BAD weather meant that Ireland's Development XI defeated Leinster to win the AIB Senior Interprovincial title at the first attempt in a match more akin to your fun Taverners' cricket than tough representative fare at Malahide yesterday. Still, on the eve of departure for the three match English tour, it was an encouraging achievement for the Development team's manager Michael Halliday and his youthful players.

Arguably, the Development side probably would have won, anyway. When the match proper started in the morning, with only one break because of rain, they bowled Leinster out for a modest enough 154 with three of the 50 overs to spare. Only Angus Dunlop (44), Michael Donnelly (27), Ronan O'Reilly (22) and Eddie Joyce (10) reached double figures, with Johnny Byrne taking three for 18 off 10 overs.

None of which will go into the record books, of course. After lunch, the heavens opened, and some three hours were lost, as those present silently pondered, amid the rain and the slime, the possibility of developing webbed feet.

Under the regulations of the competition - which when spoken, sound like an extract from Finnegans Wake - provision is made for a new 10 overs a side match to be played, under certain conditions. The conditions, whatever they are, were right for this occasion, so the match began anew at about 6.45 in truncated form.

Dunlop again was Leinster's top scorer, with a lively 35 off 31 balls, while other useful contributions came from Donnelly and Brian McNeice, who each scored 5. Kyle McCallan bowled very well, taking three for nine off two overs, leaving the Development side needing 85 for victory.

Leinster made an early breakthrough, when McNeice trapped Andy Patterson leg before with 16 runs on the board. But the Development XI was never in any real trouble thereafter, with Declan Moore contributing an undefeated 29, including one thumping six which might have caused a personal injury claim to be filed by some unlucky stroller on the road outside.