-over competition that plays to the strength of one of the best batting line-ups in Ireland.

Of course, County have had a decade of success themselves, with five All-Ireland cups and four Leinster League titles to go with their one senior cup success.

North County skipper John Mooney believes home advantage will be a key, although he knows Clontarf’s form in this competition will stand to them.

“We saw the advantage that Clontarf had last year and it will be the same for us this time around. They have a great pedigree in this competition, I’ve lost count of how many times they’ve won,” said Mooney, who reckons the battle of the middle orders will be the crucial aspect to the outcome of the game.

“The two sides are very evenly matched, and I’d find it very difficult to make a call on the result. Their middle order is formidable, but ours is not too bad either,” he added.

Of course, Mooney is a pivotal part of a County battling line-up that also includes fellow Irish international Andre Botha and he also points to the talents of players such as Brian Shields and Richie Lawrence, who is back in the side after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Clontarf finally won through to the decider on Thursday night, claiming an impressive six-wicket victory over The Hills at Milverton.

Rod Hokin (79 not out) and Alex Cusack (40 not out) shared an unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership of 116 to earn a seventh final berth of the decade and the pair will be looking to bring that form to bear today.

The weather will also be a huge factor, with the Bank Holiday forecast likely to force the game into next week. Despite the amount of rain during the week, Mooney reports that the Balrothery pitch is in good nick. It’s that kind of local knowledge that might just give his side the edge this time around.

CLONTARF:J Morrissey (capt), B Coghlan, A Cusack, A D'Arcy (wkts), C D'Arcy, M D'Arcy, N Delany, Richard Forrest, R Hokin, G Molins, A Poynter.

NORTH COUNTY: J Mooney (capt), C Armstrong, D Armstrong (wkts), A Botha, C Garry, F van der Merwe, R Lawrence, S O'Connor, C Shiel, B Shields, E Richardson.

FIXTURES: SATURDAY:Lewis Hohn Williams Senior Cup Final: North County v Clontarf, Balrothery, 11.0. Leinster Senior League (1.0) — Section A: Leinster v Pembroke, Rathmines. Section B: Old Belvedere v Rush, Cabra; Phoenix v Malahide, Phoenix Park. SUNDAY: Senior II Cup Final: Clontarf v The Hills, Castle Avenue, noon. MONDAY: Leinster Senior League (1.0) — Section A: Leinster v The Hills, Rathmines; Pembroke v Clontarf, Sydney Parade. Section B: CYM v Phoenix.