IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE ROUND-UP (27TH APRIL)

Three away victories out of three is the headline this evening in the IBI Corporate Finance Premier League, as there were centuries for all winning sides in this afternoon's season openers.

Pembroke's trip to Phoenix saw them batting first, and a debut half-century saw Phoenix become the ground at which he has scored the most Senior runs, he made 74 but ultimately was only second fiddle in the scheme of the innings. Lorcan Tucker's masterful 139 from just 121 balls featured 10 fours and 7 sixes as he blasted the Phoenix bowling attack to all corners of the Park. The two internationals really proved their class in this fixture, with the next highest score being Gavin Hoey's 25 as both Tyrone Kane and George Dockrell took 3 wickets apiece for the home side. In response, Phoenix were always behind the 8 ball, an opening wicket apiece for Barry McCarthy and skipper Nick Stapleton were followed by 2 wickets for each of Gavin Hoey and Harry Tector. Among it all Dockrell remained strong, muscling 52 from 56 balls before he became Hoey's third wicket as the leg-spinner finished a fine spell with 3/29. Fiachra Tucker's 2/7 mopped up the tail as Phoenix were 131 all out and Pembroke ran out 189 run winners.

In Malahide, the home side batted first and Adam Doyle's 50 from 131 deliveries exemplified how tough the wicket was early in the piece. however after Jeremy Martins' 22 at number 5, no other batter passed 8 as Dylan Lues ripped the heart out of the Village's middle and lower order taking 6/16, before Sam Willemse took the final two wickets in three balls to roll Malahide over for 161. Balbriggan were utterly professional in their chase, as Cameron Rowe made an unbeaten 103 from 105 deliveries sharing stands of 75 with Ghanim Dara and an unbeaten 90 with Chris de Freitas, as the visitors ran out 9 wicket victors with nearly a third of the innings remaining, Mohit Sane taking the sole wicket for Malahide.

Finally the game of the day came in Merrion, where Leinster appear to have unearthed a real gem in Matthew Vercoe-Curtis, starred at 2.2, who put together a fine 105 from 136 deliveries, sharing an excellent 2nd wicket partnership of 181 with Monil Patel, who made 73. After that however, Swapnil Modgil's excellent spell of 3/64 from 9 overs helped drag the scoring rate back. Gareth Delany's 39 and Saqib Bahadur's 31* scrambled Leinster back on top in the last 5 overs, with the total finishing on 301/6 from 50 overs. Modgil then shared an opening stand of 155 with Mick Lewis in the chase, as the pair made 84 and 75 respectively, before two excellent spells of bowling from Joey Carroll, taking 4/45, and Bilal Azhar, taking 3/40, pulled Leinster right back into the game, and when Carroll's final wicket was of Pete Francis at the end of the penultimate over, Merrion's fate was sealed and Leinster ultimately ran out 16 run winners, keeping Merrion to just 285 all out.