IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW – MATCH DAY 5 (JUNE 29TH)

Fifty over cricket returns at the top level of the sport in the province this weekend, with the return of the IBI Corporate Finance Premier League, as has been the case across the opening four rounds, there are three good ties to look forward to in Saturday’s action.

The pick of the action looks sure to be the top of the table clash between Pembroke and Merrion at Sydney Parade, with the home side already 18 points clear at the top of the table, they could put themselves into an extremely strong position after just four games with a win, whilst Merrion would be looking to leapfrog their opponents and make the league into a proper fight over the next few weeks. Meanwhile, in Rathmines, Leinster play host to Balbriggan, with just a point separating the sides in the table currently. Finally Phoenix travel to Castle Avenue to face a Clontarf side that will be desperate for a win to avoid falling away from the teams in 2^nd through 5^th positions in the table.

Pembroke vs Merrion

Traditionally the two sides who over the last five years have always been towards the sharp end in competitions, the class which Merrion and Pembroke hold is clear in the fact that the last two occasions on which the Premier League has had a final included in it’s format, they have fought it out. Whilst that may not be the case this year, with the two sides set to face off in the last round of league games at Anglesea Road, this could well be a precursor to a potential decider at the end of the season.

The home side are not quite back to their full-strength side that took the field on Match Day One against Phoenix, however they did welcome back Barry McCarthy last weekend, and this time around they can include Olly Riley and Gavin Hoey in the side too. That means they have a team laden with bowling options, McCarthy and Riley join skipper Nick Stapleton and the in-form Byron McDonough in the seam attack, whilst Hoey’s return with his leg-breaks will add to the spin attack which already features Paul Lawson’s offies and JJ Garth’s leg-spin. This is all without mentioning the part-time options offered by Tim Tector and Fiachra Tucker who both bowl varieties of leg-spin also, leaving just Danny Hogan behind the stumps and Jack Tector, the man with the second best career best bowling in the side, as the non-bowling options. These changes will mean something of a reshuffle in the order, with Garth and Tim Tector resuming their partnership at the top having been in different positions during the T20 fixtures, whilst Stapleton shifts up to number three with Jack Tector and Fiachra Tucker at four and five. All of that means Hoey and McCarthy are likely to be the two who will be tasked with accelerating towards the back end of the innings, and with the ability that both have to clear the ropes regularly, this could be a balance that strikes fear into the Merrion bowlers this weekend.

The away side meanwhile come into this fixture off the back of an extremely tough exit from the Alan Murray Cup last weekend at the hands of this week’s opposition, and will be gunning to sink Pembroke and put themselves into a strong position ahead of their All-Ireland Quarter-Final on Sunday. There’s no question of Merrion picking and choosing however, they’re certain to have all of their focus on this fixture heading into Saturday and have a side which is more than capable of making the most of conditions in Sydney Parade. Stephen Doheny has shown himself to be in good touch in recent weeks, and has a fine record in Sydney Parade, averaging in excess of 58 in five appearances, and he’s sure to be key in a batting unit that also sees Swapnil Modgil at the top of the order, John Anderson continuing relentlessly at number 3, new man Adam Rosslee who has settled in seamlessly at number four making 90 on his debut and only league appearance so far. The addition of Rosslee has allowed Sam Harbinson and Pete Francis both to slide down one position in the batting order, and with the firepower and talent in the top four of the side, should allow them to play more freely and in finishing roles which suit their aggressive styles. Jamie Forbes comes into the side and carries some good form having batted well twice for Dublin University last weekend, whilst Max Sorensen and Mikey O’Reilly will follow and are both equally capable of finding the boundary. With the ball, Melvin Devaraj and O’Reilly will likely share the opening duties, and both have produced good spells early in the piece so far this season, they’re supported by the seamers of Harbinson, who has been in particularly strong form at club level and Sorensen who although having a tendency to bowl extras has retained his ability to take clusters of wickets. The spinners in the side see Tom Stanton’s left arm off-breaks leading the way, with support in the shape of Forbes, who bowls the same discipline, and Modgil who bowls some useful part-time off-breaks.

This game is likely to come down to who’s batting fires on all cylinders and who’s batting falters, and with the bowling unit which Pembroke have selected, they appear to be looking to tie down Merrion at every turn and not allow them a moment’s peace. Regardless of this however it’s the start of the Merrion innings which looks like it will hold the key, with Stephen Doheny set to face off against Barry McCarthy’s new ball spell. Whoever comes out on top at the end of that battle is likely to have put their side into an excellent position to dominate the innings.

KEY BATTLE: Barry McCarthy vs Stephen Doheny

Leinster vs Balbriggan

The home side were, briefly last weekend, appearing to be looking to mount a challenge on all fronts this season, until their ship was comprehensively sunk in the Leinster Senior Cup semi-final by Pembroke last Sunday. Their batting faltered badly that day, with nobody able to dig-in for any period of time and occupy the crease, which could prove cause for a return to the side for Matthew Vercoe-Curtis. Their key men do remain Monil Patel and Joey Carroll at numbers three and four respectively, however even when they both failed to make their mark last weekend, Gareth Delany’s return to the side was met with a disastrous run-out which all but finished their chances of posting a good score. If those three can put together something of a strong effort this weekend, it will doubtless give them a massive chance of posting a big score. With the ball, whilst Luke Callanan remains at least a week away from returning to the side, Jai Moondra has bowled some very good spells so far this season and spearheads the attack. He’s supported by skipper Bilal Azhar’s left-arm seam, with the right-arm options coming in the form of Mark Tonge and Carroll. The spinners in the side are now led by Tom Johnson’s left-arm offies, which are garnering prodigious turn from the Rathmines pitches this season, whilst Delany’s leg-breaks are another excellent option. Saqib Bahadur offers the final part-time option likely to be used this weekend with his off-spin.

Balbriggan meanwhile will carry some confidence into this weekend, having played some excellent cricket to make their way into the Finals Day of the Alan Murray Cup, their batting really came to the forefront of proceedings in their pair of victories last time out. Cameron Rowe and Ghanim Dara have shown good form at the top of the order, whilst the return to 50 over cricket will be music to the ears of number three Chris de Freitas who will relish the opportunity to build an innings again. Their middle order is now full of players who can change a game, skipper Greg Ford at four knits the team together with the ability to both consolidate an innings and find the boundary regularly a major positive of his batting. Beyond him there’s some excellent clean hitters of the ball in Sebastian de Oliveira, Jordan Hollard and Dylan Lues who can all clear the ropes, with Hollard in particular showing his credentials last weekend with a game-winning half-century in the afternoon fixture coming from just 22 deliveries. With the ball, the spinners featured come in the form of Lues and Hollard, who both bowl off-breaks and have shown to be more than effective across formats. The seamers on the other hand are led by a pair of left-armers in Sam Willemse and Kashif Ali, whilst de Oliveira’s right arm has produced some brilliant spells at points this term and could well prove crucial again. The attack is rounded off by the extra pace of Andy Darroch’s right arm seamers, which could cause Leinster some trouble with the up-and-down nature of their pitches in recent times.

Spinners have proven to be vital here early this season, however in recent weeks it’s been seam bowlers who have come to the fore, and that could well be the case yet again. Jai Moondra has really stepped up to the plate since the injury to Luke Callanan, and he will be looking to get the early wicket of Cameron Rowe to give the home side a foothold in the game and put pressure onto the Balbriggan middle-order early in the innings.

KEY BATTLE: Jai Moondra vs Cameron Rowe

Clontarf vs Phoenix

The final game we come to sees 6^th placed Clontarf looking to keep tabs on their opponents among others in this instance as they host 4^th placed Phoenix. The home side are left with just the league to fight for this season having been knocked out of the Alan Murray Cup by Malahide last weekend, and will need to launch an immediate charge if they are to challenge for any silverware this season. Their side sees a return for both David Vincent who is back from injury and Ben McCabe, who like Vincent before his injury, was on Dublin University duties, whilst Ethan Marshall is also back in the side having not featured for a month as he completed his exchange in King’s Bruton school in Somerset. Their batting sees Eoghan Delany at the top of the order likely to be joined by Mitchell Thompson who has cemented his place as a regular first-team player in Clontarf of late, whilst their middle order has a good pool of talent including overseas Rahul Dalal, David Delany, Henry Thompson and hard-hitting all-rounder John McNally. The bowling options see the seamers led by David Delany, who will likely share the new ball with McCabe’s left arm seamers, whilst Marshall and McNally round off the pace attack with both bowling right-arm options. The spinners see Cillian McDonnell leading the way, with support coming in the shape of Vincent and Yash Balasubramaniam who both bowl useful off-spin options. The attack is without the likes of Fionn Hand and Reuben Wilson this weekend, which would clearly be a massive loss to any side in the league.

Phoenix on the other hand come into this game off the back of an excellent run-chase in the Leinster Senior Cup semi-final against Malahide last weekend, in which they were boosted hugely by the return to the side of George Dockrell, who made a match-winning 116 batting at number four. Around him in the line-up, the return to 50 over cricket means they have reverted to Levon Shields and Johit Munjal at the top of the order, whilst Jack Lalor at number three suffered something of a slump during the T20 block and is another man in the league who will be relishing the recommencement of league cricket. Tyrone Kane and Shane Getkate in the middle order offer some huge power-hitting abilities, whilst the skipper Adam Chester at 7 was crucial to last weekend’s victory and could find himself adding to a huge total if the team is balanced out like this again. With the ball, another big boost last weekend was the return of Ben White, and whilst he didn’t perform as he would have liked, he’s sure to be gunning to produce a big performance here to keep Phoenix challenging upwards. Amish Sidhu has been the form bowler in the league of late and he proved himself again last week, whilst more left-arm spin from Dockrell delivered a tight ten overs as well. The seamers in this side almost always play second fiddle, however the likes of Kane, Lalor, Getkate and Ashley Bain all offer strong options which can be called upon to deliver crucial spells in this sort of a game.

After last weekend, Phoenix will be hoping for a strong performance with the ball to put pressure onto the ‘Tarf top order and leave them in with a chance of bundling them out for a below-par total, that’s exactly where Amish Sidhu’s bowling spell could be crucial. He’s likely to be used early in the game by the away side, and if he can knock over Rahul Dalal, who has looked extremely classy against spin this season, it could allow the visitors to get on a roll.

KEY BATTLE: Rahul Dalal vs Amish Sidhu

IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE

Saturday, June 29^th, all 12 noon starts

At Sydney Parade, Pembroke vs Merrion

At Observatory Lane, Leinster vs Balbriggan

At Castle Avenue, Clontarf vs Phoenix

Idle; Malahide