The season ended on a high note for County Galway Cricket Club last Sunday when they won the Wallace Cup for the first time in the club's history.
This is a Midland Cricket Association senior competition covering the counties of Laios, Kildare, Meath, Westmeath, Offaly, Mayo and Galway.
Victory in the cup final against Bagenelstown came after a most bizarre cricket match that was played almost entirely in rain on the neutral ground at Ballyeighan, near Birr. Due to the weather the captains and umpires agreed to shorten the game to 10 eight-ball overs per side, giving Bagenelstown 80 balls to post a decent score for Galway to chase.
Bowling with a wet, slippery ball Galway's Warren Wilks and Phil Stokes tried their best to bowl a straight line while the fielders found it difficult enough to stay on their feet. Wicket keeper Ronan Mahon took the only catch all day in the first over to dismiss the Bagenelstown opener for one, but that brought Quentin Roux in to bat, who finished unbeaten on 54 at the end of the innings. While Sean O'Malley and Umair Choudray also kept the bowling as tight as possible, a couple of big sixes from Roux ensured Bagenelstown rattled along to a total of 97.
Umair Choudray set a blistering pace for Galway, scoring 30 runs in the first five overs. In the following over he hit the first two balls for six but then disastrously ran himself out. With 17 runs needed from the last eight balls, skipper Warren Wilks struck the first into the next field. Sean O'Malley was dropped at mid-on as the batsmen scurried through for another run. Another boundary from Wilks kept the run chase on track. Off the last ball only one run was needed for victory, a full toss from bowler Richard Duffin flew into the sky off the top edge of Wilks' bat, only to be dropped at square leg by a hapless Bagenelstown fielder.
It was a fitting end to a soggy cricket season for Galway after the disappointment of losing the previous weekend to Cork County in the Munster League decider. Having bowled out the Leesiders for only 83, Galway were bowled out for a paltry 60 runs, leaving Cork County as the only unbeaten team of the 10 teams in the league.
