On Saturday I watched the rain at home, watched the rain as I drove round the M50 to Malahide, watched the rain at Malahide, heard that they'd pulled the plug at Milverton and would play tomorrow, had a nice lunch and drove home via Park Avenue, where they'd also pulled the plug.

I never thought to go up the road to Rush, and consequently missed a great afternoon's entertainment, and certainly never thought to go to Cabra. Well, you wouldn't, would you? Instead, I had roast lamb, and watched Ireland finish two places above the UK in the Eurovision.

Next morning I turned up nice and early in Milverton, and enjoyed several of Eimear Kitteringham's jam and cream scones. Leinster had won the toss, and sent Carlos Brathwaite and Mark Jones out to face Max Sorensen and Naseer Shoukat.

After an uneventful few overs, Brathwaite played down the wrong line to Naseer and was bowled for 12. JP O'Dwyer settled in immediately, whereas Jonesey was scatching around like some auld one. Finally, he played a cracking square cut off Naseer, trebling his score.

Then he went to on-drive a full length delivery and skewed it high and wide of slip. Jeremy Bray spread his tall frame and took a fine catch to make it 36-2. Anton Scholtz was his fluent self, working the ball into spaces on the leg side. Meanwhile, JP had stopped scoring.

Anxious to give the strike to Scholtz, he played the ball to leg and called the single. He failed to beat Sorensen's throw, run out for 15, and Leinster were 68-3 due entirely to their own carelessness. George Dockrell played straight as his captain made his merry way to 50 out of 134.

Then Scholtz wafted at van der Merwe, nicking the ball to Peter O'Donnell behind the stumps. Craig Mallon and Dockrell restricted themselves to singles, before Mallon was lbw to Sorensen for 14 in the 45th over with the score on 158.

With the best batting of the innings, Mark Kelly and Dockrell picked up the scoring rate playing proper shots and without taking any risks. Into the last few overs, they did start chancing their arms. Dockrell was missed on 68 and 74, tough chances, but ones that you'd expect to be taken.

In the 57th over, Kelly was bowled by Sorensen for a fine 39, Lennon followed quickly, bowled by Naseer, and in Sorensen's last over Dockrell sped into and through the nineties with successive fours to reach 97. He could easily have made sure of three singles, but unselfishly went to heave Sorensen over mid wicket and was bowled.

Andy McConnell and Hugh McDonnell took what was on offer to move Leinster to 261-8 at the close of the 60th over. The Hills bowling had kept its discipline, conceding only 10 wides and a no ball. Sorensen was very good for his 3/38, and Naseer's figures of 3/59 were dented by the late hitting.

The general feeling was that The Hills should get that score if they batted properly. Helped by plenty of wides and other sundries, they had got to 35 in the 8th over when Jeremy Bray drove at a widish delivery from Will Lennon, and was pouched by Scholtz at second slip for 10.

Skipper Mike Baumgart scored quickly while a more subdued Albert van der Merwe made his way to 18 out of 64. Brathwaite returned for a second spell after a disappointing first three overs, and immediately had the tall, South African-born, all rounder taken at slip, again by Scholtz.

Naseer helped some pies to and over the boundary to reach 17, when he played forward to Lennon and was given out lbw, much to his surprise. The runs dried up, and Lennon struck again to have Baumgart caught at mid wicket by McDonnell for 24, and at 105-4 in the 24th over, The Hills were making a mess of their chase.

Sorensen and Darryl Calder added only seven more runs in the next six overs. They ground their way to 151 in the 39th over in the teeth of a fine spell of medium pace from Kelly and a much improved second spell from Dockrell. Brathwaite's third spell induced a nick from Calder (13), parried by Jones and grabbed by Scholtz.

Mark Dwyer began his innings as he had begun his previous week's ton – badly. Then, he was dropped three times, but this time he wasn't, caught by JP of Dockrell for 6. Corporal Jones could be heard shouting “Don't panic!” as Joseph Clinton ran himself out for 3 and Mal Byrne wafted Dockers to Lennon for a blob.

The Hills were 169-8 in the 46th over and, although Sorensen was still there and beginning to play the odd shot, the match was Leinster's to lose. Just keep The Hills below the required seven a over, and they'd have to start taking more and more risks.

So what did they do? They provided at least one wide and one four ball nearly every over. Neither Hugh McDonnell (8-1-28-0) nor Mark Kelly (10-0-26-0) was brought back. Only Dockrell's last over and Brathwaite's tenth and twelfth went for less than six.

OK, Max and “George” O'Donnell had to put away the half volleys and half trackers, but the only reason they wouldn't do that was reaction to the required chiropractice after chasing the wides. Finally, Brathwaite trapped Sorensen plumb in front for 83 in the 59th over. Luke Clinton, not the world's worst tail-end Charlie, blocked out the rest of the over.

That left seven needed off the last over. It contained the mandatory wide and the regulation four-ball, gleefully thumped to the straight boundary for the winning hit by George O'Donnell (42*). The Hills had kept their nerve, taken their freebies, and won.

Brathwaite took 3/45, Lennon 3/43 and Dockrell 2/42. Had any of them been anywhere near their best, Leinster would be in the second round draw. Had all three of them bowled just to their ability, The Hills would not have been travelling to Clontarf to avenge last week's league defeat. (Sorry, Phoenix, but you're not good enough to beat 'Tarf.)

It was around the M50 again on Monday afternoon, this time to the N3 junction and from the leafy Castleknock to the greener than green Cabra. Terenure were 102-2 off 21 in pursuit of the 256 all out made by Old Belvedere.

Umpire Peter Thew asked Belvo to cut the pitch before they marked it, but they didn't have the key to the shed, and so the mower was off, love. But 155 off 39 overs was not impossible, even on a green track.

It seemed much more possible when Nathan Carroll whacked Richie O'Donnell to the boundary in the evening's first over. A single brought Sumar Das (35) onto strike. O'Donnell brought one back through the gate and through to Syed Ali behind the stumps.

The appeal was answered, eventually, in the affimative by Inge Bevers, and off trooped Das, a distinctly unhappy bunny. A much later post mortem with the non-striker revealed the unhappiness to be unfounded.

A couple of meaty boundaries from Carroll followed, then pro Shane Mott played and missed at Chawla (the Terenure version of events), but had to depart caught behind for a duck (the official version of events). 118-4 became 119-5 when Nicol was bowled by O'Donnell for another duck.

Carroll continued his assault on the Belvo bowlers, aided by the Tallaght Tornado, Michael Launders. It was still game on after 30 overs, the 'Nure needing 103, a shoo-in if they could keep wickets intact. But they couldn't.

Sameer Dutt got one to find TT's outside edge, and Simmi Singh took a sharp catch at slip. Next over, Carroll steered a long hop from Saadaf Raza to the same Singh at short third man for a very fine 83. John Hoey made a nuisance of himself, not for the first time, assisted by Tom Lynch.

Following a no ball called by the bowler's end umpire that didn't involve a caution and wasn't followed by a free hit, Lynch skipped down the track and was smartly stumped by Syed Ali. Next over Hoey nicked one through to Ali off O'Donnell.

The light wasn't great, and the rain was on its way. Saneer and Benn Hoey apparently fancied another night in Cabra as they blocked their way for 11 overs to 195. Then, half way through the 53rd over, Saneer slogged Sharma to Ahmed Dar, and it was all over.

O'Donnell took 3/33 off 7 overs, Dutt 2/15 off 11, and Sharma 2/27 off 11.3. Old Belvedere will travel to Malahide or Merrion in the second round, where they will be even worse than either of those two poor sides, and lose. RIP, Old Belvedere.