CUP specialists Clontarf duly collected their seventh Leinster Senior Cup this century with a hard-fought 44 run win over Malahide.

In a game in which the star performers failed to shine it was left to unheralded heroes to see the All Ireland champions home.

Peter Saville rocked Clontarf with a 4-17 new ball spell but Eoghan Delany led the revival with a composed 57.

With eight of their batsmen getting in, Tarf were disappointed to finish 215 all out, but they were helped by Malahide conceding 28 wides, 17 by new Ireland squad member Peter Chase.

Saville finished with 5-40 while all the other bowlers took at least one wicket.

Reinhardt Strydom and Fintan McAllister got off to their usual fine start, but the South African went for a belligerent 48 with the total on 66.

His partner hung around but Clontarf were soon among the wickets which came in clusters. Veteran Joe Morrissey took 4-41 while Conor D’Arcy made some important breakthroughs in his 3-38, and while skipper Callum Riches and Alessandro Morris showed some fight, Malahide were dismissed for 171 with seven overs unused.

Skipper Delany was named man of the match and their focus now switches to defending their All Ireland crown and completing a rare double.

LEINSTER SENIOR CUP FINAL

At The Hills,

Clontarf innings
M Collier lbw b Saville 10
B Coghlan b Saville 13
C Currie+ c McAllister b Saville 0
A Poynter c McAllister b Saville 14
E Delany* c Arnold b Chase 57
S Islam c Arnold b Riches 15
J Morrissey run out (C Shoebridge) 16
Z Van Merwe c Reynolds b Strydom 26
C D'Arcy c Reynolds b Morris 6
P Ryan not out 10
Z Van Merwe b Saville 11
Extras (1nb, 28w, 5lb, 3b) 37
Total (all out, 58.1 overs) 215

Fall: 30, 33, 51, 54, 100, 147, 186, 193, 195, 215

Bowling: Savile 11.1-1-40-5, Chase 12-0-61-1, Morris 11-1-27-1, Strydom 12-2-38-1, Riches 12-1-41-1

Malahide
R Strydom c Delany b C D'Arcy 48
F McAllister c Currie b Morrissey 36
J Govan c Collier b Ryan 2
G Deans c Delany b Van der Merwe 1
C Riches* lbw b Van Merwe 26
D Arnold+ c Poynter b Morrissey 1
A Reynolds lbw b C D'Arcy 11
P Chase c and b Morrissey 3
C Shoebridge c Poynter b C D'Arcy 0
A Morris c Collier b Morrissey 24
P Saville not out 3
Extras (6w, 2lb, 3b, 5pen) 16
Total (all out, 53 overs) 171

Fall: 66, 69, 84, 109, 111, 132, 132, 133, 158, 171

Bowling: Van der Merwe 12-4-27-2, Morrissey 12-3-41-4, C D’Arcy 11-1-38-3, Ryan 7-1-21-1, Islam 4-0-19-0, Coghlan 7-0-15-0

Umpires: P Reynolds & G Black

Clontarf won by 44 runs