Midleton Cricket Club will make their first appearance in the Munster Cricket Union Senior Cup Final since 2003 when they face Co. Galway Cricket Club at the Mardyke on Saturday, with the game starting at 12.
Co. Galway will enter the game with the far superior Cup pedigree, having won the competition in 2014 and reaching the final in 2015, but will face a spirited Town side who ran their hosts mightily close when the sides met at The Lydican back in May. On that occasion, a severely depleted Midleton side could only field 9 recognized first-teamers, but put on an incredible display to bat their way to within 31 runs of Galway’s mammoth total on a day when over 600 runs were scored in the scorching Galway sunshine.
Both sides have proved their worth in reaching the final, with Midleton overcoming Cork Harlequins and Co. Kerry and Galway defeating Limerick and last season’s winners Cork County on their respective paths to the final. For Midleton captain Dean Wilson, the game has thrown up some unexpected headaches in the week leading up to the big game.
“This is a fantastic achievement for our club and a fitting reward for all of the hard work that has gone into the club both on and off the pitch this season. The worst part has been picking my 12 man squad, to be honest! We’ve gone from a situation at the start of the season where it was difficult to get an XI together to one where I’ve had to leave out 5 or 6 top players from my squad that would normally have walked into the side. I would like to apologize to those guys, but be assured, with the strong spirit and real sense of teamwork that we’ve shown both on and off the pitch so far this season, we will be going on to bigger and better things, and we will have plenty more cup final days in the coming years.”
Saturday’s game will be played in colors with a white ball, and there is a reserve date set should poor weather intervene.
