THE HILLS' skipper, Matt Dwyer, served the good wine at the start, in the middle and towards the end of Saturday's Conqueror Cup final at "The Vineyard", where the Fingal club repulsed Pembroke's challenge to take their second senior trophy of, the season.
Dwyer first won the toss and wisely opted to bat, shared in an invaluable 32-run ninth wicket stand with Joe Clinton, and then took three equally priceless wickets for only 11 runs.
Man-of-the-match adjudicator Alan Lewis will rarely have an easier task.
Still, this is a team game after all, and Dwyer would be the first to acknowledge the contributions of Barry Archer, Declan Moore, Paul Mooney, et al.
Yet Wim Jansen had got Pembroke away to a heartening start, removing Mooney and Patrick Byrne in rapid succession to leave The Hills floundering on 23 for 2. Barry Archer and Mark Clinton then rallied, putting on 62 runs for the third wicket, before John Davy clean-bowled Archer and then had new arrival Mark Clinton well caught by Dixon Butler, and The Hills suddenly were 85 for 4.
Moore went just nine runs later, before modest, if useful, contributions from John Archer, John Andrews and Noel Harper in turn nudged the tally along to 145 for 8, when Archer was run out.
Enter Matt Dwyer and young Joe Clinton. The pair had brought the score to a more comfortable 177 when John Davy struck again, and had Dwyer caught behind by Colin Kavanagh; Clinton and the exuberant Mick Dwyer then held out to leave The Hills on a useful 200 for 9.
Pembroke needed more than just 10 runs on the board when Moore caught and bowled Jansen. But Trevor Dagg and Richard Hastie began to look like they might save the day, before Dagg was brilliantly held by Moore at deep mid-off. By the 32nd over, Pembroke had scored 66 for 5, and four overs on, they were reeling on 77 for 7.
Then John Davy, his side's top scorer, with Dixon Butler put on 31 for the eighth wicket; Paul Mooney ended the partnership when he caught and bowled Butler. Mooney then removed Kavanagh with the next ball, but Ronan Malin saved the hat-trick.
At 108 for 9, Pembrokes looked a lost cause. Still, the dogged Davy and Malin bravely fought an impressive rear-guard action; the concept of "They thought it was over" must have flickered through the mind of many a supporting Fingallian.
Suddenly, with the score on 140, with seven overs left, it was all over, when Harper held a fine catch at backward square-leg to dismiss Davy off Mooney's bowling.
And so The Hills won Leinster's premier trophy for only the second time for Matt Dwyer and his team on Saturday night, their Cup, you might say, runneth over. Northamptonshire went back to the top of the AXA Equity & Law League when they cruised to a comfortable six-wicket win over Leicestershire at Grace Road.
They cashed in on the fact that previous leaders Surrey were not involved in league action to move two points clear.
All-rounder Kevin Curran followed up his career-best 150 in the championship clash between the sides on Saturday by hitting an unbeaten 57 as Northants easily overcome a disappointing Leicestershire total of 133.
Yorkshire drew level with Surrey after an easy eight-wicket-victory over Sussex at Eastbourne, the Tykes quickly putting the disappointment of yesterday's championship defeat behind them.
Australian star Michael Bevan was an unlikely hero with the ball, taking five for 29 as Sussex tumbled to 206 all out after an opening stand of 108 between Rajesh Rao (64) and Keith Greenfield (47)
Yorkshire found the target comfortably within their reach, opener Michael Vaughan making a Sunday-best 71 not out, skipper David Byas (61) and Anthony McGrath (49no).
Champions Kent saw their hopes of retaining their title suffer a massive blow as they were sent crashing to a 10-wicket defeat by Worcestershire at Canterbury.
Kent, who were without injured skipper Steve Marsh and England all-rounder Mark Ealham, were bowled out for 135 in 36.3 overs.
