The XI selected for this match was, in batting order, CCJ Harte, Johnny Silverstone, MAG Bryce, Hart Cox, Philip Nixon, Simon Hewson, Alan Kirk, Mike Halliday (C), Ronnie McCarey, John Frankland and Eoin (EJ) Deering.

There are a couple of items in looking that far back that cause me much thought. First of all the match was played on a Sunday which was not that unusual except that where we had only 1 fixture on a weekend it would normally have been on a Saturday. Perhaps the Leinster Rugby Cup Final was on the Saturday - my memory doesn’t tell me that DUFC were in the Final but they had been the previous season (when they lost in a replay of the Final) and, perhaps, avoiding a possible clash was in “our” minds when the matches were being arranged.

The other recollection is that we (i.e. DUCC) had endeavoured to obtain covers for College Park in an effort to try to improve the wickets somewhat. They weren’t that bad but they did tend to be very slow and lifeless. Frames for the Covers duly arrived (through the “best” offices of DUCAC) but there weren’t any wheels!! Needs must and the canvas tarpaulins provided could be laid over the frames, so we were able to cover before games. Getting rid of overnight rain was quite a challenge! The Scoresheet for this match indicates that it started at 1 50 p.m. which should have been 1.30 and I believe that the delay was caused by a spillage during the removal of said covers! Both teams assisted in ensuring that the game got underway although I can’t recall who won the toss. Re-arrangements were a nightmare for DUCC and the other League sides had to fit in 2 rounds of matches so a bit of patience and co-operation was the norm.

The spillage had left a damp patch on quite a good length but far (maybe 4 to 5 feet), outside the line of the off-stump at the (New) Library end. Belvedere batted first and for a long time they had no reason to regret this. However progress was slow, a pattern to remain for the whole game. In DUCC’s 10 League games 3 were drawn ; in each case the side batting first probably went on a bit too long. Four were won by the excellence of the DUCC attack which simply blew away the opposition. The other 3 were nail-biters and this game was the first of those. An overall “return” of 131 runs from 92 overs and 3 balls will seem to any observer at this distance turgid beyond belief but in reality it was a very close and gripping contest throughout.

Belvedere’s opening partnership amazingly scored more than a third of the total runs in the match! Kevin O’Riordan (31) and Frank O’Hanlon (13) took an hour and a half to reach 45 in the face of some excellent bowling from Frankland and McCarey. The former had 0 for 11 with 6 Maidens in an 11 over spell!; McCarey managed 5 Maidens in his 10 overs conceding 14 runs. Skipper Halliday made the break-through in his 4th over with catches by Harte and McCarey removing both openers. Kevin O’Riordan had hit Halliday for a 6 and also managed 2 fours - there were only 2 other boundaries in the whole game! Halliday who had none for 9 after 3 overs now bowled superbly finishing with 5 for 15 off 12 overs. Frankland returned to get 3 for 14 off 19(!!) overs and Simon Hewson bagged the last 2 wickets. Four of the batsmen were LBW but there was 1 crucial delivery which still stands out in the memory.

When John Frankland began his 2nd spell the visitors were 53 for 2 and Alec O’Riordan batting with Paddy Tynan. Normally one of Ireland’s best and most fluent players he had laboured for 25 minutes for 2 runs when one of Frankland’s quick whippy off-cutters pitched far too wide, but in the aforementioned damp patch. To Alec’s astonishment it cut back hugely and thudded in to the top of the off stump with no shot offered! The rest of the innings was doomed - 54 for 2 became 65 all out in the 50th over!

Trinity had no illusions that this would be an easy task. Alec O’Riordan (also arguably the best bowler in the land) began with 5 straight maidens in the 4th of which he bowled Silverstone. Henry Tighe produced 4 maidens in his first 6 overs and had the wicket of Bryce. When Harte was caught by Fred Daly in Kevin O’Riordan’s first over DUCC stood at 14 for 3 after 17 overs! Philip Nixon joined Hart Cox and despite the tightest of bowling they put on 20 most valuable runs. The difficulty in scoring is well illustrated by the fact that Cox’s top score of 29 contained 11 twos and 7 singles and stretched from the 12th to the 43rd over!

Simon Hewson and Cox also added 20 for the 5th wicket with Hewson notching DUCC’s only boundary. When he fell to Alec O’Riordan there were “only” 12 runs required but Kirk came and went; by the time Cox’s wicket fell to Alec the scores were level and skipper Halliday nudged a single in the fading light to enable Trinity over the line! Alec O’Riordan’s 4 for 10 off 13 overs and Henry Tighe’s 2 for 14 off 11 summed up a great effort by the visitors but for DUCC it was the Gold Dust of winning your first League game in a brief but intense season.

There was now almost a week to prepare for a “double weekend” with trips to Railway Union and Leinster. The signs that our batting was probably weaker than our bowling, especially as we had 3 spin options to back up the opening attack led to much discussion as to the possibility of bringing in JR (Barney) McKenna to open the batting with CCJ dropping to 6. Eoin Deering was, in the end , the player left out, and we shall see how that worked out - next week!