Guardians let golden chance slip as play-off hopes fade

Dublin Guardians squandered a huge opportunity to make it back-to-back wins over table-topping Edinburgh Castle Rockers as they slipped to a damaging 12-run defeat that leaves their play-off hopes hanging by a thread.

Edinburgh posted 174 for four from their 20 overs, recovering from the first-ball dismissal of Ross Adair through Andries Gous and Brandon McMullen.

Gous struck 50 from 40 balls, while McMullen was the mainstay with an unbeaten 69 from 49 deliveries, including five fours and four sixes. Mitchell Santner then added late impetus with 27 not out from just 15 balls. Craig Young was Dublin’s most successful bowler, taking three for 42. 

The Guardians gave themselves every chance in reply.

David Willey made 33 and Harry Tector looked capable of steering them home with 45 from 29 balls, helping Dublin reach 108 for three after 13.2 overs. At that stage, with seven wickets intact and the target very much within reach, another upset was there for the taking. 

Instead, Dublin lost their way.

Ben Calitz fell for three, Tector departed at 128 and Ravichandran Ashwin went first ball as the chase unravelled. George Dockrell briefly revived hopes with 19 from 10 deliveries, but Edinburgh kept their nerve to restrict the Guardians to 162 for eight.

Jack Jarvis was the difference with the ball, taking four for 34, while Tom Curran and McMullen claimed two wickets apiece. 

The defeat leaves Dublin’s play-off ambitions in tatters and is another blow for organisers hoping a home challenge might provide a badly-needed lift to disappointing crowd numbers.

Free tickets have helped put a few more spectators through the gates, but without a sustained Dublin run the hoped-for late surge in local interest now looks increasingly unlikely.