I do apologise for failing to submit a report on the little action I saw last weekend. The Pembroke v Phoenix match was rained off at tea time. Later that Saturday evening there was a series of cloudbursts which caused localised flooding in Dublin , and prevented any play anywhere on what was a fine Sunday afternoon.

On the Saturday I had watched Pembroke reach 207/5 off 47.1 overs. David Langford Smith had finally got his outswinger in the right place to get Jono Cooke to nick off with the score on 19. Rick Francis was in combative mood, and added 73 with the uncharacteristically dour Andrew Balbirnie.

Francis had just hit leg-spinner Stephen Neill for a straight six to reach 34, but was bowled next ball. Theo Lawson immediately put bat to ball, and forty more had been added when Balbirnie was out lbw to Paddy Conliffe's quickish straight-breaks one short of his fifty.

Graham McDonnell made a rapid 27 before being bowled slogging at Conor Kelly's shock ball (the straight one). Brían O'Rourke immediately slowed down the scoring, but it was good news for Phoenix when he was out because he was replaced by the equally ponderous Joe Byrne.

Why skipper Peter Byrne persists with batting Bríaner and Joe above himself, Ryan Hopkins and Emmett Whaley when quick runs are required is a mystery not only to me but also to some of the ‘Broke faithful. Lawson finished with 45*, and there were 38 extras (25 wides) in the total.

Langford Smith returned a very good 8.1-2-15-1, and Garth Ancher a respectable 8-2-28-1. The rest of the Phoenix bowling was more variable in quality. The rain got heavier and heavier, and soon the only show in town was a black-headed gull getting seriously irate with an oystercatcher.

I had heard of another altercation, this one in a Junior match, when a man of mature years got very physical with a young pup, resulting in a report from the umpires to the LCU Junior Branch. I was quite amused on Monday when I received an umpire assessment from one of the relevant captains.

The captain observed (and I'm paraphrasing) that an unpopular decision had contributed to the tension between the teams. I had (have) a volcanic temper, and never needed any assistance from umpire or referee to help me get stuck in to the opposition (although it sometimes helped). But if and when I got my come-uppance, there was only one person to blame.

The long-running saga of the North County v Railway Union Antalis Senior Cup semi final got no nearer to a resolution. The ground on Wednesday was too wet, necessitating the postponement of the final to the 30th, and on Saturday it was wet before it rained some more. It is hoped to start at 4 p.m. on Monday and continue at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Sunday morning was dry, but the grounds at Claremont Road (Railway Union v YMCA) and Cabra (Old Belvedere v CYM) weren't. Deprived of my intended afternoon in Cabra, I repaired to Rathmines, where the pitch was dry but one part of the outfield wasn't.

Umpires Gordon Black and Rodney Molins decided at four that a 27 over match could start at 4:30 between Leinster and North County, but there was then some light rain, and the match was abandoned. With all due respect, I think Blackie and Rodders should re-read Law 3.9 (d). So I drove down to Sydney Parade, where they were taking tea.

Munster Reds had batted first and made an unimpressive 102 all out in 45 overs. Pembroke were 2/0 off 1 over. The Munster score was the result of another good knock by Robin Russell, this time of 37. He lost Mike Martin early on, and when Robert Duggan was bowled by Cooke for 10, it was 49/2.

But that became 55/5, and only double figure scores of 13 by Santos Kulkarni and 11 by Keith Banks helped the Munster total dribble up to three figures. Rick Francis bowled his 10 over for 1/15, and Jono Cooke his for 3/24. Emmett Whaley was fourth change, but helped himself to 5-3-5-3.

Keith Banks gave Cooke and Balbirnie nothing to hit, unlike James Duggan, whose two overs went for 20. However he did have Cooke dropped by Martin behind the stumps. Cooke saw the weather closing in, and took a chance against slow left-armer Simon Willis.

He missed and was duly stumped for 18 by a grateful Martin. A couple of balls later Francis should also have been stumped. Half way through Banksie's fifth over the rain became too heavy to continue, with Pembroke on 26/1.

We all sat round chatting and/or watching the two Uniteds play out a 1-1 draw. While we were still discussing the relative merits of Sir Alec and Wor Kev (one of them knows something about football), the rain stopped, and umpires John Andrews and Clive Colleran explained to me their dilemma.

The match had been started on a wet pitch which they had deemed unsuitable, but both captains had agreed to play. The pitch was still unsuitable, and Law 3.9 states that both captains must agree to restart play. Unsurprisingly, Mike Martin didn't agree.

At 7.05 p.m., the match had lost 30 overs in the second innings, and couldn't be reduced any further. The D/L target score became 52 off 20 overs, but before play could restart the umpires had to decide (i) that the pitch was suitable for play (taking out law 3.9) and (ii) that the remaining 11.3 overs could be bowled.

It didn't get any easier when Clive Colleran had to go off to work, but John Andrews decided that play could start at 8:05. The pitch had dried, and the light wasn't too bad. The Munster players had to tog out again and take to the field.

Based on poor advice from a spectator who should have known better, James Duggan finished off Banksie's over (the limit per bowler was now 4 overs), and was just as expensive as in his first 12 deliveries.

Francis soon put everybody out of their misery, hitting Willis for 6,4 in the twelfth over to take the score to 53/1, himself to 21*, leaving Balbirnie on 11*. The Reds players were suitably cheesed off, but they've only themselves to blame for posting only 102.

The teams meet again next Sunday in the Mardyke. Weather permitting, I shall be there to listen to the chat that will doubtless occur between the players. What was I saying about an umpire's decision exacerbating the tension in a match?