Tyrrelstown 2 vs Laois 2 - The GS Cricket Intermediate Cup final for 2023 sees Division 11's Tyrrelstown 2 take on Laois 2 of Division 10. Tyrrelstown's last final was in 2018 when they beat Gorey 1 by 4 wickets to win the Russel Court Trophy, their only trophy to date. Laois 2's only previous T20 cup was the 2011 YMCA Salver, when they beat Merrion 3 to win by 72 runs. The team's only previous meeting was in August 2021 in Division 12, when Tyrrelstown had a bad day, bowled out for 89 after an inspired spell of bowling by Salman Shahid who took 6-8 from 7.5 overs. It remains the best bowling on record for Laois 2. Laois went on to win the game by 8 wickets.
Clondalkin 1 vs Railway Union 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Clondalkin 1 vs Phoenix 4 (August 5)
Cork County 1 vs North Kildare 1 - The Championship season enters its final run of five matches and both of these team's plans look to be focused more on the bottom of the table than the top. Cork County are the safer of the pair, in 5th place but only 30 points ahead of North Kildare in bottom. A couple more wins over the last few weeks should be enough to ensure safety, and where better to start than a home win against the bottom side. The fate of the bottom teams in the championship rests very much on whether 1st teams or 2nd teams do well in Division 4. At the moment, that league is being led by Balbriggan 2 and The Hills 2 (good news for North Kildare) but everything could change. North Kildare will need to win at least three of their remaining games to move themselves to safety. North Kildare's two previous trips to the Mardyke in Senior matches (2016 and 2022) have both ended in defeat. In the 2016 Championship match, Steph Grobler took 3-10 to help bowl North Kildare out for 82, before he hit 52* to seal the nine wicket win in 12.4 overs.
North County 1 vs Terenure 1 - Terenure look as if they have too much to do to join the promotion race in the Championship, in fourth, 46 points behind second place Phoenix with only five games left. But they look safe from any relegation worries which is more than can be said for North County, who are in 6th place and will need a couple of wins to ensure they survive. Terenure have a decent record in Inch, winning two of the last three games there in a period going back to 2014. The 2019 Championship win saw Kenny McDonald take 3-17 (an asterisk denoting it was numbers 7, 8 and 10 - three of only 38 senior wickets across his long 223 match senior career) as County were bowled out for 222 with Niall McGovern and Yassar Cook both hitting 39. Terenure's Jack Webster dominates the reply with 106 (one of three centuries in his record breaking year in 2019) with Mick Cotter closing out the match with 51*.
Civil Service 1 vs Rush 1 - For Civil Service, all eyes may be on their crucial trip to North Kildare on August 19th - a win in that should ensure their Championship safety for 2023. But they are more than capable of springing a surprise today which would help their cause. Rush have to keep on winning, as they are involved in a tight battle with Phoenix for second place and a play off spot. Phoenix play Pembroke tomorrow, with Rush and Phoenix meeting on August 19, and the picture will be much clearer after those two matches. The only two senior matches between the clubs have both been this year, with Rush winning both. In the Championship match on July 8, Nathan Maguire hit 72 (the fourth time he has passed 50 in senior cricket) and Jarrod Barnes scored 66* (his highest score in 63 matches) as Rush recovered from 159/5 to post 282/9. Early wickets saw Service struggling at 33/3, before 57 from Srikanth Boddu (his first Senior 50 after an incredible career of 218 matches since 2011) and 102* from Simranjeet Singh gave Service a chance. It was the first Senior hundred for Civil Service since FG Connell scored 125 in 1927. Singh ultimately ran out of partners as Civil Service ended up 30 runs short.
Railway Union 2 vs Merrion 2 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Merrion 2 vs Clontarf 2 (July 23)
Cork Harlequins 1 vs Phoenix 2 - YMCA 3 have been confirmed as relegated in Division 4, so there is only one more relegation place, and the top two places to be confirmed, but it could be a while before we find out who. Cork Harlequins have leaped up to third place, but with nothing between 3rd and 7th. They have five games left and will be 17 points behind second place The Hills 2 if they won their game in hand with maximum points. Phoenix are down in fifth, also with five games left. They need to win at least three of those remaining matches to stay up. The only previous meeting between the teams was won by Quins in August 2021. Devon James' 71 was the main contributor of Phoenix's209/9 from 50 overs. James only played five times for Phoenix, and this was the only time he got in double figures. Quins then chased the total down with four overs to spare, Dhawan Mehta top scoring with 50 - his first Cricket Leinster 50 for Cork Harlequins after scoring two previously for Phoenix.
The Hills 2 vs Wexford Wanderers 1 - Normally, second versus sixth would not generate much excitement. But Division 4 is tight, and sixth place Wexford have three games in hand on The Hills and would overtake them if they won all three. The Hills are not mathematically safe from relegation but it seems very unlikely, so they can concentrate on the second promotion place (with Balbriggan 2 looking to have sealed the title - 47 points ahead of The Hills). The only previous tie between the teams was in Wexford in May last year. The Hills made 173 all out (Bhavesh Lakhotia top scoring with 42) as Nithin Padmaprabhu (Wexford Wanderers 1's second highest all time wicket taker) took 3-29. Wexford were then in trouble at 61/5 (and then 133/8) before Padmaprabhu completed a brilliant game with 75* to complete the win by 2 wickets.
Phoenix 6 vs Naas 2 - A crucial bottom of the table tie in the nine team Division 17. Phoenix are bottom with six games still to play and are currently 30 points from safety. Early guesses are that they will need to win four of their last six matches - but possibly five. Naas are 16 points ahead of Phoenix but probably need to win three of their last six games. Still a long way to go though. Phoenix are a lowly 1-9 for the season, the reason for their bottom of the table position. Emmet Staunton remains their leading run scorer with 161 runs at 17.89, with no one taking more than Michael Delaney's 8 wickets at 21.63. Naas are 6-8 for the season, with their leading scorer being Nirmal Kandwal with 354 runs at 59 and their bowling being led by Vinod Pillai with 22 wickets at 12.77.
Adamstown 1 vs Clontarf 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Clontarf 3 vs Civil Service 2 (August 9)
Balbriggan 4 vs Athlone 3 - Five games left in Division 17 for Balbriggan, and although they are in third place, they will need to win all five to have a chance of catching the top two - DLR County 2 and Adamstown 7. The gap to Adamstown in second is 71 points. Athlone are one place further back, but their task is even harder. Relegation can't be counted out for either team, with perhaps another two wins needed to guarantee safety. The one previous match involving the teams was on June 25 this year, when Athlone won by 5 wickets. Ryan Keenan scored an excellent 97, his highest career score and third 50 for Balbriggan as they made 237/5. But the innings of the day went to Dhananjay Kumar, who struck 120 to seal the win with 36 balls remaining. It was the first time that Athlone 3 have successfully chased over 200, and the first century recorded for Athlone 3 in the 34 matches they have played.
Swords 3 vs The Hills 4 - A mid table clash in the nine team Division 16. Swords in 4th are 29 points off the promotion places, and 37 places ahead of relegation - a mid-table is likely but a few more wins would be nice. The Hills are similar - in 5th and six points behind Swords. More will become obvious over the coming weeks. Four previous matches have been shared between the teams, with the home side winning each time. The one previous league game (July 2022) in Newbridge Demesne saw The Hills bundled out for 79, with John Thomas the best Swords bowler with 3-12. Farooq Hussain (54) and Praveen Chandran (25) then knocked off the runs in 11 overs to record Swords 3's fifth 10 wicket win in their 83 matches in existence.
Sandyford 4 vs Tyrrelstown 5 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Merrion 7 vs Ongar 2 (August 7)
Merrion 6 vs Malahide 5 - Malahide's Division 14 win against Clondalkin on Sunday has lifted them into the promotion places (although Clondalkin do still have a game in hand). Ongar look to be too far ahead with a 44 point lead with only four games left, but Malahide will also need to keep looking over their shoulder. Even bottom placed North County 5 would overtake Malahide if they won their three games in hand! Merrion are down in 7th, and their big problem is that they have played more than others, and as with Malahide, only have four games remaining, and need to win at least two to have a chance of safety. The pair played twice in 2013 (Merrion winning both) but twice this season - with Malahide winning both. The league match on May 21 saw no Merrion batter getting past 20 as 3-9 from Bhanu Gokarla bowled them out for 110. Gokarla then completed a great personal match, leading the way with 34* as Malahide won by 5 wickets with nearly 20 overs left.
Wicklow County 1 vs Laois 2 - Last night's seven wicket loss for to Railway Union 4 in Division 10 has made Wicklow County's task a whole lot harder. They are now bottom with five games remaining and probably need to win all five to stay up. Laois are in a much better position - 3rd place with a game in hand over leaders Leinster, and two in hand over Balbriggan. The last match between the teams were back in 2018, when Laois won both of the Division 8 matches played. The match in Bray saw Umar Zafar take 4-22 as County were bowled out for 74. Laois made short work of the reply, knocking them off in 18 overs with Salman Shahid scoring 44*.
Clontarf 6 vs Carlow 2 - Clontarf 6 have just three games to turn around their Division 15 season. In 7th place, they probably need to win all three to to make safety, a tough ask when they host the leaders Carlow 2 today. Carlow still have five games to play but do have a healthy 37 point lead over Athlone 2 in second place. All they can do at this stage is to keep winning. The teams last met in two Division 15 fixtures in 2016, when each team won their home match. The match in Castle Avenue was a good day for Clontarf as they won by 9 wickets. Abdul Khan took 3-15 and there were wickets for David Vincent and Darragh Devilly as Carlow could make only 73, Carlow 2's third lowest total ever. Clontarf knocked the runs off in only 9.3 overs, Abdul Khan top scoring with 29*.
Carlow 1 vs Mullingar 1 - Four games left for Mullingar in Division 6, and promotion still looks a possibility. However their fate is in the hands of Terenure, and they will need the Dublin 6W side to slip up as well as winning at least three of their remaining games (but preferably all four). Carlow have five still to play and are in a fierce relegation battle with at least three other sides (but perhaps six). They look to need two more wins from their remaining games. These two have never met before. Carlow are 6-7 for the year with their leading run scorer being Zahir Uddin with 336 runs at 30.55 and their top wicket taker Saqib Nagra with 23 at 13.43. Mullingar are 6-5 for the year with Max Green leading the way with the bat with 482 at 53.56. He is now up to third in the list of most runs in a season for Mullingar 1, behind Cavon Hall (521 in 2018) and Rashad Ejaz (618 in 2011). Their leading wicket taker is PJ Mount with 19 at 15.26.
Dundalk 2 vs Halverstown 2 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Merrion 7 vs Ongar 2 (August 7)
North Kildare 3 vs Civil Service 4 - Second place North Kildare welcome sixth place Civil Service to The Maws in this Division 9 clash. There is still a long way to go in Division 9, with North Kildare having five games remaining and Service four. North Kildare look to be safe from relegation, and just need to keep winning to keep pace with leaders Ashbourne 1. Civil Service are one of six sides who could still join Dublin University 2 as being relegated, but may need to win two of their last three matches to get to safety. It is tight at the bottom. North Kildare lead the head to head between the sides 4-1, with Service's one win coming in this match last August. Keith Webster scored 78 as Service recovered from a dodgy 122/5 to get to an excellent 243 all out. Daire O'Neill (3-44) and Richard Dodd (3-43) were amongst the wickets for North Kildare. After losing their first wicket with the score on 6, North Kildare were never in the hunt, as Shyam Ravichandran took 3-18 and Baludu Rudrapati 4-46 (his third four wicket haul in 51 matches for Civil Service), North Kildare finishing on 128 all out.
Phoenix 4 vs Athlone 1 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Clondalkin 1 vs Phoenix 4 (August 5)
DLR County 1 vs Swords 1 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Clondalkin 1 vs Phoenix 4 (August 5)
Wexford Wanderers 3 vs Swords 4 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Clondalkin 3 vs Sandyford 3 (August 5)
Adamstown 7 vs Kilkenny 2 - Division 17's second place team host Kilkenny who are down in seventh place. Adamstown are looking good for promotion, with a 71 point lead over Balbriggan and five games remaining. Three more wins should just about seal promotion. The title is not out of the question either as they are 34 points behind DLR County 2 with a game in hand, and the sides play each other on August 19. Kilkenny still have seven games to play, so everything is still possible, but their energies look to be better spend avoiding relegation. They may need to win as many as four of their last seven games although three may be enough. Kilkenny have won all three league encounters between the teams, all taking place over the last two years, with Adamstown not scoring more than 150 in any of them. This year's game saw Hidyat Safi take 4-27 for Kilkenny, and Deepak Pandey 3-12 as Adamstown were bowled out for 109. Vamsee Krishna Ghanta (21), Syed Ali Mehdi (30) and Shafiqur Rahman Rahman (36*) all scored well as Kilkenny eased home by 8 wickets in only 14.2 overs.
Leinster W1 vs Balbriggan W1 - No preview as waiting on scorecard of Phoenix W1 vs Leinster W1 (August 3)
Clontarf W1 vs The Hills W1 - The final set of league games in Group B of the Pilkington Plate, and there is a simple prediction to make - the winner of this match will go through to the final. The Hills have won both of the T20 league matches between the teams this year, although their last Pilkington clash was won by Clontarf by 7 wickets in April 2022. In a match reduced to 27 overs, Clíodhna O'Reardon top scored for The Hills with an 81 ball 37* to get them to 134/5. Clontarf chased it in 23.5 overs, with Aoife Brennan top scoring with 71 from 84 balls.
Pembroke W1 vs Malahide W1 - No preview as waiting on scorecard of YMCA W1 vs Malahide W1 (August 8)
Tyrrelstown 4 vs Civil Service 5 - A match of huge consequence at the bottom of Division 15. Civil Service are bottom but with six games still to play - three wins should be enough to stay up. Tyrrelstown are up in 6th but with one extra game played, similarly two wins in their last five should be enough. But this is a crucial game with both looking at it as one of their easier chances. Today's loser will be in a bit of trouble. The one previous match between the teams saw Service bowled out for 91 in July last year with no bowler taking more than two wickets and no batter scoring more than 14 runs! Tyrrelstown then didn't do much better with the bat, but Vamsi Mukollu's 27 ended up being the difference between the teams as Tyrrelstown limped home by 7 wickets. Not a classic game!
Ashbourne 2 vs Clondalkin 2 - Clondalkin will be looking to bounce back from their Division 14 loss to Malahide last weekend. They are now ten points behind Malahide, but in third place with a game in hand, so whilst the title looks out of reach (Ongar are 54 points ahead with each team having five games left), promotion is very much on. Ashbourne are in a fascinating position. They are seemingly struggling in 6th place, but they have only played seven matches. If they win their games in hand, they will be in second place, so are right in the middle of the promotion shake up. The last league meeting between the teams in Ashbourne was in September 2019. Suresh Chandra Royala hit 70* from number 6 for Clondalkin, the third highest score for any Clondalkin number 6. That got them to 198/0 from 40 overs with Michael Tarsilli taking 3-30 for Ashbourne. Shibu Shanker then took 4-17 (his best bowling in his 67 match career for Clondalkin) as Ashbourne collapsed to 101 all out.
Terenure 4 vs Knockharley 3 - No easy predictions to make in Division 16. It's a tight league and to make it worse, there are nine teams and still 25 matches to be played. Terenure are up in third place with eyes very much on the title. They are 34 places behind leaders Castleknock, but have a game in hand and play Castleknock on August 27. But they are still not mathematically safe from relegation and may need a couple of wins to ensure that doesn't happen. Knockharley are down 8th place with five games still to play. Technically they can still get promoted, but escaping relegation looks much more realistic, and then need perhaps three wins from their last five to achieve that. All three previous matches between the teams have been held in Kentstown, with Knockharley winning two. The last match played saw Terenure win by 35 runs last September. Killian Molloy took 3-34 for Knockharley as Terenure made 174 all out, Vaibhav Teotia top scoring with 41. Knockharley were in trouble immediately, slipping to 7/3. There were some late runs, with Rupert Pollock leading the way with 33 but ultimately there was too much to do as Knockharley were bowled out for 139.
Ongar 2 vs Castleknock 4 - No preview as waiting on scorecard of Merrion 7 vs Ongar 2 (August 7)
Lucan 1 vs Adamstown 3 - Lucan still have six games left to save their Division 9 season, hosting fourth place Adamstown 3 today. Only eight points separate third place from seventh place, with any capable of joining Dublin University 2 as the teams to go down. Lucan probably need two - perhaps three wins to stay up. Adamstown 3 have four games left and whilst relegation is the main concern for both these sides, promotion cannot be quite ruled out. Adamstown are only 21 points behind North Kildare 3 in second, but have played two games more. This will be the fourth time Adamstown 3 have traveled to St Catherine's Park, and they have lost all three of the previous matches. The last match in April 2022 saw Lucan run up 343/9 - Lucan 1's highest ever home score. Pruthvi Tenginakai (92), Atul Khurana (87) and Abhay Pathania (50*) all struck 50s as the Adamstown bowlers had a tough day. Debapriya Chaudhuri hit 64 in reply for Adamstown but they never looked like getting close, with Manpreet Rocky Singh taking 3-24, and Adamstown being bowled out for 164.
Greystones 1 vs Civil Service 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Merrion 4 vs Castleknock 1 (August 6)
Gorey 1 vs Adamstown 5 - Gorey find themselves in a tough spot in Division 13, at the bottom and perhaps needing to win all five of their remaining games to avoid relegation. Not impossible, and they have a great chance today against an Adamstown side who are in sixth place. Promotion now looks impossible for Adamstown, so as with Gorey, the relegation battle is where their attention lies. they also need to have a strong end to the season, perhaps winning three or four of their last five matches. The one previous match between the teams saw one of Gorey's great innings as Razwan Ahmed scored 154 from number 6, adding 232 for the fourth wicket with Jaspal Singh (who made 66*). It is the highest partnership for any Gorey team for any wicket, and the highest individual score recorded for any Gorey team. Despite 50 from Bharathkumar Hegde, Adamstown slipped away, scoring 163/8 from 40 overs to lose by 123 runs.
Malahide 4 vs Pembroke 4 - Both team's chances of promotion have effectively gone in this Division 10 match, so both need to win one or two more games to remove relegation from the equation as well. A win today for Pembroke will almost take them to mathematical safety, and Malahide need a couple of victories. The only previous match between the teams was this year's league match on April 16 when Pembroke won by 80 runs. Sahil Manchanda made 50 as Pembroke made 219/9 (Jabbar Maqsood 3-14 and Inderjit Singh 3-34 for Malahide). Justin Doherty then took the first three wickets to fall as Malahide fell to 45/3, before three late wickets from Brendan Ferres (3-20) bowled Malahide out for 129.