It was a typically aggressive innings by Andrew Poynter that won him the man of the match award in the RSA Leinster senior cup final on Monday night. The former Middlesex player rarely looked troubled as a disappointing game was duly won by Clontarf.
It was a fractious affair, which drew the condemnation of Derek Dockrell, president of YMCA whose perfect hosting of the final was overshadowed by some serious displays of dissent.
Poynter admits he hasn't seen anything worse on-field, but is keen to forgive.
"In the heat of the moment people say things they regret, and it was a bad reaction. But he apologised after the game and that's the end of it really."
The umpires are unlikely to agree with that – one of them said that they considered walking off the field at one stage on Saturday after being called ‘a ******* cheat'. Poynter too received a volley of abuse as he walked to the wicket and Cricket Leinster is expected to throw the book at those responsible.
It was a welcome knock for Poynter, who has had a poor season after helping Ireland to glory in Dubai in March. Now with the South Africa A team on the way, he can look forward to a fair bit of action in the 17 days play over the month-long tour.
"It's great to have so many games against a very good team. And if you play well there's opportunities with the World Twenty20 coming up Hopefully I'll do well and find myself on that plane."
Ireland Under 19s are currently in Australia preparing for their World Cup opener against England on 12 August. But skipper George Dockrell isn't the first man of that name to carry a nation's sporting hopes.
At the first London Olympics, in 1908, George Dockrell won his heat of the 100m freestyle swimming, and missed out on the final by one place. Great-uncle of his cricket namesake, he died of war wounds in 1924.
Another link to the Olympics comes through former Leinster batswoman Carol Metchette, now a leading hockey umpire and whistling at London this week.
On Monday Oakhill CC becomes the 15th ground to host first-class cricket in Ireland. The first, too, was in Wicklow, where Ireland took on Yorkshire at Woodbrook. Now a golf course, the ground coincidentally played host to its last big game 100 years ago this week, when Ireland played South Africa – their opponents in the four-day game at Oakhill.
The summer of 1912 saw a triangular test series between England, South Africa and Australia, and towards the end it looked like a playoff might be needed. Woodbrook had a contract for the Australians to visit on the only possible dates and its owner – Sir Stanley Cochrane of C&C – cheekily offered its services.
The playoff wasn't needed, but could have been Ireland's first chance to host a test match.
Tweet of the week: words of wisdom from Ireland bowler Max Sorensen: "Cones are a coach's best friend. The more cones, the better the coach" via Nicolaas (@klausymyboy)
Performance of the week: Laois batsman Rashid Miraj, who made 199 against North Kildare at Portlaoise in Division 4. Miraj's previous innings this season were 134, 93, 15, 77 and 83.