In Clonmel on Sunday the Clare cricket team took some steps to get their season back on track. Shorn of their captain and undoubted star player by the junior cup eligibility rules which clearly state no Munster players allowed the team got off to a very poor start. Having won the toss and chosen to bat first on a damp wicket stand-in captain Paul Foley was harshly adjudged caught behind in third over. Things then went form bad to worse with the next 4 batsman all dismissed before the score had reached double figures. When Jeremy Mace was bowled with the total then 26-6 things looked gloomy indeed.

The dampness in the pitch meant that the bounce was variable and low and being bowled or lbw was a constant threat. The batsmen who had tried to survive while they adjusted to the conditions had lasted no time so number 8, Rodryck Thomas was sent out with instructions to play his natural attacking game and to try to score as many as possible for as long as he lasted. Clonmel persevered with their strike bowlers but they were tiring. Dave Wheeler ended the innings with figures of 5 wickets for 30 runs, but at one point he had 4-10.Thomas and Imran went on the attack and in overs 13,14 and 15 they doubled the Clare score. Imran then missed one that shot straight along the ground. Colm Perry joined Thomas and they too doubled the score. Thomas went on to make 41 with 7 four and a six. When Clonmel finally managed to close out the innings the body language of the Clare team was more positive and the total of 133 would have seemed impossible earlier.

Nevertheless the advantage was still clearly with Clonmel. Clare had lasted only 28 overs and they now had 50 in which to overhaul the total. The opening batsman Whelan played a textbook innings under the circumstances. He waited for the occasional bad ball and put it away and then concentrated on survival on a pitch that was playing a little better as it dried out over the afternoon. The Clare team bowled and fielded like their lives rather than their season depended on it. Foley changed the bowlers often to prevent the batsmen getting into a rythym and while Whelan steadily accumulated at the other end his partners couldn’t hold on. After 30 overs Clonmel were still on track and starting to look comfortable at 100-5 when the key wicket of Whelan fell to Conor Mullen.

The seventh wicket went down at 114, three wickets needed by Clare, 20 runs by Clonmel. The Clare heads stayed more level. Minto took a wicket and then bowled a chest high no-ball. Then he repeated the trick. Finally Rob Loxton closed out the game by skittling the stumps. In the game 16 of the 20 wickets were lbw or bowled and the bowlers who put the most balls on target did the best.

Clare have a home draw for the semi-final in July but as the pitch in Lees Road is too small they will need to find someone willing to loan out their ground as else concede home advantage. No doubt their will be a bit more spring in the step at training on Sundays and Wednesday after this much needed morale booster.

 Clare Innings: Foley 0, Parznay 1, Minto 1, Mace 12, C. Mullen 0, Sandeep 0, Thomas 41, Perry 22, Loxton 11n.o., B. Mullen 2, Extras 33 Total 133

Clare Bowling: Loxton 7.2 overs 1 maiden 22 runs 2 wickets, C. Mullen 10-2-26-1, Mace 9-1-21-3, Imran 5-0-18-1, Foley 2-0-14-0, Perry 6-1-9-1, Minto 2-0-10-2