DUBLIN – North County captain Eddie Richardson produced a shocking all-round show with bat and ball, to steer his North County aspect to a dramatic come-from-behind 12-run victory over Terenure to win the 2022 Clear Foreign money Nationwide Cup ultimate at Leinster Cricket Membership.
Richardson top-scored with 64 runs within the first innings then adopted it up by taking 4-13 with the ball, as North County clawed their means again from a seemingly hopeless place to win with 5 balls remaining.
After successful the toss Richardson selected to bat first. Nonetheless, the opener Jamie Grassi (22) quickly misplaced fellow opener Niall McGovern (1) and John Devane for a duck, leaving North County at 6-2 within the third over.
Richardson himself got here in at quantity 4 and started a counter-attacking partnership with Grassi. Grassi hit the primary most of the day within the ninth over off Mark Thomas, with the pair mentioning their 50-partnership within the thirteenth over.
Nonetheless, whereas the 2 batters seemed regular, Grassi quickly was again within the pavilion having guided one straight to Mark Thomas at cowl within the fifteenth over.
Jonathan Andrews (7) got here and went, and North County had moved on to 86-4 on the half-way level of the 40-over innings. Richardson introduced up his 50 off 65 balls, and had settled in to construct a second half-century partnership with Andrew Sheridan.
With 10 overs remaining North County seemed comfy at 133-4, nevertheless, Zubair Hassan Khan (3-37) intervened with the ball, taking three wickets in simply seven balls. He eliminated each Richardson (64) and Sheridan (34) within the thirty first over – Richardson caught on the boundary by Séamus Lynch, whereas Sheridan chopped onto to the stumps. Their partnership of 58 was the very best of the North County innings.
Khan struck once more in his subsequent over, getting the veteran John Mooney (2) to edge one behind. North County had collapsed from 133-4 to 136-7 within the area of two overs.
Liam Harris (3-18) then got here on to bowl off-spin and ended the North County innings taking the ultimate three wickets – Sean Sludds (4), Usman Azhar (0), and Abdul Ghaffar (0) to submit a complete of 147.
Terenure’s response received off to the worst attainable begin, shedding two early wickets – the primary dismissal noticed Richardson’s large in-swinger beat Séamus Lynch’s bat and crashing into leg stump, whereas the North County skipper had Donal Vaughan caught behind along with his very subsequent ball.
Following the lack of these two early wickets, Terenure’s Henry Dall and Raghav Grover stabilised the innings and started to construct a partnership. After a 62-run stand, Dall (23) was caught within the deep by Jamie Grassi, however Grover was a relaxing affect within the center, and half-way by way of their innings Terenure had been 77-3, wanting like a well-paced run-chase. Grover was dropped within the twenty second over, whereas on 36, and at that stage it seemed prefer it may very well be very pricey.
However North County’s bowling assault confirmed nice self-discipline, with 38 dot balls out of 52 deliveries within the essential center overs. Then a full toss by Usman Azhar tempted Harris (6), and he was caught by Andrews at mid-wicket, because the strain began to inform. Michael Cotter adopted shortly after and Terenure had been 94-5.
Regardless of a wonderful innings, Raghav Grover (49) fell one run in need of his half-century after getting trapped in entrance by the vastly spectacular Richardson.
A late cameo from Terenure captain Dónal Lynch (24) wasn’t sufficient as he ended up operating out of companions, with Khan (6), Safi (2), and Tukrel (3) all departing in fast succession. Needing 13 to win from the ultimate over, the vastly skilled John Mooney stepped up and clean-bowled Mark Thomas with the primary ball of the ultimate over.
MATCH SUMMARY
North County v Terenure, Clear Foreign money Nationwide Cup Ultimate, Leinster Cricket Membership, 28 August 2022
North County 147 (35.4 overs; E Richardson 64, A Sheridan 34; L Harris 3-18)
Terenure 135 (39.1 overs; R Grover 49, D Lynch 24; E Richardson 4-13)
North County received by 12 runs
