It was a bright, breezy morning on Saturday, with showers dotted about as I drove round the M50, but dry when I got to Inch, Balrothery. The pitch for the Lewis Hohn Williams Senior Cup Final was dry, but damp patches on an old strip very close to it were causing umpires Black and Block some concern.

The captains decided that they'd just get on with it, and Clontarf elected to bat after winning the toss. Openers Adrian D'Arcy, left-handed, and Bill Coghlan, right-handed, made very sedate progress against John Mooney from the 'Balrothery' end, later dubbed the 'Lake' end (what's wrong with the 'Road' end?), and François van der Merwe from the Knockbrack end.

After a prolonged shout for an lbw that was far too high, John Boy had D'Arcy (1) plumb in front with a half volley onto the toe: that was 15-1 in the 9th over. Rod Hokin dug in as Coghlan drove at anything even remotely in his half. André Botha took over from van der Merwe and settled in to bowl his seamers unchanged until lunch.

Eddie Richardson was tried from the other end with his medium pace, and then Richie Lawrence's off breaks. The score had reached 73 in the 27th over when Coghlan, 40, hoiked Lawrence high to Mooney in cow corner. Andrew Poynter had hardly settled in when Boatsy brought one back past the inside edge to ping the top of off. 76-3 in the 30th over became 81-3 off 32 at lunch.

Alex Cusack (27) started to play some nice shots and with Hokin added fifty for the fourth wicket before carving Conor Shiel straight to Mooney: 131-4 in the 42nd over. Greg Molins likes a drive, but he and Hokin couldn't get things moving, and Greg nicked off for 15: 163-5 in the 50th over.

The cricket had been interesting, but there was much more drama watching dirty great shower clouds whizz either side of the ground. However, the action was about to transfer from the atmosphere to the surface as in came skipper Joe Morrissey and in six overs change the match. With big drives and heaves to leg he whacked 40, finally being bowled by Richardson in the 56th over.

222-6 was a decent score, but not a match-winning one. Rod Hokin now came out of his self-imposed torpor – he had only reached 50 in the 41st over – and launched into big shots all round the wicket. After Losing Richard Forrest for a duck in the 57th over, his first six took him to his ton in the next over.

Three more sixes followed, plus one by Matthew D'Arcy (13), and Hokin closed on 126* with Clontarf on 281-8 off their 60 overs, a score that would need County at their best to chase successfully. All the bowlers who conceded 117 runs in the last 10 overs finished with unflattering figures: only Botha can reflect well on his 12-4-29-1.

Boundaries came at a decent rate as North County started their pursuit, but wickets came as fast. Conor Armstrong hit two fours and then sparred Cusack to Hokin at second slip. André Botha hit one and got a pearler from Cusie next over. Coming round the wicket to the left-hander it pitched middle and hit off: Boatsy reckoned if he'd had two bats he still wouldn't have hit it!

Brian Shields hit one four and then had an unmerciful heave at Joe Morrissey which was pouched to Andrew Poynter's ample midriff. John Mooney hit his boundary and then pushed Cusack into the off where Hokin dived to parry the ball. For some reason John Boy thought the ball was well wide of Hokin and set off for the run. Still on the deck, the Aussie grabbed the ball and threw it to the bowler who broke the wicket.

30-4 and game over became 36-5 when Richie Lawrence was surprised by Conor Darcy's straight one. It was time to engrave Clontarf's name on the trophy when the patient Shaun O'Connor (12) chipped a Poyntz Pie to Hokin (who else?) at slip, and Ciaran Garry thrashed a near wide from D'Arcy to be intercepted by all 1.95 m of Bill Coghlan at full stretch in the gully.

Tea was very quiet, and thereafter van der Merwe and Dara Armstrong took the score to 91. By now Hokin was purveying his leggies, and induced Dara to nick off for 6. Next over, van der Merwe was lbw to Greg Molins for 34, and in the following, the 30th, Conor Shiel was bowled by Hokin.

County were 96 all out in 29.4 overs, Cusack 2/23 off 8, D'Arcy 2/11 (5 of them wides!) off 4 and Hokin 2/16 off 4.4. Sponsor Alan Lewis surprised no-one with his nomination of Rod Hokin as Man-of-the-Match, but amazed everybody with the brevity of his speech. The early finish gave me the chance to call in on the relegation vitaller at Rathmines, but more of that anon.