• THE third-last over at Claremont Road last Sunday saw what is believed to be an unprecedented display of hitting. Former Ireland left armer Stewart Taylor, bowling to CYM captain Bryn Thomas, was smacked for two sixes off the first two balls before Thmas took a single. There was to be little respite for Stewie when Byron Esthuizen then tonked six, four, four off the rest of the over. twenty-seven runs (repeat: 661644) is believed to be a Leinster senior record, surpassing the 24 (six fours) recorded by hard-hitting Old Belvedere batsman Dave Tucker some years ago. CYM claimed the points as some measure of conslation for losing the senior cup final to YM the week before. Highly promising 16 year old all-rounder Conor Kelly took the wicket of ex-Irish captain Angus Dunlop for the second time in seven days.
  • Nasser Hussein's recent dismal run of tosses sparked some correspondence in the Observer's cricket diary, edited by Norman Harris. Last Sunday's edition read:
    Mike Halliday"England may have got over their losing sequence with the toss (much good it has done them) but the subject continues to interest readers. A correspondent in Ireland informs us that Mike Halliday, captaining that country's cricket team, lost 14 consecutive tosses in 1985 and 1986. An off-spinner, he was not so gifted in the coin-spinning art, says our correspondent, and became known as the most useless tosser in Irish cricket."
    Who on earth could it have been describing the venerable Mr Halliday thus?
  • Mike has just stepped down as Irish selector, with his mantle passing to Brian Buttimer. 'The Brute' as he was known before his Terenure-induced mellowing, is one of the deepest thinkers on the game in Leinster and is sure to be a great success. He has already made a ripple at his first Irish selection meeting.
    As that conclave was breaking up, Buttimer chipped in with "But we haven't discussed Ian Morgan yet?" Much scratching of heads from the northern contingent, and much horror from fellow Leinster selector Louis Hogan, who was well aware of the limitations of the CYM veteran (206 senior matches, average 14.83). After an embarrassed pause, Brian admitted "That's okay. I just wanted to tell Moggy he had been mentioned at an Irish selection meeting".
    The story will undoubtedly get a further airing this Friday when the more talented batting Morgan, Colm, gets married to fellow former-Trinity cricketer Avril Craig.
  • The washout in Ormeau was disappointing for the large number that travelled up from Dublin for the game. Spotted dodging the puddles were Donal O'Sullivan, Gerry Delany, Mary Sharp, Collette Branagan, Michael Fagan, David and Fred Malone, as well as a large selection of the O'Brien and Molins clans from Railway Union, and several representatives of The Hills, Merrion and North County clubs. We hear that a pair of Merrion men, wisely reckoning that the midday rains would end the day's sport, decided to eschew the alternative delights of NICC. Instead the pair commandeered a taxi and demanded to be shown the 'troubles tour'. Messrs Powell and Quinlan were not too impressed with Johnny Adair's house and proceeded thence to a local pub and an early train.