Balbriggan 1 vs The Hills 1 - If you had asked anyone a couple of weeks ago, they would have said they were really looking forward to this top of the table Premier League clash. But such has been the competitive nature of the league, it has now turned into a relegation dog fight, with both teams desperate for a win, and Railway's win over Balbriggan last week showing even the bottom placed club is capable of beating anyone. The Hills have never won a Senior match in Balbriggan, and their last victory in any senior match between the sides was back in June 2015. That game saw Manu Kumar score 70 and Nicolaas Pretorius hit 106 as The Hills made 280/9. Kumar then finished a brilliant all round performance with 5-23, as Balbriggan were bowled out for 98. Kumar played 68 senior matches for The Hills, with that being his only five wicket haul and one of only two 50s. That is the only instance since 2011 of a Hills player taking 5 wickets and scoring a 50 in a senior match.
Malahide 1 vs Merrion 1 - Merrion have only won thirteen senior fixtures in Malahide in the history of the fixture (51 matches since 1954), with five of those thirteen being this century. Malahide are now up to second in the Premier league after three successive wins, with Merrion just back in fourth after winning last week after losing two. The 2017 meeting between these sides may not be too far back in time, but it looks like being a hundred years old in terms of the speed of scoring. In June 2017, Malahide crawled to 148/9 from their 50 overs. Fintan Mc Allister scored 38 from 90 balls, with Merrion's Max Neville being the pick of Merrion's bowlers with 3-14 from 10. Merrion didn't find it particularly easy either. They lost two early wickets before John Anderson (71) and Jamie Brown (64) added 146 for the third wicket. Peter Chase was the pick for Malahide with 1-21 from 9 and Merrion took 38 overs to chase down the 150.
Railway Union 1 vs YMCA 1 - Railway Union will be itching for another Premier League win after downing Balbriggan last week whilst YMCA's four wins in a row came to a halt with a loss away to Clontarf. YMCA's highest total in Park Avenue was the 283/6 they scored in June 2011, a match they won by 3 wickets, chasing Railway's 283/6. The innings was built around a brilliant 150 from Reinhardt Strydom. Only Robert Garth got past 30 (35), and decent spells by the Railway spinners (Greg Lambert 1-36 from 10 and Pat Collins 2-36 from 10) gave the hosts a decent chance. But Garth's innings coupled with 24* from Steven Walsh gave the game to YM. That was one of 18 hundreds Strydom scored in Leinster cricket, putting him at joint seventh on the all time list in Leinster. Railway's highest score against YMCA in senior cricket in Park Avenue came in 2012. when Pat Collins (119*) and Kevin O'Brien (103 from 61 balls) took Railway to 305/7. YMCA were down and out by tea and were bowled out for 86.
Leinster 1 vs Clontarf 1 - Leinster cling on to the leadership of the Premier League after their loss to Merrion. They host Clontarf who are up to fifth and suddenly look like the form team in the league. Clontarf had a run of six successive wins in Observatory Lane, before Leinster won the last match played in Rathmines, winning by three wickets in May 2019. In all, the fixture has been played 87 times, with Leinster winning 38 and Clontarf 30. A quick look back at a previous match for the traditionalists - a June 1989 draw with Leinster clinging on at the end. Brendan Bergin scored 50 and Johnny Daly 64 (one of eight times Daly passed 50 for Clontarf) as Clontarf made 223 from 55 overs. For Leinster Tom McDonnell bowled 17 overs, taking 3-82 and Gerry Delany took 2-29 from 14 overs, with Dylan Clancy taking three catches behind the stumps. Things started well for Leinster, with 33 for Joe Byrne and 52 for Gerry Delany before a collapse set in, and a match unfurled that brings out all the best memories for those that loved draws. Gerry Kirwan (3-45 from 20 overs) took out the Leinster middle order, before panic set in, Dylan Clancy being run out and Feargal O'Mahony taking 4-39 from 18 overs. In the end Hugh Delany (16) and Robbie Meaney (0) hung on for the draw, Tarf falling one wicket short.
North Kildare 1 vs Phoenix 1 - The first ever senior match between the teams and the 28th different team Phoenix have faced in senior Leinster cricket. Rush have moved to within one point of Phoenix, and Phoenix will be desperate to get a win today and consolidate second place. North Kildare finally won last week after losing seven on the bounce, but the depth of Leinster cricket is such that their last win (last August) was against Leinster, who are now in the Irish Senior Cup final. Sayed Mehdi Shah is North Kildare's leading senior run scorer this year with 129 runs at 21.5 with Husnain Maroof being their top wicket taker with 9 wickets at 31.56. For Phoenix, Jed Wiggins is top run scorer with 174 runs at 24.86 and top wicket takers are Oliver Hald and Amish Sidhu with 14 each.
Pembroke 1 vs Civil Service 1 - Pembroke are in a dominant position as we reach the half way stage of the Championship season, holding a 48 point lead over Phoenix. Civil Service will be looking over their shoulders after North Kildare's win last week and will need more wins this year to avoid the drop. Pembroke have won the last eight senior matches between the teams (1941-1944) with Civil Service's last win seeing them win by 6 wickets in May 1941. Pembroke's league season has been dominate by Nick Stapleton, scoring 362 runs at 72.40 and 29 wickets at 7.72. Stapleton currently has 29 senior wickets at 7.72. Since the great Alec O'Riordan's last great season in 1977 (44 wickets at 7.39) only one bowler has taken as many wickets as Stapleton and at a lower average - Merrion's Matt Petrie with 35 wickets at 7.03 in 2008. For Civil Service Arjun Chandrasekar s the leading run scorer with 162 runs at 54 and the leading wicket taker is Naveed Khan with 12 wickets at 22.83.
North County 1 vs Cork County 1 - Two losses in a row in the Championship for North County, and they will be looking to bounce back against a Cork County team who will be disappointed to lose to North Kildare last time out. Eight times the teams have met in Leinster senior cricket, and North County have won all eight. Cork County haven't come particularly close either, with a pair of North County wins by 4 wickets being as good as it gets. In May 2017, Cork County made 136/8 from 38 overs in a rain reduced match. Steph Grobler's 55* was the backbone, one of 17 times he passed 50 in Leinster senior cricket for Cork County, the most by any Cork County batter. For North County, Eddie Richardson took 3-23 and Andrew Sheridan 3-27. Gary King then took the key wickets of Grassi, Richardson and McGovern but North County were always in control, reaching 141/6 with 43 balls to spare
Terenure 1 vs Rush 1 - Last week was Terenure's first one wicket senior win since beating Malahide in June 2013 (Umar Jehangir and Ken Brennan added 12 runs that time). Last week the heroes were Bhavic Tukrel and Dylan Cleary who added 16. That moves Terenure to 4th and a full bonus point win today over Rush would send them into third. Rush beat Civil Service although it felt closer than they would have liked. Rush won six games in a row in Terenure between 2013 and 2019, but Terenure have won the last two. Last year's match saw a plethora of records broken. Bhavic Tukrel took 7-16 (the best bowling we have on record for Terenure, in a data set comprising 1989-1993 and 2011 on-wards. ). Rush were bowled out for 77, although that is only their second worst in the fixture - they were bowled out for 76 in May 1997. Seamus Lynch (56) and Henry Dall (23) then knocked off the runs in only 8 overs. It was only their second ever 10 wicket win in senior cricket, and first since beating Phoenix in August 1993 (Eddie Moore 2-14, Conor Hoey 3-3)
Merrion 3 vs Cork Harlequins 1 - No preview as Merrion 3 vs Balbriggan 2 (July 4) and Cork Harlequins 1 vs YMCA 3 (July 1) have not yet been processed.
Merrion 5 vs Finglas 1 - Merrion still have eight games to go in Division 11, so whilst they have a 1-3 record and sit in sixth place in the seven team division, all is not lost. Finglas sit on top of the league, although they have only won three matches from four played on the field. It is safe to say that there is lots of cricket still to be played in Division 11. This will be the first ever match between the teams, so not to much history to look back on. Merrion are 4-5 for the season, with their top run scorer being Rishabh Sharma with 160 runs at 40. Iilham Afghan leads the way with the wickets with 10 wickets at 18.40. Finglas have won their last three matches and are 7-3 for all competitions for the season. Their leading wicket taker is Ankur Ghogale with 15 at 12.73 and their leading run scorer is Rahul Balachandran with 255 runs at 28.33.
Adamstown 1 vs Sandyford 1 - A hugely important game in Division 5 where unbeaten Sandyford 1 travel to Corkagh Park to take on second place Adamstown. Sandyford have only played four games and anything can happen in their remaining ten matches. But this early stage, we'll take a punt and say the promotion places are between Malahide 3 and these two teams. The pair have not played each other since 2019, and only in three games in total (Adamstown winning two). Their only league game in Corkagh Park was in June 2015. Sandyford looked to be in big trouble at 132-8 before a partnership of 79 for the 9th wicket between Amandeep Sahota (42) and Anurag Singh (34) gave Sandyford hope. Jimmy Bansal took 3-44 for Adamstown. At 76-0, Adamstown looked well set, before four quick wickets had htem reeling at 95-4. A masterful 44 from Paul O'Boyle steadied the ship, and Adamstown got home by 2 wickets with 30 balls to spare. Paul O'Boyle remains in 8th place in the list of all time run scorers for Adamstown 1 with 1348 runs at 26.43.
Ashbourne 2 vs Malahide 5 - Two teams who are clinging on to mid table status with Malahide in 5th with a 2-4 record and Ashbourne one place behind with two wins and two losses. The teams have never met before on the pitch, so time for our now traditional look at the team's star performers this year. Ashbourne are 5-4 for 2023, with Kiran Patel the top wicket taker with 11 wickets at 18.73 and their leading run scorer also being Patel with 172 runs at 34.40. Malahide 5 are 5-7 for the season and their top run scorer is Bhanu Gokarla with 207 runs at 23.00. Their top wicket taker is Omkar Tawade with an incredible 22 wickets at 12.68. That has already beaten Matt Massey's 2011 record for most wickets in a season for Malahide 5 - with nearly half the season still to go!
Malahide 3 vs North Kildare 2 - Adamstown are lurking in second place behind Malahide 3 in Division 5, 27 points behind with a game in hand. North Kildare are down in 5th place, looking like neither promotion or relegation candidates, and being well beaten by Adamstown last time out. Interestingly though, the teams have played each other three times since 2021, with North Kildare winning on all three occasions. The only one of those three to be played in Malahide was on the second pitch in May 2022. Samran Patel (146) and Husnain Maroof (108) scored tons in North Kildare's massive 439/6 from 45 overs. It was Patel's highest score in Leinster cricket (beating his 102* for Lucan in August 2021) and Maroof's third century for North Kildare. Not surprisingly it was the highest innings total for any North Kildare team that we have on record and the fourth highest since 2011 in all clubs. Finally it was the first time on record that two North Kildare batters have scored tons in the same innings. Hamish Manks scored 59, but Malahide had no real chance and lost by 233 runs.
Mullingar 2 vs Greystones 2 - Mullingar's Division 12 season is only really getting going. They have only played four matches, winning three and losing one. So whilst they are down in sixth place, they have at least four games in hand on all the teams above them and a good run will take them to the top of the league. Greystones are up in third with a 4-3 record, but need to treat this match with Mullingar as a top of the table clash. They are 44 points behind Sandyford in second place so need a win to stay in touch. This is the first time the teams have met since September 2015 when they played a Division 9 match. Moize Haider hit 83 (his highest score for the club in 71 matches) as Mullingar made 190/7. Barry Sweeney took 3-17, one of six times he took three wickets in an innings for Greystones - without ever taking a fourth. Greystones made the chase look easy as fifties from Will Houston (80*) and Eoin Linehan (50) got Greystones home by 7 wickets in the 35th over.
Clontarf 3 vs Civil Service 2 - No preview as YMCA 2 vs Civil Service 2 (June 17) has not yet been processed.
Carlow 4 vs Swords 5 - No preview as Mullingar 4 vs Swords 5 (July 2) has not yet been processed.
The Hills 3 vs Lucan 1 - Division 9 is looking tight at the top, with The Hills 3 in second place, only one point behind Ashbourne 1 but having played a game extra. North Kildare are only ten points back in third place. Lucan 1 are down in sixth place, but only 30 points separate them and the leaders. Every game counts. The sides have never completed a match, the closest they got being an abandoned match on April 29th this year, when The Hills were 52/1 chasing 221 to win which could have been a great finish. The Hills are 4-6 for the season. Ashad Farooqi is their leading run scorer with 173 runs at 43.25 with their leading wicket taker being Muhammad Hassan with 13 at 12.54. Lucan 1 are 4-5 for the season. Top run scorer is Manpreet Rocky Singh with 336 runs at 48 and it is no surprise that he is also their leading wicket taker with 14 wickets at 13.79.
Wicklow County 2 vs Castleknock 3 - A mouthwatering match in prospect in Bray. Castleknock 3 are the leaders of Division 16 with a 7-1 record and a 70 point lead over Wicklow County in fourth. But Wicklow County have two games in hand, and a couple of wins would put them right back in the title race. Wicklow County lead the head to head between the teams 3-1, with Castleknock's only victory happening in July 2013 in a Division 14 match in Aravon School. Hamza Razaq (60) and Rahim Abbasi (65) both scored 50s as Castleknock 3 ran up 269/9. It remains their second highest ever total, only one behind their highest of 270/9 against Wexford Wanderers 2 in July 2018. Matthew Sisley made 54, but Wicklow County were bowled out for 114.
Leinster 3 vs Pembroke 3 - No preview as Clontarf 4 vs Carlow 1 (July 8 in Division 6) has not yet been processed.
Castleknock 4 vs Leinster 6 - Lots of cricket to be played in Group B of the Adamstown Cup. Athlone 3 have finished their campaign and sit top with 14 points, with two teams to go through. Leinster still have three games to play, and three wins would take them to 18 points, which would send them to the semis. Castleknock can only get to 12 points with two more wins making qualification unlikely. Castleknock have lost their last three matches, sitting at 4-6 for the season. Mubeen Khan is their top run scorer with 201 runs at 33.50 with their leading wicket takers being Nadeem Muhammad and Abdur Rahman Shaikhn who both have 12 wickets for the season. Leinster are 3-4 for the season. Their top wicket taker only has six wickets - Mohammad Hashimi who has taken them at 19.67. Their top run scorer is still Bakhtyar Nabi who scored 122* on debut and then moved to North Kildare.
Knockharley 2 vs Athlone 1 - Athlone, the leaders of Division 8 have a big 62 point lead over Knockharley in second place, who in turn have a 36 point lead over DLR County in third place. However, watch out for North County 3 - down in 6th, but with games in hand over the rest of the division, and winners against Knockharley last week. Athlone have won five of the six matches between the teams, although the last league game in Kentstown (in August 2022) went the way of Knockharley. Henry Beadley made 82* (his highest score in 43 matches for Knockharley) and Lorcan Craik 53 (the third of three 50s he hit in successive weeks last August. Only Umar Saleem has also scored three consecutive 50s for Knockharley - in June 2012) as the home side made 256/9 (Nihkil Matta 4-57). Seven Athlone batters got into double figures, but none more than Matta's 32* as Athlone could make only 213/9. Rajesh Adi took 3/22.
Civil Service 4 vs Ashbourne 1 - Ashbourne last lost in Division 9 back on May 14, and have put together a run of four wins to sit on top of the division. Civil Service are at the other end of the table having lost four of their six matches to sit in seventh. The teams met twice in the 2021 Whelan Cup, with both being won by Civil Service. In the match in Civil Service in July 2021, run scoring was a struggle throughout. Niraj Shah took 3-11 for Service (one of six times he has taken three wickets or more for Civil Service) as Ashbourne could only make 84 all out. Vignesh Tamilmani was the only batter to pass 20 all day (with 33) as Service won by 6 wickets with 52 balls to spare.
Wexford Wanderers 3 vs Clondalkin 3 - No preview as North Kildare 6 vs Clondalkin 3 (June 11) has not yet been processed.
Clontarf 6 vs Greystones 3 - No preview as Civil Service 5 vs Clontarf 6 (July 12) has not yet been processed.
Clondalkin 1 vs Bagenalstown 1 - No preview as Merrion 4 vs Bagenalstown 1 (July 9) has not yet been processed.
YMCA 3 vs Phoenix 3 - No preview as Cork Harlequins 1 vs YMCA 3 (July 1) has not yet been processed.
Halverstown 1 vs Wexford Wanderers 2 - No preview as Gorey 1 vs Halverstown 1 (July 9) has not yet been processed.
Tyrrelstown 4 vs Laois 3 - No preview as Civil Service 5 vs Clontarf 6 (July 12 in Division 15) has not yet been processed.
Phoenix 6 vs Kilkenny 2 - Two teams who are struggling at the wrong end of Division 17 battle it out in the Park. Phoenix are winless after five games on the pitch, leaving them in eighth. Kilkenny are a bit better, winning two matches from six to lie in sixth. The only Phoenix home match between the sides was played in Castleknock College in August 2021. Kilkenny made only 126 all out, although it could have been worse as Shanly Sebastian (22) and Faizan Shah Afridi (14) added 38 for the last wicket (Kilkenny 2's second highest 10th wicket partnership). Rahul Arote caused most of the damage for Phoenix, taking 3-14. Phoenix were in big trouble early on, but Rahul Mahajan (42) and Trakulara Naga Venu (29*) saw them home with 17 overs to spare.
Adamstown 5 vs North Kildare 5 - No preview as Gorey 1 vs Halverstown 1 (July 9 in Division 13) has not yet been processed.
Greystones 1 vs Castleknock 1 - No preview as Greystones 1 vs Terenure 2 (July 8) has not yet been processed.
Ongar 2 vs Dundalk 2 - Dundalk 2 lead the way in Division 19 with six wins in their seven matches. But they can't rest on their laurels - Sandyford are only 8 points behind, and Ongar are 13 points back having played a game more. In what seems to be a common occurrence this weekend, these two teams have never played each other (although that could still be the same tonight if it rains all day). Ongar are an impressive 8-3 for the season, although Rajkiran Pucchakayala is their only batter with over 200 runs with 219 at 24.44. Arun Reddy Katheri is the leading wicket taker for Ongar with 17 wickets at 15.35. Dundalk have won their last three matches leading to a 7-3 record so far this season in all competitions. Jithin John is the leading run scorer with 239 runs at 79.67 and he is also their leading wicket taker with 17 wickets at 11.12
Swords 3 vs Adamstown 6 - Two teams in the bottom half of Division 16 meet in Donabate. Swords are 3-3 in the league to sit in 6th place, whilst Adamstown are 3-5 in 8th and who seriously need some points. Against that, only 10 points separate Wicklow County in 3rd from Adamstown in 8th, so league positions in Division 16 should be treated with care! The only time these two have played was in a great match in Division 16 earlier this season. Swords 3 struggled throughout as Abhinash Mathew took 3-24 for Adamstown and no one made more than 16 as Swords were bowled out for 121. The second innings was a similar story though. Anoop Varghese took 4-11 (his best bowling for Swords in 7 matches for them this year since moving from Finglas) as Adamstown collapsed to 44-5 and then 75-8/ But Rajnish Kumar Malik (13), Abhinash Mathew (12) and Venkat Kantipudi (2) added 35 for the last two wickets as Adamstown won a famous 1 wicket win. It was Adamstown 6's second 1 wicket victory, after a win over Mullingar 3 in August 2019.
Kilkenny 1 vs Tyrrelstown 1 - No preview as Merrion 4 vs Tyrrelstown 1 (July 8) has not yet been processed.
Rush 3 vs Swords 2 - Rush's last game in the Whelan Cup this year and after already losing two matches they cannot progress any further in the competition. However Swords still have three games to play, playing each of the other teams once. Three wins would leave them level with North County, with net run rate being used to separate them. The reverse fixture was played on June 17th in Newbridge Demesne and it was a minor classic. Rush legend Niall Mullen scored 52, and he added 75 for the fourth wicket with Patrick Monks (53*) to rescue Rush from 27/3 to their eventual 143/8. Joseph Jeswin took 4-18 for Swords, the 6th time he has taken four wickets or more in an innings for Swords in 74 matches. At 90-0, the match looked all over for Rush as Hemanth Vijaya Kumar (63) and Praveen Chandran (31) took a sizeable chunk out of the case. However, an Eoin Sheehan run out precipitated a collapse, and as the overs ran out, the wickets fell. Three run outs indicated the general panic, and the scores finished level Swords scoring 143/7. It was Rush 3's fourth tied match since 2011 and Swords 2's second (the first was in June 2018 against Lucan 2).
Castleknock 2 vs Clontarf 5 - A dead match for both teams who have missed out on qualification for the semi finals in Group A of the Intermediate Cup. In the reverse match on June 5th, Clontarf's batting struggled with Selvin Nakka's top score of 20 getting Clontarf to 122/8 which never looked like being enough. Wasiq Ansari's 40 at the top of the order got Castleknock off on the right foot and they eased home to win by 6 wickets with 14 balls to spare.