Rush W1 vs The Hills W2 - No preview as waiting for scorecards from Rush W1 vs Pembroke W2 (July 11) and Clontarf W2 vs Rush W1 (July 18)
Malahide 2 vs Clontarf 2 - No preview as waiting for scorecards from Merrion 2 vs Clontarf 2 (July 23)
Carlow 4 vs Pembroke 6 - Four games left for Carlow 4 in the Development League/Division 20, and their chances of lifting the league table have already gone. Pembroke still have seven games to play, and anything is possible - they are 45 points behind leaders Adamstown 8 with four games in hand. Carlow are 1-7 for the year with Saif Islam leading their run scoring charts with 174 runs at 43.50 and Talha Ahmed their leading wicket taker with 7 at 21.14. Pembroke are 3-0 for the season, with Raif Duncan's 106 in one innings still being their leading run scorer and Conor Crowley their top wicket taker with 7 at 1.71.
Clontarf 7 vs Swords 5 - Clontarf are in second place in Division 20, but need to look behind them, where Pembroke 6 are only 11 points behind with three games in hand. Swords are at the bottom of the seven team league, but in a league that is all about developing players, what difference does it make? Unfortunately Clontarf have had to give three walkovers to Swords already this season, so hopefully today is fourth time lucky. The one time the teams have met was in July 2022. Alice Walsh made 52 as Clontarf made 136/4 from 20 overs. 61* from Tojo Thekkekuttu Joseph won it for Swords off the last ball, as Swords got home for the loss of three wickets.
North County 2 vs Merrion 2 - No preview as waiting for scorecards from Leinster 2 vs Railway Union 2 (August 2) and Merrion 2 vs Clontarf 2 (July 23)
Railway Union 2 vs Pembroke 2 - No preview as waiting for scorecards from Leinster 2 vs Railway Union 2 (August 2)
YMCA 3 vs Knockharley 1 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Knockharley 1 vs YMCA 3 (July 29)
Tyrrelstown 1 vs Kilkenny 1 - A bad home loss to Civil Service last week for Kilkenny, whose chances of the Division 7 title took a bit of a hit. They are now 30 points behind Tyrrelstown in second place and 39 behind leaders Castleknock (although Kilkenny have two games in hand on them). If Tyrrelstown win today, it is safe to say that Kilkenny cannot catch them, and the title is gone. Promotion would very much still be an option. A win for Tyrrelstown will also take them top, with a game in hand over Castleknock - a great position to be in with only four games left (after today). The only league game these two have ever completed was a Division 8 match in May last year. Zeeshan Mumtaz hit 54 as Kilkenny got to 188/9, and it was nip and tuck throughout the Tyrrelstown innings. At 64/1 it was in Tyrrelstown's favour - at 85/5 it had swung firmly back to Kilkenny. In the end it was an unbeaten 9th wicket partnership of 62 between Yashwanth Kamma Venkata (40) and Rajkumar Koka (28) that got Kilkenny over the line with 22 balls to spare.
Finglas 1 vs Merrion 5 - Leaders Finglas 1 host Merrion 5 who are down in fifth place in Division 11. With only seven teams in Division 11, Finglas only have four games left; Merrion six. The top four all look as if they are capable of winning the league, so Finglas need to keep winning. Merrion are in a definite "bottom 3", but should be safe from relegation with Naas 1 struggling. Finglas are a decent 8-3 for the year, with their run scoring charts headed by Rahul Balachandran with 286 runs at 28.60 and their wicket taking list topped by Ankur Ghogale and Sajith Kalinhalil with 15 each. Merrion are 5-5 for 2023, with Rishabh Sharma their leading run scorer with 160 runs at 40 and Chetan Suttraway their top wicket taker with 11 wickets at 14.45
Ongar 1 vs Ashbourne 2 - Division 14 leaders Ongar 1 take on Ashbourne 2, who lie in 6th place. There is still a long way to go in Division 14, so Ashbourne's fate is in their own hands - lots of wins in their remaining eight games and they will be challenging for promotion. Lots of losses and it could be a tense end to the season. Ongar have a 44 point lead over Clondalkin 2 in second, but also have six games left. There is lots of cricket still to be played. Ongar's great season continues - they are 13-1 in all competitions with their leading run scorer being Anup Kishen with 415 runs at 37.73. Their top wicket taker is Suman Bokka with 18 wickets at 10.78. Ashbourne are 5-5 for 2023, with Kiran Patel as their leading run scorer (187 at 31.17) and their leading wicket taker also Patel with 13 wickets at 17.69.
Athlone 3 vs DLR County 2 - A win for DLR County last weekend in Division 17 has further cemented their position as run away leaders. The gap over 2nd place Adamstown 7 is now 46 points, although nearly all other teams have at least one game in hand. Athlone lost to Adamstown last Saturday, and are looking as if they will finish safely mid-table. The only previous game between the two sides was a short match played on June 10. With John Peter Stephen 19* and Athlone 31-1, things were looking rosy for the visitors. But 5-19 from Manoj Jacob changed the complexion of the game as Athlone collapsed to 43 all out. It was Athlone 3's lowest ever total, and the lowest total that DLR County have ever bowled the opposition out for. The collapse from 39/5 to 43 all out was also Athlone 3's worst ever 5 wicket collapse. It was Jacob's fourth 5 wicket haul in Leinster cricket, and first for DLR County. DLR County knocked the runs off in 11.2 overs.
Phoenix 3 vs Civil Service 3 - Civil Service's rained off match against Greystones yesterday wasn't a massive help, but they still have games in hand (and lots of games to play) to move from bottom spot in Division 7. Phoenix are down in 5th, and have more chance of being relegated than being promoted. Two or three wins from their last five games should be the aim. Surprisingly, there has never been a game between the sides - mainly due to Civil Service's recent rapid rise up the leagues. Phoenix are 7-7 for the season, their top wicket taker being Aaron Joseph with 16 wickets at 19.81. Their top run scorer is Bijesh Bhaskaran with 460 runs at 35.38. Bhaskaran needs another 39 runs to break Sayed Mehdi Shah's 2015 record for most runs in a Phoenix 3 season. Service are 6-7 for the season, with their top bowler being Suman Dey with 14 wickets at 17.79 and their leading batter being Aakash Kutty with 268 runs at 44.67
Adamstown 1 vs Rush 2 - Yesterday's rained off for Rush 2 in Division 5 (against Clontarf 3) moved them up into 5th place, but didn't necessarily do much to stave off relegation. They would have been expected to beat bottom placed Clontarf, and will now need to win at least two of their last four matches to stay up. Adamstown are in second and will overtake Malahide at the top of the league if they get at least four points today. The pair have had a closely fought relationship since their first meeting in 2015, with the matches going 4-3 in Rush's favour. This year's league fixture on April 23 went the way of Adamstown by 2 wickets. Rush were indebted to Shahid Iqbal for his 61* as they got to 145 all out (Pomin Ponselvan 3-19 and Kunal Nagare 3-17 - Nagare's best figures in 32 matches for Adamstown). At 81-1, Adamstown should have romped home, but a spell of 3-30 from Brandon Morris put the breaks on, with Adamstown limping home for a narrow win after being 108/7
Malahide 5 vs Clondalkin 2 - Third in Division 14 hosts second in a vital match in the march to promotion. Clondalkin have a game in hand, and a win today would leave them over 30 points ahead with Malahide only having four games left. Against that, a Malahide win would see them leapfrog Clondalkin into 2nd. ONly one previous game between the teams, a Russell Court Trophy game in June 2022. Muhammad Islam took 3-12 for Clondalkin as Malahide fell away from the word go - all out for 72. Zeeshan Saleem then got to 46* as Clondalkin won by 7 wickets with 32 balls to spare.
Balbriggan 4 vs Kilkenny 2 - Balbriggan look to have left themselves too much to do in Division 17. They are in third place, but sit 59 points behind Adamstown in second. Kilkenny are down in seventh in the nine team division, but with 8 games left, still have plenty of time to move up the table. The teams have met twice before, in league games in 2022. The two matches must have set some kind of record for the turn around in results between two matches. In May, Balbriggan won at home by 228 runs in the famous Adam Tantas match, as he made 211* and with Druhan Knight (101*) added 330 for the second wicket - the third highest partnership we have on record since 2011. However, three months later Balbriggan were bowled out for 77 in pursuit of Kilkenny's 252/7 to lose by 175 runs. Faizan Shah Afridi was the pick of Kilkenny's bowlers with 3-6.
The Hills 4 vs Wicklow County 2 - A rained off match against Pembroke 5 yesterday wasn't a huge amount of help to The Hills. They need wins to be able to catch the top teams and more than a rained off match to fully escape the relegation zone. But there are lots of games left in this nine team division, so all will soon be revealed. Wicklow County are in a good position in third place, and winning their two games in hand will put them firmly in the promotion spots. In the reverse league fixture on May 14, an all round batting display (Harikrishnan Prabakaran top scoring with 48) got Wicklow County to 222/8 with Jason Magee taking 3-45. The Hills' reply struggled from start to finish and 3-17 from Sashi Kanth and 3-6 from Anandh Viswanathan saw The Hills bowled out for 146.
Laois 1 vs Malahide 3 - Leaders Malahide travel to Stradbally, but despite being at the top, any of the top four (including Laois) could still take the Division 5 title. Laois are down in 4th place, 62 points behind Malahide but with two games in hand. A won today and they could be 40 points behind with two games in hand. All to play for. This will be Malahide 3's first trip to Stradbally - they last played Laois away in April 2011, losing to Laois in Togher. Eamon Shehabeddin top scored with 41 as Malahide were bowled out for 193 with Rashid Mehraj taking 3-23. A dominant batting performance saw Laos win by 8 wickets, with runs for Mathew Auret (69), John Ozenbrook (40), Rowland Rixon-Fuller (36) and Peter Auret (21)
Naas 2 vs Mullingar 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Naas 2 vs Terenure 4 (July 30)
Sandyford 2 vs Lucan 2 - A mouth watering tie in Division 12 as the top two clash in Marlay Park. The match could well decide the title with each side having five games left and Sandyford currently sitting on a 24 point lead. A Sandyford win would surely leave them too far ahead. Lucan won the first three meetings between the teams (from 2019 to May 2022) but Sandyford have won the last two, including the most relevant match, this year's league meeting on June 11. Sukhpreet Singh scored his first 50 for Lucan since July 2022 (62) as Lucan made 162 all out from 37.5 overs, Rachan Potluri the pick of the Sandyford bowlers with 3-24. But runs from Shekhar Sharma (82*) and Rajesh Manirajan (37) made short work of the chase, Sandyford winning by 7 wickets after 32 overs. On June 21 against Mullingar, Sharma got to 1000 runs for Sandyford, the 15th player we have on record to acheive the feat for the club.
Civil Service 2 vs Sandyford 1 - Sandyford have only played seven games in Division 5 and are still unbeaten. If they stay unbeaten they win the league! There will be big games to play, but this is perhaps not one of them, with Civil Service down in 6th place. They need a win to drag themselves clear of relegation. After losing all three league game between the sides (from 2011-2021) Sandyford finally won on May 6th this year. The wickets were shared around as Civil Service were bowled out for 117 (Simranjeet Singh the only player to get to 20 with 21). Sandyford didn't have it easy (no one taking more than two wickets for Service) and at 67/6 it looked like it would be another Civil Service win. But 33* by Vinay Iqbal got them home to win by 3 wickets with 72 balls to spare.
Pembroke 4 vs Railway Union 4 - No preview as waiting for result of Laois 2 vs Pembroke 4 yesterday.
Merrion 7 vs Castleknock 4 - Time is running out for Merrion 7 to escape the relegation zone. With them only having five more matches in the nine team Division 19 , they 22 points behind Tyrrelstown 5 in 7th place. But both Castleknock 4 (in sixth) and Leinster 6 (in 8th) have three games in hand on Merrion - Merrion probably need to win three of the last five. Castleknock are in a healthier position (although only 31 points ahead of Merrion). They have no chance of promotion, but a couple more wins should make sure they are clear of relegation as well. Merrion should get hope from their one previous meeting, played on April 16 this year. Daniyal Ali took 3-13 as Castleknock never got going. Raihan Kazmi top scored with 25* at number 7, as they were bowled out for 133. The Merrion reply was all about Nigel Bainbridge, who hit 69 - his third 50 for Merrion in 77 matches (and first since June 2016). No one else contributed though, and Merrion limped home to win by three wickets. Without Bainbridge they would have lost by a lot!
Dundalk 1 vs Finglas 2 - A cracker in store in Hiney Park in Division 13 as the top two meet, leaders Dundalk hosting second place Finglas. A proviso is that Dundalk are 69 points ahead and a win today would as good as confirm the title (although not quite yet!). Wexford Wanderers 2 and Tyrrelstown 3 also have a chance of promotion, so a loss for Finglas will have implications for all of the top four. The only previous match between the teams was in the league on July 16. Although no one scored more than M Mudassar Zahid and Regin Samuel (who both scored 40), Dundalk got to a good 210 all out, Shamil Koottembeth taking 4-34 from four overs in the frenetic closing stages. But that was more than enough for Dundalk, Sanju Baby took 4-18 as Finglas made only 82.
Swords 2 vs Rush 3 - Rush 3 find themselves in an exciting position in Division 11. Third place, 32 points behind leaders Finglas 1, with a game in hand and a meeting against the leaders on August 20. It is not quite as rosy for Swords, but with YMCA's withdrawal and Naas' 0-7 league record, Swords should stay up. The pair have played twice this year with the Whelan Cup match tied and the league match resulting in a big Rush win. The tied match saw Niall Mullen (52) and Patrick Monks (53*) add 75 for the fourth wicket but a lack of support meant Rush only got to 143/8 from 20 overs (Joseph Jeswin taking 4-18). At 90-0 it looked game over but Swords couldn't maintain the run rate as the end came, as Rush ended on 143/7.
Terenure 2 vs Mullingar 1 - A bad home loss for Mullingar against Pembroke 3 on Friday night was a set back to Mullingar's promotion hopes. They still have control of their destiny but with five teams having between 113 and 135 points it will be an exciting next few weeks. Terenure are in the middle of that group and have a game in hand on Mullingar with a decent win today sending them into 2nd place. The reverse league fixture on June 11 was all about one player - Mullingar's Max Green. He scored 182 to help set up Mullingar's total of 228/5. It was Mullingar 1's second highest total on record (after 406/8 also against Terenure 2 in June 2015) and the highest score recorded for the Mullingar club, beating Cavon Hall's 163* for Mullingar 2 vs DLR County 3 in June 2018. Despite 53 from Vignesh Kumar, Terenure were bowled out for 154.
Clondalkin 3 vs Wexford Wanderers 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of North Kildare 6 vs Clondalkin 3 (June 11)
Greystones 3 vs Tyrrelstown 4 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Athlone 2 vs Civil Service 5 (July 29)
Leinster 6 vs Halverstown 2 - For everything that is in the Merrion vs Castleknock preview above, apply to this Division 19 game between Leinster and Halverstown. Leinster are struggling in 8th place, but the only difference between Leinster and Merrion is that Leinster have played three games less. They have only played half of their games, and three more wins should get them to safety. Halverstown have played more games than anyone else, and have only four left. One or two more wins will probably keep them safe, but promotion looks to far away. Leinster are 3-6 for the year, with Venkatesh BP being their leading run scorer with 123 at 24.60. Mohammad Hashimi tops their wicket taking charts although only with 7 wickets at 20.71. Similarly Halverstown are 3-7 for 2023, with their top run scorer being Junaid Khan with 138 runs at 23. Their top wicket takers are Junaid Khan and Ahsan Syed who have both taken nine. Two evenly matches teams - it should be a good one.
Leinster 5 vs Slieve Bloom 1 - No preview as waiting for results of Slieve Bloom 1 vs North County 5 (yesterday)
Kilkenny 3 vs Swords 4 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of North Kildare 6 vs Clondalkin 3 (June 11)
Leinster 4 vs Balbriggan 3 - No preview as waiting for result of Leinster 4 vs Wicklow County 1 (Saturday)
Knockharley 3 vs Terenure 4 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Naas 2 vs Terenure 4 (July 30)
Adamstown 3 vs North Kildare 3 - North Kildare stay top of Division 9 after their convincing win over The Hills last week. But they only have a one point lead over Ashbourne, and Adamstown in 4th are only 17 points behind. The right set of results over the weekend could send Adamstown to the top. This will be the fourth match the teams have played this year, with North Kildare 2-1 up. The league game on July 1 went the way of North Kildare by 67 runs. North Kildare were in big trouble at 43/6 before a massive partnership of 178 for the 7th wicket between Nurulain Boda (74) and Yashraj Mate (122) took them to 250 all out. Adamstown made it to 183 all out, but it was all about the partnership for North Kildare.
Merrion 4 vs Castleknock 1 - By rights this game should only have one winner. Castleknock are top of Division 7 and Merrion are down in 7th place and in danger of relegation. But league tables can sometimes lie - if Tyrrelstown 1 and Kilkenny 1 win their games in hand, Castleknock will be down to third. And the bottom of the league is tight and a win today could put Merrion up to 4th. The problem for both teams is that they have played more games than everyone else in the league, and can't afford any slip ups. The last two games between the sides have gone Merrion's way - another interesting twist to be considered. This years' game (on May 6) saw Merrion make 203 all out (with nine batters making between 10 and 27 and the other two getting ducks), Anjum Kayani taking 3-26. Chetan Suttraway then took 3-33 for Merrion as Castleknock could only make 180 all out, Syed Raza top scoring with 33.
Wexford Wanderers 2 vs Adamstown 5 - One of those games that doesn't look massively important, but closer inspection reveals its worth. Wexford Wanderers are in third and have to keep winning to stay in contention for promotion. With Finglas playing leaders Dundalk this weekend, Wexford will be in second place with a win. Adamstown look to be safe in 6th place, but will need perhaps another three wins from their last six games. The only previous match between the teams went Wexford's way in July 2022. Steven Vuyk took 3-8 (career best figures) and Attila Shahlut 3-4, as Adamstown were dismissed for 48, before Wexford lost five wickets in the chase. It was Adamstown 5's lowest total in the 113 matches we have on record since 2011.
North Kildare W2 vs Leinster W3 - No preview as waiting for scorecards of Merrion W3 vs Leinster W3 (July 12) and North Kildare W2 vs Terenure W2 (August 3)