ALEX CUSACK ended his career in fitting style when he won the Division 1 league title for Clontarf with his final act.
The former Ireland international announced that yesterday's rearranged game against Phoenix would be his last match and after taking three wickets for just seven runs, as the visitors were bowled out for just 59, Cusack hit the six which won the match and kept the trophy in Castle Avenue.
Saturday's entire Div 1 programme was rained off but the champions moved quickly to rearrange a 20 overs match for yesterday, starting at 4pm. Within five minutes, Cusack had dismissed both Phoenix openers with just three runs on the board and it took only two balls of his third over to take the last wicket in the 18th over.
Charlie Wakim and Bill Coghlan then put on 48 runs for the first wicket before Coghlan was caught behind for 12 but that only let in Cusack to produce the championship-winning finale and brought the curtain down on a memorable career.
The three outstanding top flight games must be played by Wednesday with the relegation play-off game going ahead next Saturday.
Meanwhile, Cork County return to Division 1 next season, after an absence of just one season. They confirmed promotion when Leinster were held to a tie by Terenure on Saturday, after County had defeated Balbriggan by two wickets. Leinster still have a chance of going up, but must win the play-off game against the seventh place team in Division 1, either Merrion or Railway Union.
Cork needed a ninth wicket stand of eight to get them home while Leinster needed to restrict Terenure to eight from the last over, to pip them to the Div 1 title and automatic promotion. Malik Mohammad took a wicket with the second ball but Terenure tied the scores off the last ball. Ironically, both Cork and Terenure were set 136 to win!