Dundrum are in in for a long season as with exams work and shortage of senior members they will have a massive fight if they are to avoid relegation  from section one as usual very competitive and lost by 7 wickets away  to leaders Woodvale writes Jeffrey Maquire.  Â
Dundrum Indian captain Rahi Kakade won the toss and batted first on a easy paced wicket and a very slow outfield and knew with his under strength side the pressure was on him to get a solid start and both him and Derek Bailey found little to bother them as 30 runs came in 5 overs but amazingly 12 were wides as the opening bowlers wasted the new ball.
Kakade caressed two boundaries but was caught at cover by opposing captain Mark Irwin and Ricky McBride bowled James Martin to a ball that misjudged when going forward was the better option 37 for 2.
But in fairness, Mcbride was quicker than he looked and troubled everyone. Derek Bailey the second team captain was pulled into open the batting and played to his strengths cracked Mcbride through cover for four and fought hard to graft out a total and see off the bowling.
In the twelfth  over the very useful all-rounder Paul Robinson took out Derek lbw for 8 as the home were definitely on top. Indian Ashwin Shetty  looked a very aggressive bat was bowled leg stump for six but Joel Maguire was looking in decent nick even without practice  hitting three boundaries with ease.
Again shot selection was Joel’s downfall trying play ball on off stump through backward point and was bowled by Mcbride for Dundrums top score of 19.
Dundrum tail did well to add another fifty runs and Peter Calvert 6 possibly deserves bat higher as looked as good as any top five. Again concentration got Paul Robinson was taking advantage of balls getting wickets when even he would admit it was the batsmen’s loose shots that was the problem .
Woodvale might find themselves in a position that could win a section that no one has a squad that could come even close competing in the premier league.
But Trevor Long grafted pn and with 14-year old Andrew Foster (9) took the attack to the bowlers and it was Andrew that produced the shot of the day with a massive straight six and then showed maturity to dig out the next 3 Yorkers as the bowler made sure he didn’t repeat the shot.
Paul Robinson got both Long and Foster giving him decent figures of 5 for 29, and the pick of the attack was Ricky McBride 3 for 29,  but Gorden Lowey, who is another who played to his strengths hitting 3 boundaries in his 13 not out and Micheal Charnley also hit Robinson for six in his 9 as Dundrum finished on 116.
Batting only 30 overs is a major concern as, no disrespect to the bowling,  it was just above average. All the batsmen made errors and not one was out to a delivery that should trouble them and that’s where practice gets you into good form.
Dundrum with such small total had to attack as early wickets would be key to even coming close to troubling the home side. Ashwin Shetty is definitely a bowler who will take wickets and has practiced hard bowled  Mark Irwin for 14 and Joel Maguire first three overs only went for 2 runs and unlucky not to get a wicket.
Indian Sujit Khalbour, who has been in the runs, looked a very classy player by showing Dundrum how to bat by simply playing the good balls defensively, and anything was over pitched or short. He crashed to the boundary  but Maguire got both Aaron Robinson 10 and Andy Kirkpatrick for 2, but it didn’t deter both Khalbour who played stylishly for 59 not out 8x 4 and two sixes and was helped by Man of the Match Paul Robinson who was 12 not out as they completed a very easy victory by 7 wickets in chasing 116 in only 18 overs.
It was that reason James Martin didn’t get to bowl, but Peter Calvert looked a natural as wicket keeper.
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