‘Super’ St Vincent’s girls claim provincial crown

CRICKET

ST VINCENT’S first year cricket team fought off tough competition recently to take the Leinster League crown.

Following a series of tough matches they then took on the might of Wesley College at the neutral venue in King’s Hospital, Dublin.

Team coaches Deborah and Louise Challoner did their best to calm nerves on the big day with a pre-match warm up and training session before the thrilling encounter.

The St Vincents captain Sammar Haider and vice-captain Hui Ci Yu set up the bowling order and fielding positions as the game began, with a strong opposing team scoring 83 runs at the end of their innings.

With this target in their sights the girls organised their batting order and maximised their runs going into the last over, by which stage they needed six runs. Unbelievably, an unfortunate fielding error resulted in the game ending in a draw.

After a quick phone call to the Cricket Leinster representative the two teams subsequently played a ‘super over’. Chloe Moran was the player chosen to bowl for St Vincent’s and she showed nerves of steel as she conceded only four runs.

Batters Rachel Mullen and Aoife Conneally also rose to the challenge and ran four runs off the next two balls.

With the tension mounting the girls finally got the winning run they needed and to the great delight of onlookers clinched the Leinster title.

Deborah said: ‘This junior side have shown fantastic spirit and determination during this tour- nament. They are relatively new to this sport and have taken it on with such enthusiasm.

‘We look forward to building on this success in future competitions.’