Triple weekend success for cricketers

The Dundalk Cricketers who travelled to North Kildare last Friday

On Friday last, Dundalk Cricket Club played out a very enjoyable double-header under the hospitality of North Kildare Cricket Club.

There were notable performances with the bat, with Glen Armstrong, Ian McEvoy, Michael Mullen and Gerry McKeever reaching the retirement score. Deborah Challoner, Eddie Bosano-Andrews and Ulrich Ofterdinger all stood out with their bowling. However, it was a unanimous post-match decision to award man of the match to Catherine Raftis, who took her first senior wicket in the game.

Dundalk (vs. North Kildare): Michael Mullen ©, John Finnegan (wk), Catherine Raftis, Louise Challoner, Deborah Challoner, Liam Gaynor, Gerry McKeever, Ulrich Ofterdinger, Eddie Bosano-Andrews, Glen Armstrong, Ian McEvoy, Pat Kavanagh

On Saturday, Dundalk 1st XI took on Slieve Bloom CC in Dromiskin. Slieve Bloom started the game well, but great bowling from Conan Martin (3-47) and Lethin Mathew (3-35) restricted them to just 141. Dundalk wobbled at the start of their run-chase, losing Andy Pike in the first over but clinical batting from captain Mike Waterman (25), Lethin Mathew (40) and Sajan Jayaseelan (73 not out) gave Dundalk a comfortable seven wicket win and cemented their place at the top of the table.

Dundalk I (vs. Slieve Bloom): Mike Waterman (c, wk), Andrew Pike, Conan Martin, Lethin Mathew, Zaheer Babar, Rana Shoaib, Kevin Waterman, Michael Mullen, Jiwan Jodhani, Sanjay Kumar, Sajan Jayaseelan

On Sunday, Dundalk Seconds completed the remarkable weekend with a 45-run win over Clontarf in Mount Temple.

Dundalk had a shaky start to the game, losing 4 wickets in the opening overs before Kapil Pun (16) and Aijaz Ali (14) solidified the innings. However, Dundalk still looked uncertain on 79/9 before a massive 67-run last-wicket partnership from Sanjay Kumar and Seamus McDermott, which gave Dundalk a defendable total of 146. Two early wickets from Glen Armstrong (2-18) removed the Clontarf openers before Dundalk were pegged back by an Abdul Kahn half-century. Khan’s dismissal from Dundalk captain Tom Ryan started the collapse for Clontarf, with Ryan picking up figures of 4-13. Fiachra McDermott briefly offered resistance before being caught by McDermott off Mullen’s bowling to keep the Seconds in contention in the league.

Dundalk II (vs. Clontarf): Tom Ryan ©, Scott McDonnell (wk), Michael Mullen, Sanjay Kumar, Yassem Mohammed, Glen Armstrong, Gerry McKeever, Kapil Pun, Seamus McDermott, Meet Choudhary, Aijaz Ali

The Dundalk side who beat Slieve Bloom at the weekend

Former Dundalk star Stephen Maher’s father killed in hit and run incident in Dublin

Stephen Maher in his Dundalk days

Former Dundalk FC star Stephen Maher’s father Eugene was the victim of a hit-and-run incident on Tuesday night.

Eugene Maher (62) died after being knocked off his bike by a car in Clontarf in north Dublin.

The motorist, who was believed to have been driving a silver Volkswagen Golf, drove on leaving the father of two in a critical condition in the middle of the road.

Emergency services rushed him to Beaumont Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Yesterday evening, gardai in Marino recovered a similar car with a 05D registration plate and removed it for forensic examination.

His heartbroken wife Marie and children were being comforted by family and friends at their home in Griffith Downs, Whitehall, North Dublin, yesterday.

Stephen plays in midfield for Drogheda United, who Dundalk face on Friday night, and has previously had stints with the Republic of Ireland U-21 team, Yeovil Town, Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick’s Athletic and Monaghan United. The 27-year-old was at Dundalk from 2010 to 2011 and again for a brief spell in 2012 after Monaghan Utd left the league. In total he made 51 appearances for the club, scoring twice.

His initial spell at Oriel Park was hampered by a case of osteitis pubis but he was fondly remembered for a man of the match display against Levski Sofia in the second leg of the club’s UEFA Europa League tie in 2010.

He would go on to win a league title with St Patrick’s Athletic in 2013.

The victim’s daughter, Lisa Marie Maher, is a model and the founder of a dance agency.