FOR the second season in succession Donemana fell at the final hurdle in their quest to bring the Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup back to the Holm when they came up just short against Leinster in a superb contest at Milverton on Friday.
The final could hardly have started better for the North West side, with Leinster taking first use of a good track, Stephen Dunn clean bowled the dangerous Carlos Braithwaite with the very first ball of the match to get the big Donemana support in go
od voice right from the outset.
Rather than fold however the setback seemed to inspire the Dublin side and Mark Jones and JP O'Dwyer restored order with an excellent 92-run partnership.
That was a superb effort from the Leinster pair particularly given that their opponents are renowned for being less than sympathetic when they have you down. And what Jones and O'Dwyer started Anton Scholtz continued in great style as that trio helped paved the way for what was to be a sizeable total. Scholtz made a stylish 75, O'Dwyer 61, and Jones added 44 and a very valuable 37 from Ian O'Herlihy late in the innings helped Leinster to 265 for 8 from their 50 overs.
Donemana's bowlers were never really at their best as all bar Andy McBrine took some stick, the youngster's 2 for 28 from 10 overs easily the best they had to offer.
Donemana then set about the daunting chase and although they lost Graeme Boyd comparatively early, Richard Kee and Azhar Shaffique then put together a second wicket stand that looked sure to set Donemana on the way towards the target.
At 134 for 1 the Southerners looked for all the world a beaten side but all that changed when the Pakistan player was caught behind off the bowling of Scholtz. All of a sudden the body language changed and the tide turned again.
The North West champions' strong middle order, so often the catalyst of recovery never got to grips thereafter as Leinster seized the lifeline. Even the urgings of their big support failed to spark Shaffique's men and despite Kee's 61, Shaffique's 55 and 24 from Junior McBrine the run rate was also creeping up.
Unlike their counterparts, the LCU side's bowlers managed to keep things tight at crucial parts of the game and Miley's 4 for 46 helped sway the decider very much back in their favour.
As you would expect Donemana battled right to the death but the target was to prove just too high and in the end they were to finish 27 runs adrift.
Donemana may well look back on this one as they did last season as one that got away but the efforts of the Leinster batsmen, particularly after their dreadful start were deserving of the win.
