Clontarf 1 vs The Hills 1 - The big one. Clontarf, 14 times winners of the Leinster Senior Cup, play The Hills, winners in 1989, 1996, 2005, 2006 and 2017 in Sydney Parade. There have been six Leinster Senior Cup ties between this pair since the first one in June 1999. The Hills won the first two with Clontarf winning the last four. The last of The Hills' two wins was the only time there has previously been a Clontarf/Hills Cup final, when The Hills came out on top by 5 wickets on July 30 2005. Joe Clinton, Luke Clinton and Gavin Morgan ripped through the Clontarf top order to leave Tarf at 43/5 (and then 72/6). But Greg Molins dug in, scoring a crucial 99, and with some support from Iain Synnott, Clontarf got to 200 all out. Joe Clinton was the pick of the bowlers with 3-34 from 11.3 overs. The Hills' reply was all about one man - Bryn Thomas, who scored 121*, one of six senior hundreds he scored for The Hills and Terenure from 2000-2006. It was a fairly dour final - definitely more old school than modern, as Alex Cusack (2-25 from 12 overs) and Eoghan Delany (2-19 from 10 overs) made runs difficult to score, but Thomas' effort along with 31 from Patrick Byrne got The Hills over the line with 44 balls to spare.
Malahide 2 vs Clontarf 2 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Merrion 2 vs Clontarf 2 (July 23) and Leinster 2 vs Railway Union 2 (August 2)
YMCA 2 vs Pembroke 2 - YMCA 2 are having a tough time of it in the 2nd XI Premier League, in last place with half of the season gone. There is a glimmer of good news though - they are only 15 points behind Leinster in 5th place, and a string of victories will have them soaring up the tab;e. Pembroke are 15 points being leaders Merrion 2, as they look for a first third tier title since 2018. Pembroke have an extraordinary record against YMCA, winning their last eight matches in a run going back to September 2018. That last YMCA win was an amazing match. Pembroke eventually made 192 all out after being 62/0 and then 92/5. Rehan Ali held it all together with 74 at the top of the order, eventually being ninth out. For YMCA Cillian McDonnell took 3-29. McDonnell took 175 wickets at 14.14 for YMCA before moving to Clontarf. Scott Ruttle took 4-31 for Pembroke as YM collapsed to 98/6. To make matters worse, opener Andrew Blair White had retired on 11* so effectively were seven down. However Rajesh Chawla came in at 145/7 and hit 53*, his only 50 on record in 104 matches in Leinster and the fairy tale was completed when Blair White returned in the 49th over to help YM get the 5 runs needed for victory. It was one of three one wicket victories that YMCA 2 had in 2018.
Wexford Wanderers 1 vs Balbriggan 2 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Knockharley 1 vs YMCA 3 (July 29)
Phoenix 2 vs Cork Harlequins 1 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Knockharley 1 vs YMCA 3 (July 29)
Merrion 3 vs The Hills 2 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Knockharley 1 vs YMCA 3 (July 29)
The Hills 4 vs Pembroke 5 - Two teams who are next to each other in Division 16 and on the same number of points. However, their chances of success this season are vastly different with The Hills having three games on hand on Pembroke. Pembroke have played more than anyone else, and with five games left, probably need two more wins to be safe from relegation. The Hills still have eight games to play and could probably win the league if they won the lot. The head to head between the teams is 3-3, but the last win for Pembroke was back in 2015 and The Hills have won both matches played this year. That last win for Pembroke saw Niall Walsh score 42 as Pembroke made 184/6 before Craig Senior took 5-10 as The Hills were bowled out for 50. That was Senior's best bowling since 2011, but that is ignoring several performances in a long and successful career, such as his 10-41 in 2002.
Castleknock 2 vs Lucan 1 - Lucan's win last week over Civil Service gives them a little bit of breathing space in Division 9, with another win today possibly taking them to 2nd place. Castleknock are still in trouble, and need to stay clear of Civil Service. A loss today would mean they were less than 25 points ahead of Service having played two more games. Castleknock haven't beaten Lucan at home since April 2018. Masroor Ahmed had his best ever bowling figures (in 48 matches for Castleknock) taking 3-23 as Lucan were limited to 144/9 from 30 overs - Shahbaz Ahmed providing the only resistance with 64. Chandar Lal hit 34* in the reply - not many but enough to hold the chase together and Castleknock won with an over to spare.
Terenure 3 vs Greystones 2 - Time looks to have run out on Terenure's hunt for promotion from Division 12. Last week's loss to leaders Sandyford 2 leaves them 46 points behind Lucan in second with only four games left. Greystones are in a much stronger position, but still have a mountain to climb. They sit in third, 38 points behind Lucan and probably need to win their last five matches to have a chance. Greystones won their last league match in Terenure, in Division 13 in June last year. Luke Mascarenhas hit 53 at the top of the order for Greystones (one of three career 50s - all in 2022) as a solid batting display got them to 212/8, Giancarlo Salizzo taking 3-36 for Terenure. Terenure were going well at 58/1, before 5-24 from Fawad Ul Haq reduced Terenure to 170 all out. That was his first five wicket haul in a 64 match career stretching back to 2011 with Old Belvedere, Civil Service and Greystones.
Clontarf 3 vs Rush 2 - The final weeks of the season for Clontarf 3 in Division 5 and their task is getting increasingly simple to explain - although increasingly hard to carry out. They need two wins from their last three games to move out of the relegation zone, but that is assuming no one else gets any more points all season. In reality they have to win all three games and hope for a miracle. Rush are also in trouble and are only one place above Clontarf. A win today would put them up to 4th - not safe but a much better place to be. This year's match on June 11 was the "Hassan Shahid" match when the sixteen year old took 8-15 to give Rush a 7 wicket win. It is the 9th best bowling on record since 2011, the best for Rush, the best against Clontarf, the best in Kenure and the best in Division 5.
Malahide 6 vs Swords 3 - Malahide are having a great season as a club, but their 6ths are struggling a bit in Division 16, currently sitting in bottom place. The one positive is that they do have a game or two games in hand, and being a nine team division, they still have eight games to turn their season around. But they are 51 points behind Knockharley above them and need to start winning. Swords are in 4th and although they are in a healthy position, they will need to win perhaps five of their last six matches to have any chance of catching leaders Castleknock 3 and winning the title. Their only previous meeting was this year's league match in mid-April. Swords were bowled out for 182, although no one scored more than Anoop Varghese's 26. James Dickinson took 5-19 for Malahide, his best bowling in 28 matches for Malahide since 2018, and the best bowling in the 15 match history of Malahide 6. Dickinson then completed a dream match, hitting 55, but it wasn't to be enough as Malahide were bowled out for 140, Sanjay Srambikal taking 3-11.
Railway Union 3 vs Clontarf 4 - Clontarf's season is looking as if it is all over, and in fact they could be confirmed bottom if they lose this game (or Pembroke and Carlow win). Railway are in the thick of the promotion hunt. Longford look to have the title sewn up, but everyone in the division (except Clontarf) has some chance of going up. The teams have met five times in the league since 2011, with Railway winning all five. In lasy year's league match in Park Avenue, Ger O'Brien rolled back the years with 121* as Railway made 245/5 from their 45 overs. Most of the Clontarf batters made a start, but from 20-2 they were always struggling, and Talha Tailat's 3-42 (his best bowling so far in 11 matches for Railway Union 3) wiped out numbers 3, 4 and 9 to give Tarf no chance, Clontarf eventually finishing on 205 all out.
Tyrrelstown 5 vs Dundalk 2 - Dundalk still have half of their Division 19 season left, and so it may be a little early to start boldly predicting their chances. But second place is as good a place to be as any, and a win today will keep the pressure on leaders Sandyford (Dundalk will go top if they win and Sandyford slip up). Tyrrelstown aren't in such a healthy position, down in 7th with five games left. They perhaps need another three wins to avoid relegation, but today will be one of their tougher remaining fixtures. Tyrrelstown are 4-9 for the season with their top run scorer being Nithish Kumar Duda with 270 runs at 38.57 and their top bowler being Praveen Bankikodlu Shivanand with an amazing 27 wickets at 12.41. Dundalk are 8-4 for the season , with Jithin John their leading run scorer with 262 at 68.5 and also their leading wicket taker with 18 wickets at 11.28.
Ashbourne 1 vs Civil Service 4 - Civil Service haven't quite lost touch with the teams above in Division 9, but a loss today would have them staring at relegation. A win would move them ahead of Castleknock in 6th place (and Service have a game in hand). Ashbourne are up in second place with a game in hand over leaders North Kildare 3 and third place The Hills 3. Ashbourne will be temporarily top tonight as long as they get two points. Ashbourne have never beaten Civil Service 4, losing two Whelan Cup matches in 2021.
Knockharley 2 vs DLR County 1 - An intriguing game in Division 8 in Kentstown second place Knockharley entertain fourth place DLR County. Knockharley have two games in hand over leaders Athlone, but a loss today may leave them with too much to do with only five games left. DLR County have a chance with promotion, but similarly a loss would leave them 50 points behind Knockharley with only four games left. Knockharley are 6-6 for the season with Shoaib Khan their leading run scorer with 250 runs at 27.78. Their top wicket takers are Asif Ali and Sohail Qaisar with 13 each. DLR County are 4-7 for the year, with their wicket taking list topped by Ghanshyam Godara with 15 at 14.40 with their leading run scorer being Chiraag Arora with 305 runs at 38.13.
Clondalkin 3 vs Sandyford 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of North Kildare 6 vs Clondalkin 3 (June 11)
Carlow 2 vs Tyrrelstown 4 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Athlone 2 vs Civil Service 5 (July 29)
Halverstown 1 vs North Kildare 5 - There are still 21 of the 56 games of the Division 13 season to be played - after this weekend (with four more games being played) we should have a better idea of how things are shaping up. Halverstown are in fifth place and still have a chance of being promoted (the title looks out of reach) and relegated. North Kildare are down in 7th place, and 29 points behind Adamstown 5 and the safety of 6th place. Halverstown are 3-4 for the season, with their star performers being Christopher Hamilton-Fowle with the bat (189 runs at 37.8) and Neville Case with the ball (17 at 7.81). North Kildare are a not great 2-9 for the season, with Paramveer Singh the leading run scorer with 214 at 19.45 and Surinder Joshi the leading wicket taker with 11 at 16.09.
North County 3 vs Bagenalstown 1 - Bagenalstown set out for their first victory of the 2023 Division 8 season, looking to overturn last week's home loss to North County - by 5 wickets. Time is running out, and they need more or less five wins from the last six games to get to safety. North County are in a healthy third place, 76 points behind leaders Athlone (but with three games in hand)
and 14 points behind Knockharley with one game in hand. Last week's match saw Senthil Kumar top score for Bagenalstown with 37, but Rehan Ali took 4-18 to bowl them out for 165. That was his best bowling for North County in 83 matches since moving from Pembroke in 2021. At 98-5, the game could have swung either way, before 46* from man of the match Ali got County home with 34 balls to spare. Lesley Hing created the panic in the North County ranks with 4-23
Adamstown 7 vs Phoenix 6 - Two Division 17 teams with very different goals from today's game. Phoenix are bottom of the nine team group, and probably need to win four or five of their last seven matches to avoid relegation. Adamstown are at the other end of the table, in second place with six games to play. They are 46 points behind leaders DLR County 2 but with a game in hand, and they play DLR County on August 19th. The one bonus for Phoenix is that in both of the two previous meetings, Phoenix have had thumping victories - although they were back in 2019. In the May 2018 match in Phoenix, Vamshi Kher hit 54 (his only 50 so far in 49 matches for Adamstown) but an all round bowling display for Phoenix saw Adamstown bowled out for 103. In reply, Sam Morris hit 53* (his first ever 50 in Open Comps) as Phoenix romped home with 25 overs and 9 wickets to spare.
Slieve Bloom 1 vs North County 5 - A long way to go in Division 14, where two teams (Ashbourne 2 and North County) have still only played six games. Because of that, County's last place isn't as bad as it looks and a win today will take them to 5th, where they will still have games in hand. Slieve Bloom have played two games more and in such a tight league, they need to keep on winning. Clondalkin 2 are in second, and promotion looks out of Bloom's reach - but who knows? five or six wins to close the season out may see them take second place. The last league game played between the teams was over ten years ago in Kilcormac (June 2013). Six Slieve Bloom bowlers took wickets as County were bundled out for 65 before Que Khan hit 28 to close the match out in 69 balls.
Balbriggan 3 vs Malahide 4 - Balbriggan 3 look to have a real chance of promotion. but will have to finish the season well, perhaps winning all four remaining matches. Malahide look to be safe from relegation (with Clontarf 5 and Wicklow County 1 well adrift) but may need three wins from their last five games to make sure. Their only previous meeting was this year's league match on May 1 when Malahide won by 24 runs. Anurag Dabas top scored for Malahide with 58 (the fifth time he has passed 50 for Malahide 4) as they reached 187/8 from 40 overs. At 118-1 it looked to be Game, Set and Match to Balbriggan with Niall McElearney scoring 46 and Brian Dunphy 62. But the mother of all collapses gave the game to Malahide as Balbriggan lost 9 wickets for 35 runs. Lakshmi Prasad Venkatarame Gowda took 3-24 and Rama Krishna Vydyula 3-21.
Leinster 5 vs Merrion 6 - Only 19 points separate bottom of Division 14 from Leinster in fourth place, with Merrion one point ahead of North County in 7th. So Merrion could easily find themselves in the top half this evening, or Leinster could be up to 3rd. There has been nothing between these teams over the years - since 2009 they have nearly always been within ten places of each other in the league. The results this year have been no different, with Leinster winning the Junior Cup match by 10 wickets and Merrion winning the league game by 5 wickets. The Junior Cup game saw Oliver Molins hit 33* as Merrion made 107/5 from 20 overs before Avadhesh Goswami (42) and Kuldeep Bisht (49) knocked off the runs in 15 overs.
Laois 2 vs Pembroke 4 - Second place Laois 2 host fifth place Pembroke 4. Division is a tight group, and a win for Pembroke could lift them into third place with a game in hand over those above them. Laois will need Leinster to slip up if they want to take the title, but anything is possible with both sides having four games left. Laois haven't won a home league game against Pembroke 4 since August 2014, losing the last two matches in 2018 and 2015. Mudasar Mughal scored 67 for Laois, and despite Stephen Roughan and Patrick Halpin both taking 3-32, Laois got to a handy 250/9. That was more than enough for Pembroke who fell away to 139 all out, Achmat Carr top scoring with 33 as two more players took three wickets each - Usama Raees with 3-26 and Fintan Moore with 3-29.
Leinster 4 vs Wicklow County 1 - The leaders of Division 10 host the bottom side in what should be a foregone conclusion. If sport was that easy to predict, Paddy Power would not exist and we'd all be millionaires. Leinster have a 27 point lead at the top, and three wins from their last four matches should seal them the title. Wicklow County still have seven games to go, but probably need to win at least five of them to stay up. Leinster last lost a home league fixture against Wicklow County in September 2013. Ed Wyeth top scored for Leinster with 31 as David Rice (3-20) and Khalid Chaudhary (3-24) restricted them to 164. A spell of 2-5 from 7 overs from Paul Rodgers gave Leinster hope, before a majestic 86 from Angus Hancock took Wicklow County home with four wickets and 13 balls to spare.
Sandyford 4 vs Carlow 3 - The leaders of Division 19 host Carlow in Marlay Park. In this nine team league, both teams have a lot of games to play (Sandyford seven and Carlow eight) so anything is still possible. Carlow can't afford too many slip ups if they want a promotion spot, perhaps needing to win six more matches. Sandyford will also be aware of the teams snapping at their heels - if they lose today and Dundalk win, Dundalk go top. Their only previous meeting was the reverse league fixture on June 10, which Sandyford won by 67 runs. Viswanathan Umamaheswaran top scored for Sandyford with 41 as they built a decent total of 235 all out. Daire Dooley took 3-33 for Carlow, his 6th three wicket haul (or better) for Carlow in 44 matches for the club. Dammar Budhathoki then scored 61 for Carlow, but apart from Trevor Gillespie's 41*, there was little support and Carlow were bowled out for 168.
Adamstown 6 vs Castleknock 3 - Leaders of Division 16, Castleknock 3 travel across the Liffey to take on 7th place Adamstown. With Malahide 6 seemingly adrift at the bottom of the nine team league, two or three more wins for Adamstown from their remaining seven matches should be enough to ensure safety. Castleknock are looking for the big prize, but despite being top with a 36 point lead, cannot afford to slip up. Both Terenure 4 and Wicklow County 2 behind them have two games in hand, so Castleknock need to keep winning. Their only previous match was a league match 13 May this year, not surprisingly won by Castleknock. Arif Mohammed scored 50 for Castleknock (his second 50 for Castleknock in 29 matches) and Ashok Cutinha and Rajnish Kumar Malik both took three wickets as Castleknock were bowled out for 164. Sandeep Tanguturi then took 3-23 as Adamstown were bowled out for 133.
Mullingar 2 vs Adamstown 4 - A win and a rained off match last week for Mullingar in Division 12 has seen them solidify their place in the top half of the league. They still have at least two games in hand on those around them and the promotion spots are definitely within reach - Mullingar 2 vs Lucan 2 on August 20 looks like a crucial match. Adamstown are bottom and whilst last week's rained off match against Greystones helped, they probably need to win four of their last five matches. The only ever league game played between the sides was on May 13 this year. There were 50s for Mullingar's RajaGopal Gopalakrishnan (51), Tahir Shafiq (53) and Brandon Boshoff (79 - his career high in 31 matches for the club) as Mullingar ran up an impressive 275/6. PJ Mount then took 3-23 as no one scored more than Sachidhanandham Kulandaivel's 26 for Adamstown as they were restricted to 150/8. Mount is Mullingar's leading wicket taker since our database began in 2011, and last Saturday took his 300th wicket for the club, with his record standing at 301 wickets at 20.40 across 224 matches.
Civil Service 3 vs Greystones 1 - A good and important win for Civil Service as they beat Kilkenny 1 last week in Division 7. They are still bottom, but with multiple games in hand, the gap to Adamstown 2 and Merrion 4 above them is closing all the time. Greystones are in 4th, but also have some games in hand, and probably need to win at least five of their last six games to win the title. These two have only met twice - a pair of YMCA Salver games back in the Covid year of 2020. Greystones won both, winning by 31 runs in Civil Service after scoring 128/8 and by 9 wickets in Greystones as Harry Kirk's 46 helped chase Civil Service's 115/7 down in 14 overs.