Previews for all today's Open Competitions matches can be found over on the Match Centre, and are here as well if you prefer.
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Finglas 3 vs Wexford Wanderers 3 - Finglas are top of the Division 18 pile, with a 2-1 record, whilst Wexford Wanderers lost their first match against Sandyford 3. There has only been one previous match between the clubs when Wexford Wanderers 2 beat Finglas 2 by 6 wickets in a July 2021 Minor Cup semi final. Wexford finished 147th in their first league season in 2022, whilst Finglas 3 were four places below them in 151st.
Balbriggan 2 vs Cork Harlequins 1 - Balbriggan 2 have hit the ground running this season, with good home wins against Wexford Wanderers 1 and Merrion 3. Last week Balbriggan scored 307/6 against Merrion (thanks to Ghanim Dara's 131*), which are the highest scores by a team and a player so far this season. Dara's innings is also the highest score recorded for Balbriggan, beating Adrian Harper's 127 against Clontarf 4 in 2019. Cork Harlequins play their first game in Leinster this year, and have never played against Balbriggan 2.
North County 2 vs Clontarf 2 - Two sides who would have preferred to have got off to a better start in the league. Clontarf (who have been the best 2nd team in the province in 2021 and 2022) have lost their first two matches, and North County have lost their first games. Clontarf's record in Inch is good, winning the last two, with County's last win being back in May 2019. The last match saw a massive 183 run win for Clontarf, with 50s for Aaron McGeehan and Niall Delany getting Clontarf to 282/5, before 3/14 for Zulfiqar Ali and 3/10 from Paul Ryan bowled County out for 99.
Leinster 2 vs YMCA 2 - It is too early in the season for this fixtire to have real significance. Leinster are yet to complete a game, and YM have lost once. The last three matches between the sides in Rathmines have gone the way of YMCA, with Leinster's last win being in April 2018. Euan Mackay took 6-32 in that match and JP O'Dwyer scored 101*.
Knockharley 1 vs The Hills 2 - Early days in Division 4, with The Hills 2 having won one game, and Knockharley 1 having lost one game. Since Knockharley first entered the league in 1984, they have slowly being catching up The Hills 2. 51 places behind them in 1984, nothing had changed by 1996, with Knockharley still being 53 places below today's opponents. But from then on the gap narrowed, and Knockharley finally overtook them in 2021. Three matches in 2021 went 2-1 to The Hills.
Sandyford 3 vs Rush 4 - No matches between these teams since 2014, which means that there isn't much relevance to today's match! Sandyford are unbeaten with one win, whilst Rush lost to Kilkenny 3 (as well as having two rained off). In that 2014 match, Vinay Iqbal scored 91 out of a total of 142 (which is still the 2nd highest percentage by a batter in a team's innings for Sandyford). When Garret Jones came to the crease, Rush were 69-6, but he scored 42* as Rush won by 1 wicket.
Merrion 6 vs Ongar 1 - Ongar 1 are on top of Division 14, after two wins and a loss, with Merrion 6 down in 7th place after a heavy defeat away to Clondalkin way back on April 8. There have already been two matches between the clubs this season (although not these teams). Ongar 2 have twice beaten Merrion 7, and the 1sts look to be favourites to win again today.
Phoenix 3 vs Merrion 4 - Phoenix 3 have already won in Merrion this year, and sit on top of the Division 7 table. Bijesh Bhaskaran scored 107 as Phoenix ran up a winning total of 269/4. That was Bhaskaran's first century in his 44th innings in Leinster cricket. It is the highest score in matches between the sides. That is only the third century scored in Division 7, and all three were scored in Anglesea Road.
YMCA 4 vs Finglas 1 - No preview, as previous matches this season involving at least one of these teams still to be processed.
Civil Service 2 vs Adamstown 1 - Two wins from two matches for Adamstown 1 has been a great start to the season. The two teams have risen up the ranks together, playing against each other in 2012 in Division 9, reaching Division 5 last year. Both of the 2022 games were won by Civil Service, but Adamstown look to be in a good place to reverse that trend. In the first of last year's matches, Prabhanshu Kamal scored 119 for Adamstown 1 (in a losing cause). That is the highest score by a number three for Adamstown 1.
Pembroke 4 vs Clontarf 5 - Not the best of starts to the season for Clontarf 5, who have lost their first two matches in Division 10. Pembroke have been a bit better, beating Malahide 4 and losing to Railway Union 4. The team's only previous meeting was an Intermediate Cup quarter final back in 2018, when Pembroke won by 13 runs. That game was dominated by 112 from Sahil Manchanda, his second century for Pembroke 4, to which he added a third in 2021. That puts him joint top of the hundred scoring charts for Pembroke 4 with Sk Ahmed Zibran Shovon.
Malahide 5 vs North County 5 - North County opened their league season with a good win over Ongar 1, and as Malahide lost to Ongar 1 in their only game, it has to point to a North County 5 victory today. Malahide's last victory when playing this match in Malahide was back in 2015 (North County have won two matches since then). Alan Quinn took 3-13 for Malahide as North County made 161/10, mainly due to Benjamin Moore's 66. Dave Symmons then top scored with 67* as Malahide won by 7 wickets with 10 overs to spare.
Tyrrelstown 1 vs Civil Service 3 - Tyrrelstown 1 won this match last year by 77 runs, when it was being played in Division 8. Tyrrelstown's Roshin Raviprasad and Gerin George added 60 for the 9th wicket, which sits 4th on the list for Tyrrelstown 1 9th wicket partnerships. Tyrrelstown are so far unbeaten in the league, beating Greystones 1 last week, whilst Civil Service lost to Adamstown 2 and beat Castleknock 1.
DLR County 2 vs Balbriggan 4 - DLR County are the team to catch in Division 17, winning their first three matches. The one previous match between the teams saw Balbriggan win a Minor Cup game in 2022 by 7 wickets. DLR County's success so far this season has been a real team effort, with six players scoring 30 or more in an innings, and six having three or more wickets.
Rush 2 vs Malahide 3 - Contrasting starts to the Division 5 season with Malahide 3 being unbeaten after two wins, and Rush yet to win either of their first two games. There has on.y been one league game between the teams, with Rush winning by 7 runs in August 2017. Conor Gibbons took 6-24 for Malahide, as Rush were bundled out for 121. But 4-18 from Daniel Coffey, and a combined effort from the rest of the bowlers saw Malahide fall short. It is the lowest score we have on record where a Rush team at any level has won a match in Kenure.
Railway Union 4 vs Leinster 4 - Two unbeaten sides go head to head in Division 10 - Railway after two matches, Leinster after one. Leinster dominate matches between the two sides, with Railway winning only one match of the seven played between 2019 and now. The top two highest scores in the fixture, and the best bowling figures all came in the same match last August. Leinster put on 294/4 (Subrat Behera 120*, Raza Ur Rahman 68) before Railway were bowled out for 100, with Muhammad Ghani taking 6-33.
Laois 3 vs Carlow 2 - Carlow 2 play their second game of the weekend (this preview was written before their first), and Laois 3 have won two and lost two so far in the league. Salman Shaid has got off to a great start for Laois 3 this year with 145 runs at 145 (97, 48 and 0), and their leading wicket taker is Noman Raees with 10 wickets at 10.10.
Pembroke 6 vs Carlow 4 - Very early days in the Development League/Division 20. Neither team has yet to start their season. Carlow 4 are starting their first ever league season. Pembroke 6 returned to the leagues in 2022 after a six year absence - they were initially in the league from 1985-2015. Eleven clubs have entered sixth teams in Leinster league cricket, with Pembroke being the fifth (after Clontarf, Leinster, Railway Union and Merrion)
Laois 1 vs Sandyford 1 - Sandyford 1 entered the Leinster league in 1985, followed by Portlaoise/Laois 1 in 1996. The two played at broadly the same level from 1996-2002, before Laois spend the next twenty years a division or two ahead of Sandyford. But they are now back on the same level, playing their first match since our records began in 2011.
North Kildare 4 vs Phoenix 5 - Phoenix's seond game of the weekend, after travelling to Sandyford 2 yesterday. The two teams met last weekend, with Phoenix running out heavy winners by 136 runs. Vignesh Kannan scored 114 for Phoenix to set up their imposing total of 250/6. It was Kannan's first hundred in Leinster cricket in his 76th innings. It was the 12th ton for Phoenix 5 we have on record. It didn't break any major records, but was the highest score by a number 3 for Phoenix 5 in Phoenix, beating Arsalan Raffique's 78* against Merrion 7 in 2017.
Clontarf 4 vs Mullingar 1 - Another Clontarf team that has a less than perfect start to the season, with three losses and a rained off match. Mullingar have had a win over Leinster 3 and a rained off game. There has been no previous match between the teams, but the Mullingar club will be looking for a first win since 2013, when Mullingar 1 beat Clontarf 3 by 8 runs.
Wexford Wanderers 2 vs Dundalk 1 - No preview, as previous matches this season involving at least one of these teams still to be processed.
Longford 1 vs Terenure 2 - A decent start to the season by Longford, who have beaten Clontarf 4 and Carlow 1 to sit in third place in Division 6. Terenure aren't too far behind, and have won a game, and lost a game. The three matches between the teams have all gone the way of Longford but that was in the period 2013-2016 and there is limited relevance to today.
Athlone 1 vs Bagenalstown 1 - An unbeaten start to the season for Athlone with wins over Phoenix 4 and DLR County 1, whilst Bagenalstown 1 lost their first natch against DLR County 1. That would suggest Athlone are favourites for this one. One previous meeting between the clubs saw Athlone 1 beat Bagenalstown 2 by 3 wickets in a low scoring T29 match in the Adamstown Cup in 2020.
Adamstown 7 vs Naas 2 - Unbeaten Adamstown 7 host Naas 2 who are yet to win a game in Division 17. Their only meeting was in Division 16 in September 2021, when Naas one by 10 wickets, chasing 112. That is the Naas club's only ten wicket win in their history.
Swords 5 vs Greystones 4 - Greystones started their Development League/Division 20 season with a win over Adamstown 8 whilst Swords 5 lost to Clontarf 7. Their one previous game was the same fixture in 2022. Joseph Johnson scored 18 as Swords reached 182/8, Ciaran Dillon-Roberts took 4-37. In reply, Greystones fell three runs short, despite 51 from Abdullah Nawabzai.
Mullingar 3 vs Kilkenny 2 - The bottom two sides in Division 17 meet, with neither yet registering a win. Kilkenny had a win in the Minor Cup to slightly improve their mood. Neither side has a league title to their name - Kilkenny in the two previous seasons they have played, and Mullingar in the eleven previous seasons.
Wicklow County 2 vs The Hills 4 - The Hills 4 are unbeaten after two victories, whereas Wicklow County lost their first match. The teams have never played each other, despite circling each other in the league tables. from 2009-2012 Wicklow County were the higher team; from 2013-2019 it was The Hills that took over, before Wicklow County regained supremacy from 2021.
Clondalkin 2 vs Ashbourne 2 - Two unbeaten sides (with a win a piece in Division 14) meet in Tymon Park. Clondalkin go into the match as favourites, having won seven of the eight meetings between the teams. Their biggest win was last time out, when 4-17 from Shibu Shankar restricted Ashbourne to 101/8 in reply to Clondalkin's 190/8
Castleknock 1 vs Kilkenny 1 - A disappointing start to the season for Castleknock, with three straight defeats in the league. In the midst of those league defeats were two wins in the YMCA Salver, so it is not all doom and gloom. Castleknock's longest streak in the league without a win was eight matches in 2019, so they have a long way to go before beating that. The most relevant fact for this preview is that the sides played on April 15, with Kilkenny running out convincing winners - by 98 runs. Zeeshan Mumtaz scored 84 in that match, the twelfth time he has passed 50 for Kilkenny - more than anyone else for the club.
Adamstown 3 vs Ashbourne 1 - No preview, as previous matches this season involving at least one of these teams still to be processed.
Lucan 2 vs Naas 1 - Lucan play their first Whelan Cup match of the season, whilsy Naas played Gorey yesterday. The two previous meetings between the teams have both ended up as wins to Naas. Last year's win was in this same competition, with Ali Hashmi scoring a stunning century for Naas. That 110 was only the sixth highest score we have recorded in the Whelan Cup, with Anto Coates' amazing 174* for Ringcommons in 2016 unlikly to be beaten.
Malahide 2 vs Pembroke 2 - Last chance saloon for Pembroke 2 in the Tillain Cup. With it likely that a team would need four wins to win their group, Pembroke need to win all four, after losses to Leinster 2 and Malahide. That match against Malahide's was the Villager's only game so far, and they will be happy with their 100% record. Malahide haven't actually beaten Pembroke at home since 2016, when Glenn Kirwan took 7-14 to bowl out Pembroke for 84.