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Waringstown’s hold on all-Ireland club competitions continued with a comfortable 85-run victory over Merrion in the Clear Currency Irish Senior Cup Final at Stormont today.

Waringstown’s hold on all-Ireland club competitions continued with a comfortable 85-run victory over Merrion in the Clear Currency Irish Senior Cup Final at Stormont today.
Player of the Match Shaheen Khan dominated proceedings with 71 not out and 2-23, but as Waringstown captain Greg Thompson alluded to after the match, this was a victory for the team and a club who are now the most successful in Irish Senior Cup history with six victories in total.

Three half-centuries, including Khan’s, James Hall (74) and James McCollum (56), wickets for five bowlers and two run-outs attest to a team that has had different players stand up at various times throughout the season.

Hall and McCollum put on 127 for the second wicket as they pulled, cut and drove in a chanceless partnership.

Only when Niranjan Shankar (0-28 off 8) and John Anderson (3-48) bowled in tandem through the middle overs did Merrion come back into the game.

Anderson’s three wickets came in three consecutive overs as Waringstown slipped from 139-1 to 152-4, however Shaheen Khan counter-attacked and proceeded to smash his team past 250. Khan hit three fours and two sixes in his majestic 55-ball innings.

Merrion captain Dom Joyce tried everything to restrict the Waringstown firepower, bowling seven bowlers in total, but the northerners were more than happy to have made 264-7 from 50 overs.

Image: Tyrone Kane bowled for 16 [Image: PressEye]

The Merrion chase never really got up and running as Joyce fell in just the second over despite two glorious boundaries preceding his dismissal. Fellow opener Bhavesh Lakhotia and John Anderson began to rebuild, but when Lakhotia was run out immediately after pulling a free-hit 6 to deep square leg, the momentum was broken again.

Merrion’s hopes seemed to rest on John Anderson’s shoulders but when Gary Kidd (2-35) trapped him LBW with the score 69-3 inside 14 overs, a tough chase looked harder for the new Leinster Premier League champions.

Waringstown then rotated their spin bowling attack to increase the pressure as the run rate required mounted. Eventually, they were forced to look for the big shots and then the wickets fell in batches. Three wickets for nine runs around the 30th over left Merrion 134-7 and staring into the abyss.

Dave Langford-Smith clipped two fine sixes to entertain the large travelling Merrion support, but the chase was to be in vain.

The last three wickets fell for just eight runs and Waringstown could celebrate an 85-run victory.

Image: Celebrations after the final wicket [Image: PressEye]

Scorecard in brief

Clear Currency Irish Senior Cup Final, 1 September 2018 at Stormont

Waringstown 264-7 (50 overs; J Hall 74, S Khan 71*, J McCollum 56; J Anderson 3-48, J Carty 2-58)
Merrion 179 (42.1 overs; M Lewis 46; S Khan 2-23, G Kidd 2-35, L Nelson 2-38)

Waringstown win by 85 runs

Full scorecard here.

Peter Boyd
Waringstown celebrate their sixth Irish Senior Cup win
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