NOBODY cried the day the circus came to town. There were a few laughs, plenty of cheers and a big beaming smile on the unlikeliest Dublin hero.

The seaside village of Malahide yesterday started its run as host of the European T20 Premier League, staging Dublin Guardians and Belfast Wolves in the 18th game of the tournament.

While the crowd was smaller than the organisers hoped, they certainly saw plenty of good cricket and a set up that brought a taste of global franchises to the east coast autumn. With 14 more matches here over the next ten days it has a chance to snowball and bring in bigger crowds.

The first half of the inaugural competition was held in Voorburg, a suburb of the Hague in Netherlands, last week.

While that venue retained the character of a club ground, and looked well attended even when there were around 400 present, ETPL have gambled on the Dublin public’s appetite for franchise cricket. Four large temporary grandstands held a sprinkling in each, giving a spartan look to the place even with twice as many spectators.

The Dublin Guardians ˗ your guess is as good as mine about the name ˗ had a wretched run in Voorburg, losing all five games, choking when they finally looked set to open their account against Amsterdam Flames.

But arriving on home turf must have inspired them (or the three Dubs in their team, at least) as this was a thorough demolition of their rivals up the M1.

The marketing push can’t have been helped by each of the sides’ kit designers doing their own thing. While the Hundred teams have a varied set of garish colours, five of the ETPL sides wear dark blue or black, with the Belfast Wolves the outliers in light blue, resembling the Dublin GAA jerseys of the 1960s. The ETPLs own livery is also blue, with a flash of yellow.

The merchandise hawkers haven’t got their act together either, with little sign of supporters in team shirts, except those parents who can squeeze into junior’s kit.

The Guardians victory yesterday also had a lot to do with the recruitment of former England all˗rounder David Willey, signed for the remainder of the tournament and straight into action bowling the first ball of the day.

Matt Hollard soon induced a false stroke from Devon Conway, who mistimed his drive and lofted it to his Kiwi compatriot Daryl Mitchell at midoff.

Craig Young, who only bowled two overs in the league so far, was first change and in a similar dismissal Mark Chapman took his hand off his bat and lofted the ball to Mitchell.

In came Lorcan Tucker, glad to be home after a nightmare in the Hague, where he suffered three first-ball dismissals.

And he almost made it four, surviving a huge appeal which went to the third umpire who let him stay on umpire’s call.

Tucker hit two fours making 11 off 8 balls before he too mistimed a pull off Pembroke teammate Josh Little and skied the ball where Ben Calitz held the catch.

The Dubs were happy with the powerplay return of 43/3, although Paul Stirling was continuing his good form. The Wolves opener has made at least 20 in his five innings without going beyond 31, and he fell for 22, the second to fall to Young on 63.

That kicked off a remarkable over, perhaps the greatest of the northwest bowler’s long career.

Next ball David Miller flicked the ball down leg where Calitz held the catch, although it took the DRS intervention to convince the umpire who had called it wide.

Maxwell let the hat-trick ball pass, but the next delivery he tried to flick down leg and his skier gave Calitz his third catch.

Three wickets in an over had the Wolves rocking on 63/6, and Young a remarkable 4/11 off 2 overs.

At 36, the Derry man must have thought his T20 days were over as he hasn’t been in Ireland’s team since the warmups for the T20 World Cup in January. When Ireland had an injury crisis before the India series, three uncapped seamers were called up ahead of him.

He benefited yesterday by some brainless Belfast batting, several players suckered trying to clear the short villageside boundary.

Mark Adair tried to pull Willey over it and was caught by Calitz to make it 92/8: in the entire innings only Stirling, once, cleared that rope.

Young dismissed Fred Klaasen to briefly equal his career best of 5/15, and nearly beat it when he flicked a stump but the bail did not fall. His last delivery, a slower ball to No11 Netravalkar, disappeared for six over long off to bring up the Wolves’ 100.

The total of 107 was the second lowest in the tournament, and Young’s final figures of 5/21 the best bowling in a T20 in Malahide.

Although he only played once in Voorburg, Young has enjoyed his ETPL: ‘Just taking the field with these lads is great fun,’ he said.

‘We were very happy with the performance, and with the win. There was a lot of nerves around this morning, I didn’t even know I was playing till we got to the ground.

‘Look at the three players I got out. We had lots of plans for bowling to them at the back end, so it was nice that they were in and out so quick. It really hurt their momentum, and had the opposite effect for us.’

Having Willey in the side could give the Guardians the spur they need to challenge for a knockouts spot.

The Northamptonshire player made his Dublin debut on a ground he had played at twice before for England. Three of the team he faced back in 2015 were playing yesterday, with three more working on either coaching staff.

Willey, 36 – a month older than Young – was one of the first T20 nomads, roaming the world picking up franchise gigs. Yesterday he delivered value for his owners, taking 2/24 and smashing 44 off 25 balls to end the game as a contest. His four sixes off the last over of the powerplay got the crowd going on a day when September’s chills rolled in off the estuary.

Harry Tector and Daryl Mitchell saw the Dubliners home with 33 balls to spare, and Young duly collected the $1000 man of the match award.   

FIVE STAR
Craig Young (Dublin) 2 games, 5/40 off 6 overs, including 5/21 yesterday

FOUR STAR
Paul Stirling (Belfast) 5 games, 5 innings, 120 runs off 82 balls
Harry Tector (Dublin) 6 games, 6 innings, 125 runs off 101 balls; 0/3 off 4 balls
George Dockrell (Dublin) 6 games, 4 innings, 45 runs off 38 balls; 6/155 off 17 overs
Matt Hollard (Dublin) 6 games, 4 innings, 40 runs off 28 balls; 8/175 off 19.4 overs
Mark Adair (Belfast) 6 games, 4 innings, 36 runs off 39 balls; 6/124 off 16 overs

THREE STAR
Curtis Campher (Amsterdam) 6 games, 0/59 in 5 overs. 2 innings, 49 runs in 39 balls.
Gareth Delany (Edinburgh) 6 games, 2 innings, 41 runs off 34 balls.
Ross Adair (Edinburgh) 6 games, 5 innings, 91 runs off 48 balls.
Josh Little (Dublin) 6 games, 3 innings, 5 runs off 9 balls; 7/194 off 22 overs

TWO STAR
Jai Moondra (Rotterdam) 6 games, 3/200 in 21 overs, all in 3/19 v Edinburgh. 1 innings, 10no in 16 balls.
Tim Tector (Belfast) 5 games, 4 innings, 48 runs off 38 balls
Ben Calitz (Dublin) 4 games, 3 innings, 15 runs off 27 balls
Matthew Humphreys (Belfast) 6 games, 2 innings, 1 run off 2 balls; 2/124 off 14 overs

ONE STAR
Lorcan Tucker (Belfast) 6 games, 4 innings, 14 runs off 11 balls including three successive first ballers
Jordan Neill (Amsterdam) 3 games, 1 innings, 5no off 6 balls.
Gavin Hoey (Belfast) yet to play a game, he will hope to catch Kevin O’Brien’s eye on the slow Malahide pitches
Reuben Wilson (Glasgow) never got a game, and now released