The forecast was for the sun to shine all day (except on RTE, who as usual insisted on showing it to rain in Dublin), the Rathmines ground looked at its characterful best, and the pitch looked a belter. What a shame that Jason Molins was (voluntarily) marooned in Galway, because we would all have loved to watch him to open the innings with Mark Jones after Leinster won the toss in this Antalis Senior Cup second round tie.

Byron Vermaak got the job instead, and they made their way carefully against decent bowling from Joe Morrissey and Ewan Randall. Jonesey moved up a gear, and started to get onto the back foot. Not long after he had hoisted one over the conker trees and pigeon loft into the Richmond Place gardens, he didn't move his feet and chased a wide one into the keeper's gloves.

That was 82/1 (Jones 46), and Keeley Todd didn't last long, contriving to edge a full delivery to slip where the earth moved as Greg Molins took a very good catch, and 93/2. The 100 came up in the 27th over, Molins got away with a (baker's) dozen pies, as Leinster reached lunch at 129/2 off 32 overs.

After lunch Vermaak and Scholtz batted carefully against some probing bowling from Molins, changing his pace skilfully, and Morrissey. Both batsmen should have been further notches on JoMo's weapon, one surviving an easy chance to the 'keeper and the other a waft over a somnolent Randall at mid on.

Vermaak favoured the front foot and especially the pick-up shot, while Scholtz caresses anything leg-ward of middle-and-off through the on side, often quite fine. The pace was stepped up, 200 was passed in the 46th over, and regular Rathminesers were waiting for the collapse. It came between the 51st over, when Scholtz ran himself out for 72 (8 fours), and the 53rd, after JP Dwyer and Robbie Miley had gone for ducks: 236/2 became 237/5.

Ian O'Herlihy joined Vermaak, and both went for it, knowing that nothing less than 300 would be enough. Vermaak had reached his fifty with a big six (it's very hard to hit a small six in Rathmines!), and got to his ton in similar fashion in the 55th over. Some excellent batting rendered the bowling very ordinary as 300 was passed in the 59th over.

Leinster's two highest Senior individual batting scorers were watching this with great enjoyment: Gerry Duffy knew his 200* was safe; but team coach Brian Buttimer had mixed feelings as Vermaak neared his 153. In the last over Vermaak got to 150, and then finally to 158* (5 sixes and 17 fours). O'Herlihy's 19* helped raise the total to 322/5, a partnership of 85 in 7½ overs.

For 'Tarf, Molin's figures of 0/40 in 12 overs were outstanding, with Morrissey's 0/36 off 10 not far behind. Alex Cusack (1/73) and Ropu Islam (1/74) each put in a good spell before being taken apart at the end.

Vermaak was not fit to open the bowling, so the new ball went to Todd and CJ Hollenback. Neither was able to exert much control, but CJ got a couple to lift at decent pace, one surprising Dom Rigby, then on 11, who top-edged it over an equally surpised O'Herlihy and through his gloves for two and the safety of lucky thirteen.

Scotland dumped Rigby far too early, and he's still one of the best batsmen in Ireland (perhaps the best unpaid batsman if you believe the guff that all clubs - Clontarf included - insist on trotting out, mostly to convince themselves of their own Persil-whiteness and others' creosote-blackness). He works two Vs, one centred on extra cover, the other on mid wicket, although he's smart enough - and talented enough - to vary it according to the bowlers' strengths and vulnerabilities.

‘Tarf have found a good foil for Dom in the left-handed Adrian D'Arcy: he's uncomplicated, hits the bad ball, and takes his singles. The two had just reached 100 in the 20th over, when George Dockrell tempted D'Arcy (35) to play too early, and took a sharp, low return catch.

In came Andrew Poynter, another uncomplicated and versatile bat. (How come three such sensible players, four if you count Cusack, have come to Castle Avenue, the original Cuckoo's Nest that more than One Flew Over? It can't be the money, so Keith Lewis tells me!)

Tea was taken with 'Tarf on 153/1 off 32 overs, needing just over a run a ball. After the rolls, sausage and Swiss, Dockrell continued his impressive spell, with Scholtz firing off-breaks/darts at the other end. Rigby, on 76 (8 fours) decided that the young slow left-armer had to go over extra cover, was beaten by the turn, and O'Herlihy removed the bails very swiftly to make it 157/2.

As Cusack took his time to settle in, the asking rate got up to sevens, but never more. The running between the wicket was excellent, ones were turned into twos, twos into threes, and the odd three into an all-run four. The fielding started to disintegrate, and the normally reliable Dave Lucas made a complete Horlick's of a miscue, running in fifteen yards to watch it sail over his head.

Poynter reached an excellent ton in the 52nd over (only 9 fours), and with the score on 284 in the 56th over, Cusack on 42, tried to pull the ball over mid wicket, only to find the ever-reliable Mark Jones, who took a good low catch (Jonesey's hands are as big as Monty Panesar's).

Ropu Islam put about himself to great effect, taking the score to 314 when he was run out for 12. No one seemed the least bothered that the bowler didn't have the ball in his hand as the wicket was broken and the appeal strangled. This only let in skipper Greg Molins to thump his first delivery through extra cover for the winning boundary.

Andrew Poynter was the second undefeated centurion of the day, 130* with 11 fours and two-score-and-ten well-placed pushes and nudges, out of 325/4 off 58 overs. Dockrell finished his 12 overs with 2/52, and Scholtz with 0/60. Hollenback took 0/44 off 8 overs, the only other Leinster bowler to go for less than sixes.

It was a day and a pitch for slow bowlers. 'Tarf were missing inured leg-spinner Rod Hokin, and Leinster have leaked promising young spinners over the past couple of years. I hope they can hang on to Dockrell, but the man they really needed was not the one in Galway but the one sitting watching, blinking, thinking not of his 200* (60 overs would have been nowhere near enough!) but of the old three-card trick (lob; lobbier; see you, son).

There was no Senior cricket on Sunday, but Bank Holiday Monday offered three Whitney Moore & Keller Section B matches. I decided to fill my run of Senior sides (I've seen Trinity as well) by going to the Park to watch Phoenix host Munster Reds.

Phoenix won the toss, batted, and lost skipper Rory Flanagan second ball to a flick down the leg side to the 'keeper. Kirk Edwards immediately started putting away the loose deliveries, and Rob Mitchell played one nice shot through the covers before edging a lifter from Jack Burchall to the 'keeper to make it 34/2.

Masud Ahmed was badly missed at cover, but played a similar loose shot to Willis at extra cover shortly afterwards: 66/3. Edwards reached fifty before falling to good catch behind to one from Simon Willis that turned and lifted: 79/4. David Langford-Smith holed out for 13, and Conor Kelly played forward, but not far enough forward, and was lbw to the tight and testing Willis: 104/6.

Corey Dickeson survived a difficult stumping chance - Mike Martin's only blemish in an impressive display behind the stumps - and gratefully walloped anything loose through and over the off side. Paddy Conliffe kept him company in a sixth wicket stand of 56 before Dickeson was bowled for 55.

Sean Neil (29) helped wag the tail, surviving two stumping chances off Mike Martin's slow left-armers before falling to a third. Phoenix were all out for 205 with a ball remaining. For the Reds, Burchall bowled well for 2/37, James Duggan took 1/23 off 8, Mike Reid 1/49 and Martin 3/36 off 7.5 overs. Willis looked good for his 3/28.

Munster were missing Ted Williamson, Mornay Bauer and Bruce Koch, who might have had a clue how to play Dave Langford-Smith. Robin Russell, Mike Martin and Robert Duggan didn't, and it was 6/3. Simon Willis battled it out, but having seen off Lanky and watched Rory Flanagan retire with a torn quad (whatever that is), took an unmerciful mow at third change Kirk Edwards, and was bowled for 19: 39/4.

I was talking to Irene at the time (she has a lovely little Sony) but I didn't realise it was goodnight so soon. The Reds 51 all out off 22.1 overs, DLS 3/8 off 6 overs, Edwards 3/11 off 5 and Kelly 4/9 off 5.1 overs. Home in plenty of time for Springwatch.

I shan't be reporting on next week's matches. My wife and I are going to 'do' Yorkshire, something we had planned for the summer of 2006 but were prevented from doing by my confinement in St. James's. But I'll be back in time for the second round of the Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup.

The tie of the round is North Down v Limavady, but I doubt I'll make it up to Comber. The choice is Kenure or the Inch, both cracking ties. A good few years ago, Ronnie O'Reilly and I umpired a semi between North Down and Limavady. There was this narky old geezer on the home side, never stopped chirping, whingeing away at every decision, even when Ronnie gave Decker out lbw.

I can't remember his name, and if he's still playing, it could well be for the 3rd XI. Perhaps he's no longer with us, but if my Maker had no urgency to meet me in 2006, I doubt very much He'd be keen to make this bloke's acquaintance.