Cork County 1- Champions (Predicted 4th)
- • Batting Rating: 120
- • Bowling Rating: 122
- • RpO for: 4.64
- • RpO against: 4.27
By mid-June, Cork County 1 were in spot of bother after losing to Dublin University, Leinster and Malahide in their first four matches. There was only one way they could win the league after that start, and that was by winning their remaining nine matches – a task that was achieved in an amazing late season run. It was Cork County’s second league title in Leinster, to go with their 2013 Division 3 crown.
Most of the games on that run in were healthy victories, although the nerves must have been frayed on the last game of all, when chasing 135 against Balbriggan, County found themselves at 119-7 and 128-8, with only Ross Durity standing up to the Balbriggan bowlers. Tom Clifford and Muhammad Junaid Amin got the required eight runs, and then there was a short wait to see if Leinster could win their last game against Terenure – they couldn’t.
Four players passed 200 league runs for the season, Cormac Hassett had a supporting role with 213 runs at 19.36, Ross Durity a very decent 271 runs at 30.11, Morne Bauer a very decent indeed 289 runs at 57.8 and Stephan Grobler 423 runs at 42.3. Five bowlers got into double wickets in the league, with Morne Bauer (12 at 23.08), Ahmed Billal Bhatti (12 at 25) and Muhammad Junaid Amin (12 at 25.42).
Two bowlers dominated though. Aaron Cawley has a major breakthrough season with 23 wickets at 15.61, with his skipper breaking a record held by two Leinster players – Joe Carroll and Corey Edwards. Stephan Grobler took 31 wickets at 11.23, the previous record being 30 in a league season.
Read the full Division 2 Review on www.cricketleinster.ie
