JUST hearing about Roy Silva’s innings on Sunday afternoon is dizzying. But imagine what the Cliftonville fielders felt like.
The Sri Lankan pro has been coming to play in Ireland for four years, but his name will live long after he leaves these shores after his amazing 295no for Glendermott at Bonds Street.
“I'm probably a little disappointed not to have reached 300 having come so close but I'm delighted with how everything went today”, he said afterwards.
"I scored my first ever double-hundred for Glendermott at Donemana a few seasons back but I have never posted a score this big and I doubt if I ever will again.
"It has been a special day but we have been doing really well this season so far and now we have to keep it going”.
Kumo Roy Prasanga Silva, 34, has been playing as a professional in the North-West since 2011. After two seasons at Glendermott he joined big-spending Coleraine last summer before returning to the club in the suburbs of Derry.
The all-rounder has been playing first-class in his homeland for more than a decade but 171 was his best score there.
The popular Silva has been around the world plying his trade, helping Accrington in Lancashire to its first double in 2008, returning there in 2009 before moving to Lancaster for a season.
On Sunday in the O’Neill’s Ulster Shield game he only went in in the 15th of the 40 overs, with the score 105-1. He went to his 100 in 41 balls, and took 27 more to reach his double.
Six after six rained down on spectators and surrounding fields as he crashed the ball over the ropes 34 times.
Silva also hit 11 fours and with five needed off the last ball for a rare triple, he swung and missed.
In all he faced just 91 balls.
“Normally I like to hit hard. I’m a little bit aggressive,” he said after the game.
“When I’m in the middle I just like to hit the ball, I don’t see boundaries or fielders.”
Silva’s knock, the best by far in a limited overs game in this country, is even greater because it was in the shorter, 40 over format.
There have only been two triple centuries in the long history of the game here.
In 1895 an English officer in the Munster Fusiliers, Capt William Oates, scored 313no against the Army Service Corps. He was batting with an Irishman, Private Francis Fitzgerald, who made 287.
Their partnership of 623 at the Curragh Camp was the biggest that ever been made at the time, anywhere in the world.
The only other triple hundred scored here was by ‘a visiting sailor’ at Midleton in the 19th century but no other details have survived.
The total of 462-4, off just 40 overs, was far too much for the Belfast club which produced Paul Stirling and Kyle McCallan.
Despite 149 by their own pro, Indian Avadhoot Dandekar, their shell-shocked side could only muster 224.
Silva also “did a Sobers”, hitting six sixes off a single over, bowled by Davy Munn.
This was previously achieved by his compatriot Ravi Patel a couple of years ago playing for Co Down side Dundrum against Sion Mills.
In Leinster, the best single over score was 34 by Railway Union’s Leo Behan – son of legendary Man United scout Billy – off Vinny Savino of Clontarf in 1967.
Silva and Glendermott are now in the semi-finals of the Ulster Shield, where they will play Downpatrick, whose skipper, Paul Tate, was upbeat.
“Nice easy draw”, he tweeted. “Mr Silva may buy us a box of white balls.”
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Other performance of the week: Louise McCarthy only bowled 21 balls against Clontarf last week, but eight of them hit stumps. Her figures of 8-1 is, like Roy Silva’s innings, the best ever in a one-day match in Ireland.
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Tweet of the week: “Must be such an awesome feeling making your test debut esp at lord’s. Here's hoping Ireland will get that chance before I hang em up” – Niall O’Brien.
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The players of Merrion and Pembroke will be sick of the sight of each other by this time next week. They meet over 60 overs in the Cup on Saturday, 50 overs in the League (Sunday), and 20 overs in the Alan Murray (Tuesday).
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The disciplinary meeting of CricketLeinster can often get a bit heated. But Inside Edge hears that last week the friction spilled out into the car park where two umpires were confronted by a player in whose case they had just given evidence. The player’s case has been reopened and he can look forward to a longer ban.
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SATURDAY
RSA Leinster Senior Cup quarter-finals: Malahide v Phoenix, North Co v The Hills, Clontarf v North Co, Pembroke v Merrion
SUNDAY
RSA Men’s Div1: North Co v YMCA, Terenure v Clontarf, Merrion v Pembroke, Railway v The Hills; Div2: Leinster v Malahide, Rush v Cork Co, Balbriggan v Phoenix
TUESDAY
Alan Murray Cup T20 (6pm): Pembroke v Merrion, Malahide v Clontarf, North Co v Balbriggan, Phoenix v Rush, Terenure v Leinster