Double defeat as Dundalk Seconds lose thriller

Division 10 - Pembroke 4: 222 (37.1 ov) Bhushan 101, Usman 4-22; Dundalk 1: 189 (34.1 ov) Umer 60, Aayush 3-26; Pembroke won by 33 runs.

Division 18 - Dundalk 2: 119 (32.2 ov) Sibi 30, Binu 3-24; Knockharley 3: 120/9 (39.2 ov) Jamil 31, Amal 3-26; Knockharley won by 1 wicket.

Dundalk Seconds were edged out in a final-over thriller against Knockharley Thirds last Sunday. Slumping to 18-4 in the first eight overs, Dundalk were struggling to cope with the hosts’ grass wicket early on.

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Govind Patil and Thirds captain Sumit Kumar steadied the ship before drinks but a second collapse left the town 68-9 shortly thereafter.

Luckily for Dundalk the final wicket eluded Knockharley, with in-form pair Sibi Alex and Amal Soman rotating the strike skilfully to put on a further 51 runs in 59 balls for a total of 119 all out.

It took eleven overs for the visitors to make a breakthrough but Dundalk did well to restrict Knockharley to just 27 runs in that time.

The floodgates opened after drinks, three wickets falling in two overs to leave the County Meath side a precarious 63-6 with 14 overs left. Dundalk continued to restrict the run rate well and got the hosts to a far-from-safe 106-9.

Needing 14 off the final three overs, the game was on a knife edge but youth batter Thavnesh Uttam Sharma, nursing a leg injury picked up in the first innings, stood firm and aided by a runner saw the hosts home with just four balls to spare.

The scores had been level for a nail-biting four deliveries before the winning single was taken. In the Saturday home fixture, the first team were undone by a brilliant 83-ball hundred from Pembroke 4’s Bhushan Baviskar.

Despite a blistering late recovery, taking the final seven Pembroke wickets for just 13 runs, Dundalk fell 33 short of what would have been the fifth-highest successful chase in the club’s history.

Credit must go to Umer Khan who hit his second half-century of the season for the town (60 off just 38 balls).

This weekend’s league fixtures: Pembroke 4 v Dundalk 1 (Division 10, Sat 23 Aug, away), Dundalk 2 v Knockharley 3 (Division 18, Sun 24 Aug, home), Dundalk 3 v County Cavan 2 (Division 20, Sat 23 Aug, home).

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