2024 OPEN COMPETITIONS ANNOUNCED

As the 2024 season draws ever nearer, Cricket Leinster can today confirm the Open Competitions league & T20 cup structures for the upcoming season, after they were signed off by the Open Competitions Committee at their latest meeting.

It is hugely encouraging to once again see growth within the league structures, as 2024 will see teams in action across 21 Divisions and 11 T20 competitions in the most-entered season ever.

At the top end, the IBI Powered by DC Advisory Premier League & Championship were more or less confirmed at the back end of last season and with entries remaining unchanged from all participating clubs, the leagues are exactly as expected. 2024 is of course a vitally important season within these two divisions, with the restructure in 2025 set to mean no fewer than 4 teams in this season's Championship will earn the right to play in the Premier League in the following year.

IBI Powered by DC Advisory Premier League; YMCA, Leinster, Balbriggan, Malahide, Merrion, Clontarf, Pembroke, Phoenix

IBI Powered by DC Advisory Championship; Railway Union, The Hills, Rush, North County, Terenure, Cork County, Civil Service, North Kildare

The 2nd XI Premier League has seen it's first change to the participating teams in the league since 2019, as Balbriggan and The Hills have both earned promotion to the competition for the coming season. Meanwhile, just below them in Division 4, Adamstown and Sandyford have both climbed to their highest ever ranking in the league structure having fought out a brilliant Division 5 campaign last season, as they exchanged places with the relegated Knockharley and Laois, who have been joined there by Longford and Terenure 2.

2ND XI Premier League; Railway Union, Malahide, Pembroke, Merrion, Clontarf, Leinster, Balbriggan, The Hills

Division 4; YMCA 2, North County 2, Wexford Wanderers, Merrion 3, Cork Harlequins, Phoenix 2, Adamstown, Sandyford

Division 5; Knockharley, Laois, Malahide 3, Civil Service 2, North Kildare 2, Rush 2, Longford 1, Terenure 2

Next in line, Division 6 has seen Kilkenny rise to their highest ranking since entering Cricket Leinster competitions, Clontarf 3 will join them having finished at the foot of Division 5, whilst Castleknock and Adamstown 2 have both bounced back into Division 6 where they plied their trade up until the past couple of seasons, Pembroke 3 are now in Division 7 alongside another club in their highest ranking yet, last season's Division 8 champions Athlone, as North County 3 also continue their rise back through the Divisions. Division 8 is the new landing spot for Phoenix 3, with Division 9 champs North Kildare 3 also now competing in this league.

Division 6; Kilkenny, Clontarf 3, Mullingar, Leinster 3, Carlow, Railway Union 3, Castleknock, Adamstown 2

Division 7; Pembroke 3, Greystones, Tyrrelstown, Clondalkin, Merrion 4, Civil Service 3, Athlone, North County 3

Division 8; Phoenix 3, Ashbourne, DLR County, Knockharley 2, Swords, North Kildare 3, Lucan, The Hills 3

Moving to the next group of leagues, Railway Union's excellent Division 10 campaign has earnt them the league title and a place in Division 9 for the coming year, with Laois 2 also promoted alongside them. Dublin University 2nds will be competing in Division 10 alongside newly promoted Finglas and Tyrrelstown 2, who jump up at the expense of Wicklow County, whilst Clontarf's 4th XI have taken the slot formerly occupied by their 5ths after a torrid Division 6 campaign last season. Dundalk's rout of Division 13 has also seen them earn a spot in Division 11 for 2024.

Division 9; Phoenix 4, Bagenalstown, Leinster 4, Civil Service 4, Adamstown 3, Castleknock 2, Railway Union 4, Laois 2

Division 10; Dublin University 2, North County 4, Malahide 4, Pembroke 4, Clontarf 4, Balbriggan 3, Finglas 1, Tyrrelstown 2

Division 11; Wicklow County, Mullingar 2, Merrion 5, Rush 3, Swords 2, Sandyford 2, Lucan 2, Dundalk 1

With only Naas relegated from the reduced Division 11, this means Wexford Wanderers 2 and Finglas are the two sides promoted from 2nd and 3rd places in Division 13. Halverstown and Gorey are the two casualties from that Division, with Clondalkin 2 and Ongar promoted from Division 14. County Cavan are the newest club to enter Cricket Leinster competitions and they do so in Division 14 alongside newly promoted Carlow 2 and Athlone 2.

Divison 12; Naas, Finglas 2, Terenure 3, Greystones 2, Adamstown 4, North Kildare 4, Phoenix 5, Wexford Wanderers 2

Division 13; Clondalkin 2, Halverstown, Tyrrelstown 3, Adamstown 5, North Kildare 5, Gorey, Ongar, Malahide 5

Division 14; County Cavan, North County 5, Slieve Bloom, Leinster 5, Ashbourne 2, Merrion 6, Carlow 2, Athlone 2

Division 15 has seen the promotion of Castleknock 3 and The Hills 4 into it for the 2024 season after they played out a brilliant battle for the Division 16 title in '23, Railway 5 and Greystones 3 are the two sides which have fallen to join them, whilst another regraded Clontarf side, this time their 5ths, will compete in Division 15 as well. Division 16 has been reduced from 9 teams to 8, as Lucan 3 and DLR County coming up from Division 17 are joined by the Sandyford 3 side which romped to the Division 18 title. Adamstown 7 remain in Division 17 in spite of finishing second as they have a team in the league above them already, as Division 17 also sees a reduction to 8 teams.

Division 15; Railway Union 5, Greystones 3, Laois 3, Tyrrelstown 4, Civil Service 5, Clontarf 5, Castleknock 3, The Hills 4

Division 16; Wicklow County 2, Terenure 4, Swords 3, Pembroke 5, Adamstown 6, DLR County 2, Sandyford 3, Lucan 3

Division 17; Malahide 6, Adamstown 7, Balbriggan 4, Athlone 3, Mullingar 3, Phoenix 6, Kilkenny 2, Swords 4

Both Division 18 and 19 have also seen reductions from 9 teams back to the more popular 8, Dundalk 2 and Sandyford 4 being the two sides promoted between the two leagues, whilst Kilkenny 3 and North Kildare 6 fall from 18 to 19. The 'new' league in the structure is theoretically Division 20, with Divison 21 replacing it as the developmental league for the 2024 season, Terenure 5, Pembroke 6 and Swords 5 have all elected to enter the open league rather than development for this season, meaning there's room for Clontarf's final regrade of their 7ths in Development Division 21, alongside new entries Adamstown 9, Castleknock 5, Athlone 4, Phoenix 7 and Pembroke 7.

Division 18; Naas 2, Finglas 3, Wexford Wanderers 3, Rush 4, Clondalkin 3, North County 6, Sandyford 4, Dundalk 2

Division 19; Ongar 2, Lucan 4, Castleknock 4, Leinster 6, Carlow 3, Adamstown 8, North Kildare 6, Kilkenny 3

Division 20; Halverstown 2, Merrion 7, Pembroke 6, Swords 5, Longford 2, Dundalk 3, Terenure 5, Knockharley 3

Division 21 (Development); Clontarf 7, The Hills 5, Pembroke 7, Athlone 4, Adamstown 9, Phoenix 7, Greystones 4, Castleknock 5, Carlow 4

The Alan Murray Cup, sponsored by LHK Insurance, will this season return to it's more familiar mid-season slot, with the groups for the competition as follows;

Group A; YMCA, Balbriggan, The Hills, North County
Group B; Malahide, Clontarf, Civil Service, North Kildare
Group C; Leinster, Phoenix, Terenure, Adamstown
Group D; Merrion, Pembroke, Railway Union, Rush

The next 8 competitions contains sides from the 2nd XI Premier League down as far as Division 18, with four groups of four regionalised as best possible to allow for less travel between clubs.

Tillain Cup
Group A; Malahide 2, Balbriggan 2, The Hills 2, North County 2
Group B; Phoenix 2, Laois, Civil Service 2, North Kildare 2
Group C; Railway Union 2, Pembroke 2, Clontarf 2, YMCA 2
Group D; Merrion 2, Leinster 2, Wexford Wanderers, Sandyford

YMCA Salver
Group A; Malahide 3, Rush 2, Terenure 2, Clontarf 3
Group B; Merrion 3, Leinster 3, Railway Union 3, Pembroke 3
Group C; Kilkenny, Carlow, Castleknock, Adamstown 2
Group D; Knockharley, Longford, Mullingar, Athlone

Middle Cup
Group A; Greystones, Phoenix 3, DLR County, Bagenalstown
Group B; North County 3, Swords, North Kildare 3, The Hills 3
Group C; Tyrrelstown, Civil Service 3, Ashbourne, Knockharley 2
Group D; Clondalkin, Merrion 4, Lucan, Leinster 4

Intermediate Cup
Group A; North County 4, Malahide 4, Balbriggan 3, Finglas
Group B; Phoenix 4, Civil Service 4, Clontarf 4, Tyrrelstown 2
Group C; Merrion 5, Wicklow County, Railway Union 4, Pembroke 4
Group D; Adamstown 3, Castleknock 2, Laois 2, Mullingar 2

Whelan Cup
Group A; Clondalkin 2, Sandyford 2, Greystones 2, Wexford Wanderers 2
Group B; Lucan 2, Finglas 2, Terenure 3, Phoenix 5
Group C; Halverstown, Naas, Adamstown 4, North Kildare 4
Group D; Malahide 5, Rush 3, Swords 2, Dundalk

Junior Cup
Group A; Malahide 6, Balbriggan 4, Clontarf 5, The Hills 4
Group B; Tyrrelstown 4, Castleknock 3, Terenure 4, Lucan 3
Group C; Laois 3, Wicklow County 2, Kilkenny 2, Adamstown 6
Group D; Civil Service 5, Pembroke 5, DLR County 2, Sandyford 3

Russel Court Trophy
Group A; Railway Union 5, North County 5, Leinster 5, Merrion 6
Group B; Swords 3, Tyrrelstown 3, North Kildare 5, Ongar
Group C; Greystones 3, Adamstown 5, Gorey, Carlow 2
Group D; County Cavan, Slieve Bloom, Ashbourne 2, Athlone 2

Minor Cup
Group A; Swords 4, Finglas 3, Rush 4, North County 6
Group B; Adamstown 7, Clondalkin 3, Ongar 2, Lucan 4
Group C; Athlone 3, Mullingar 3, Naas 2, Dundalk 2
Group D; Phoenix 6, Sandyford 4, Clontarf 6, Castleknock 4

Both the Adamstown Cup and the Minor 2 Cup (primarily for Development teams) account for the remainder of the entered teams between Division 19 and 21

Adamstown Cup
Group A; Leinster 6, Carlow 3, Kilkenny 3, Halverstown 2, Merrion 7, Pembroke 6
Group B; Adamstown 8, North Kildare 6, Swords 5, Longford 2, Dundalk 3, Terenure 5, Knockharley 3

Minor 2 Cup
Group A; Pembroke 7, Adamstown 9, Phoenix 7, Greystones 4, Carlow 4
Group B; Clontarf 7, The Hills 5, Athlone 4, Castleknock 5, Malahide 7, Mullingar 4

The announcement of these draws round off the Open Competitions for 2024, with the draws for the Senior Cup and Senior 2 Cup already having taken place before Christmas, those draws can be seen in full here - https://www.cricketleinster.ie/news/open-senior-cup-senior-2-cup-draws-2024

And a final reminder, you can register at the following link for the upcoming season if you haven't already done so! https://www.cricketleinster.ie/news/registration-for-the-2024-season-now-open