CONTINUING looking back at the Trinity Cup, the 1990s began as the 80s ended with a victory for the League, in the first of a number of games to be affected by the weather.

Andy Mawson made 41 out of the Association’s 111, before Paul Tebay and Kevin Hayes set the League on their way to a nine-wicket victory with an opening half century partnership.

The following season was another victory for the League, with a third-wicket 82-run partnership between Paul Rayment and Paul Berry the only feature of the match.

League handbooks record the 1992 match as a win for the League but that is not necessarily the case.

Batting first they scored just over 200 with Matthew Hayden providing the backbone of the innings with 69. Following a brief interruption for rain the Association’s target was reduced slightly, and at 117-5 they were well placed but behind the run rate.

Andy Mullaney with a half-century and Brett Collins with 26 from 25 deliveries put them back on target until Ian Taylor returned to the attack.

Eleven were required off the final over, and 10 were scored and although the Association were marginally behind on run rate, as this amounted to less than one run, it was agreed the match was a tie.

The 1993 game was affected by the rain, and with the League in trouble at 51-4, and David Mason almost unplayable, not for the last time Steve Dublin was to influence the outcome of the game.

In 38 balls he smashed five sixes and three fours. Simon Anderton fell just short of his half century and the total of 210 became 139 from 29 because of the weather.

The Association never recovered from Otis Gibson’s 4-14 and ended the game on 64 all out, the lowest total to date.

Twelve months later the first match was abandoned with the Association 127-3, but when the match was replayed, again they had little trouble scoring runs with Rod Turnbull one short of his century and Andy Mullaney 77 out of 219.

With the game finely poised at 155-4 with the overs running out courtesy of a tidy bowling spell from Ian Nuttall, Dublin entered the fray and turned the game in the League’s favour with 28 from one over and Paul Tebay steered the League to a two-wicket victory.

The second half of the decade began with another League victory, although at 90-1 the Association could have been in a position to put the match out of reach.

However, the last nine wickets fell for 70 runs, and a half-century from David White backed by Grant Long and Dublin secured victory with 22 overs remaining.

In 1996 for only the second time there was no result as the match was abandoned. The League had finished on 190-8, with Dublin 48 and Tinus Enslin 46. Nigel Young had been the pick of the bowlers with 4-35, but the Association never got the opportunity to bat.

The year after none of the Association early batsmen could handle White, with the exception of Neil Bannister, and although John Hopkins took the score to 137 from 93-9, a half-century from Brad Hodge steered the League to a comfortable victory.

In 1998 the League’s 10-year unbeaten run came to an end, although that may not have been the case if the first attempt hadn’t been washed out with the Association 86-5.

But in the replayed game 117 was sufficient for the Association to win by 20 runs. The Association finished the decade with another victory during a season in which they also won the inter-league trophy.

The League recovered in the first match of the new century, amassing 295-6, a competition record thanks to 100 in 62 balls from Saeed Anwar, 78 from Sairaj Bahutule and 66 from Gary Garner.

Arindam Sarker scored 95 as the Association innings ended 100 short. The season after the Association made 235 with Greg Dimery’s 114 a new record for the side, but Brad White also recorded a century and Anwar 50 to see the League home.

The 32nd match between the leagues saw the League take a 20-10 lead in the series. Bhazid Khan, Arindamam Sarker and Rob Faulkner all made telling contributions in the Association’s 189, but Robin Morris, who had earlier taken three wickets and Paul Rayment recorded half centuries after the League had lost two early wickets.