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I missed the first innings but hopefully one of the lads will fill in the gaps.
On an unexpectedly fine day the Taverners had their flagship fixture of a 35 over a side match against the Theatrical Cavaliers. The venue was Three Rock, which unfortunately looked like it hadn't been cut in some weeks
When I arrived, the Cavs had about two overs left to bat, a quick look at the book showed that it was fairly low-scoring, which was unsurprising given the state of the field.One of the first balls I witnessed was a full toss by Anto Howard that was smashed straight at Tosh stationed at backward square leg. A good catch elicited a cry of "It's one of those f***ing Sandyforders" from one of the Cavs
Nice to know our presence was noted and appreciated 
A quick look at the book showed some good performances with the ball from John Pike and Dave Gray (possibly from the others too, was only a quick look). Pick of the bowlers was Peter Soutter with 1 for 5 from 5 overs
At 35 overs the score stood at 128, and so after a quick tea, the chase began with Baz and Mick Fitz at the crease. There were some fine strokes played by Mick, who seemed to be hogging the strike (Baz faced about 3 balls in the first 5 overs), but due to the grass again, these shots often produced no runs. Despite not getting much of the strike, Baz was busy causing aggro at the other end, which one of their players from Leinster didn't seem to appreciate. Eventually the umpire had to tell them both to shut up
but there was no harm done.An excellent direct-hit run-out of Mick brought Peter Soutter to the crease, who played some very nice shots, and when he was out John Pike and Baz tried to up the rate which was flagging somewhat (43 runs at 18 overs). Baz was run out in this endeavor, but Tosh was well up to the challenge, with himself and Pikie really pushing the rate with some fantastic (read suicidal) running between the wickets. Singles were keeping us in it, just about, but with the rate at 6 an over, Dave Larkin was put up the order as a pinch hitter. I was a little nervous when he swung at and missed his first two balls, but the concerns were unfounded as he scored a great quick-fire 18 before being bowled.
This effort managed to get the rate back under 5 an over, and when Tosh was out a short while later Dermot and John Rowe kept up the big hitting. When Dermot's wicket fell, things were starting to get tight. With Anto and John at the crease we needed just under a run a ball. The tension was getting unbearable with 9 needed from 11 balls and three wickets in hand - but then, John Rowe hit a massive shot into the leg side which just cleared the boundary! A six, leaving us just 3 to win from 10 balls. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief - until John was out next ball
Dave Gray strolled out with advice from all sides ringing in his ears - then took off for a crazy single first ball that resulted in Anto being run out
Owen Rowe was then our last hope. 3 to win with from 9 balls. But unfortunately it was not to be. First ball he was bowled behind his legs
So the trophy goes back to the Cavs leaving it 3 wins and 3 losses from the last 6 years. A very exciting game, and one that both captains claimed they wouldn't have been too dissappointed to lose during the game due to the drama (liars
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