It was a mixed season for The Hills, who although they lifted the Alan Murray T20 Cup, needed a last day battling effort to get the bonus points required to avoid the drop.

We have talked before about the small margins between success and failure in the Leinster Premiership campaign, and that was evident in their season, with being in a title race one week, and a mad scramble to avoid the drop the next.

There is talk - isn't their always? - of a rejig of the Premiership league structure for 2023, but it may well be that any changes take a further year or two before they can be implemented.

My thanks to George Kitteringham for the statistics provided, which include the Irish Senior and T20 Cups as well as the Leinster senior performances.

The batting was led by Mark Donegan who scored 766 runs at 36.50, which included 4 fifties and one hundred. The keeper also enjoyed an excellent campaign behind the sticks as he took 39 dismissals in total.

Mark Donegan

Dylan Blignaut enjoyed a really prolific campaign with bat and ball. he scored 738 runs at 38.80, (4 x 50s, 1 hundred).

Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin made two hundreds and two fifties in his 683 at exactly 31, while injury restricted Murray Commins to 449 runs at 37.70, but did include that most important hundred on the final day of the Premiership against Clontarf.

Levon Shields made 411 runs at 19.60, while others worthy of mention are Andrew Kavanagh (359 at 15.60), Tomas Rooney-Murphy (286 at 20.40), and Athar Farooqi (251 at 16.70).

The bowling was spearheaded by Dylan Blignaut, who helped by best-bowling figures of 7 for 12 took a very impressive 47 wickets at 17.04.

Dylan Blignaut

Skipper Tomas Rooney-Murphy also would have been delighted by his haul of 40 wickets at 19.93 - with a five-wicket return to boot,

Ashley Bain managed 23 wickets at 23.70, one ahead of Levon Shields (22 at 23.36), while Athar Farooqi showed great promise in capturing 21 wickets at 18.76.

Others who reached double figures were Jonathan Tall (19 at 19), and Matthew Weldon who took 12 wickets.

The Hills have always looked to move forward whether it be player or ground development, and we can expect more of the same from one of the most welcoming clubs on the island.

HILLS BATTING

• Mark Donegan 766 runs at 36.50 (4 fifties, 1 hundred)
• Dylan Blignaut 738 at 38.80 (4/1)
• Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin 683 at 31.00 (2/2)
• Murray Commins 449 at 37.70 (2/1)
• Levon Shields 411 at 19.60 (0/1)
• Andrew Kavanagh 359 at 15.60 (1/0)
• Tomas Rooney-Murphy 286 at 20.40 (1/0)
• Athar Farooqi 251 at 16.70 (0/0)

HILLS BOWLING

• Dylan Blignaut 47 wickets at 17.04, BB 7-12, Economy Rate 4.41
• Tomas Rooney-Murphy 40 at 19.93, BB 5-44, ER 4.52
• Ashley Bain 23 at 23.70, BB 3-34, ER 4.29
• Levon Shields 22 at 23.36, BB 3-19, ER 4.66
• Athar Faooqi 21at 18.76, BB 5-16, ER 4.41
• Jonathan Tall 19 at 19.00, BB 4-3, ER 3.44
• Matthew Weldon 12 at 37.50, BB 3-18, ER 5.68