LEINSTER TRIUMPHANT IN LHK INSURANCE ALAN MURRAY CUP FINAL!

Leinster CC were today crowned LHK Insurance Alan Murray Cup champions for the 2024 season after a pulsating final against Pembroke in Sydney Parade.

Batting first having lost the toss, Leinster were off to an excellent start, as in spite of the early loss of Tristen de Beer, Gareth Delany and Bilal Azhar added 82 for the second wicket, with the Irish international dominating proceedings.

Azhar was dismissed for 16 having been happy to play second fiddle to his number three, however by the time Delany was dismissed he had added 85 from just 38 deliveries featuring 8 boundaries and 8 towering maximums.

The loss of Delany saw Leinster faltering somewhat, as Paul Lawson’s 3/30 somewhat put the brakes on, with only Jai Moondra passing 10 in the last 7 batsmen, with the Rathmines outfit finishing on 174/8.

Pembroke’s chase got off to a slow start, and the side were 20/4 when rain interrupted proceedings as Jai Moondra snared three early wickets for just ten runs.

After the rain disturbance, the Tector brothers of Harry and Jack set about putting their side back into the game, adding an excellent stand of 75 inside 8 overs before Jack Tector was run out for 29 by a direct hit by Bilal Azhar.

When Harry fell just 10 runs later the rate was rising at a rapid rate and the tide had turned firmly into Leinster’s favour. Luke Callanan and Saqib Bahadur took the last 4 wickets to fall for just 3 runs, as Leinster ran out 59 run winners to secure their title.

Our thanks as always to our sponsors at LHK Insurance Group for their sponsorship of the competition, as well as Pembroke CC for their excellent hospitality.