The immediate focus of this weekend’s action is the first round of the RSA Leinster Senior Cup. There are six matches in all. Merrion, for the second time in two years, and Cork County have byes into the second round. The mix of matches that are scheduled show three D1 v D2 clashes, two D1 affairs and one involving D2 clubs.
The pick of the D1 matches throws up a local derby and repeat of last years final between YMCA and Pembroke. YMCA had a narrow victory over Pembroke in a low scoring league game earlier in May and with home advantage must start as favourites. But the toss is important and if whoever gets first use of the wicket can bat the full 60 overs then they will be in with a great chance.
With Terenure’s poor form this season it is difficult to see them having much chance away from home against a strong Clontarf side. Terenure’s cup form has not been good of late and one has to go back to 2006 for the last time that Terenure got through to the second round. The last occasion when the two teams met in the cup was in 2008 when Clontarf won by nine wickets on their way to winning the title.
Perhaps the most intriguing tie of the day is that between Malahide and Railway Union. Malahide got through to the semi-finals of the cup last year beating Merrion in the second round and overcame North County the previous year. So they won’t have any concerns about playing D1 opposition. Their league form is good with three wins out of three and as long as they can avoid a bowl-out they should have a good chance against a Railway side that has looked a little brittle this season. The last time the two teams met was in 2012 when Railway came out on top by 24 runs.
The Hills take on a Leinster side that has played very little this year, and has yet to record a victory. The Hills also stated the season poorly but have bounced back with consecutive wins in the Irish Senior Cup and the Senior League. It is four years since the two sides last met in the competition when The Hills won a high scoring thriller by one wicket. There are not too many Leinster players from that match [looks to be only two] likely to figure tomorrow.
Rush versus North County will certainly ignite local interest and the D1 guests won’t want to take anything for granted. North County have played pretty well this season, narrowly losing to Merrion and YMCA but winning their other two league matches. But losing to Ardmore in the ISC will give Rush hope for an upset. Rush’s form needs to improve and they have only a win against Pembroke II to show so far this season. The last time the two teams met in the cup was in 2008 when North County won in the first round by four wickets.
The final match is an interesting contest between Balbriggan and Phoenix. Balbriggan have only played two games this season – but managed a good win against DU and lost narrowly against Malahide. They have a strong batting line up and in Muhammed Farooq a player in top form. Phoenix on the other hand haven’t done much since beating Rush on the first day of the season. A loss against Merrion II was a bad result though they made up for it with a great win against Brigade in the ISC.
So the predictions [never let it be said that ex-civil servants aren’t risk takers] for the first round are wins for YMCA, Clontarf, Malahide, The Hills, North County and Balbriggan.
Teams [as known]
Leinster: C Mallon, G Delany, A Ward, H McDonnell, P Johnston, JP O’Dwyer, D Coad, A Godfrey, B Azhar, J Kerrison, R Kenealy.
Railway [from]: P Collins, C Divney, K Carroll, R Gaur, A Hafeez, D Kapoor, D Singh, J Singh, T Townsend, J Uddin, S Ullah, S Shamin
Malahide: C Riches, A Reynolds, R Strydom, F McAllister, D Arnold, P Chasse, G Deans, J Govan, A Morris, P Saville, C Shoebridge
[Any other team sheets submitted will be put up]
The full draw is as follows: