CRICKET | Dundalk Cricket Club move into fourth place after back-to-back victories

Local club on a high after wins over Cabinteely and Greystones

Dundalk Cricket Club have turned their season around with consecutive wins in Leinster Division 10 and they now sit fourth in the table halfway through their season.

Having come up short in their first three games, Dundalk then suffered the frustration of having one match abandoned and another postponed without a ball bowled — despite travelling all the way to Longford.

However, they got back on the pitch and back to winning ways when they travelled to Cabinteely, gaining revenge for one of those three defeats earlier this season.

Batting first, Dundalk were able to set a decent target, scoring 192, although they were all out with more than seven overs left of their 40.

Captain Andrew Williams, confirming his long-awaited return to batting form, top-scored for Dundalk with an excellent and unbeaten 49.

At the top of the order Muhammad Zahid made 39 with fellow opener Waqas Khan scoring 37 and they put on a very useful 70 for the first wicket.

Suseel Dev contributed what would prove a very valuable 24 but in the end the last five wickets went down for just 22 runs and Dundalk would have been disappointed to fall short of 200.

That would have been made clear when dangerous Cabinteely opening pair Sandeep Shahdeo and Satish Kumar racked up 61 without loss.

However, from 61–0 Cabinteely then collapsed to 135–9. Haroon Khan led the way with 4–20, while Andrew Williams, Suseel and Waqas each got two wickets.

There proved to be a few nervy moments as Cabinteely opening bowler Hareesh Singaraju smacked an unbeaten 26, but having got the first wicket, Waqas also got the last as the hosts at St Andrew’s College were all out for 167, Dundalk winning by 25 runs.

Dundalk v Greystones | Dundalk won by 23 runs

Last Sunday, Dundalk were back on home soil to play Greystones, including ex-Dundalk player Stephen McGrath.

Once again Dundalk batted first in the game, but in overcast conditions they hosts could only manage 117 all out in Dromiskin.

Again it was the skipper Andrew Williams, who was the backbone of Dundalk’s innings and he scored 29, the same as Haroon Khan.

At 80–4 Dundalk looked set to get over 150, but a remarkable three-over spell of three wickets for two runs by Sinto John ripped the hosts’ lower order apart.

Defending such a small total, Dundalk needed early wickets and they did it in style, two wickets from Williams and one apiece from Waqas Khan and Muhammad Zahid left Greystones floundering at 14–4.

While Ashley Kempton was at the crease for Greystones they still had a chance. However, wickets were still falling at the other end.

When Kempton was ninth man out for a match-high score of 35 with Greystones on 91, Dundalk would have thought they were there and a final run out saw the visitors dismissed for 92, as Dundalk won again by 25 runs.

Williams ended with 4–16, Muhammad Zahid took 3–15, with Waqas Khan returned excellent figures of 2–12.

Dundalk have a break now until they resume their league campaign on July 1st with a trip to Mullingar.