SKELLIG SIX 18 - LEINSTER SENIOR CUP (QUARTER-FINALS - 2.6.2024)

This most prestigious Open Senior Cup competition dates back 89 years to 1935 and was initially played for by eight clubs - Leinster, Civil Service, Clontarf, Merrion, Dublin University, Pembroke, Phoenix and YMCA. By 1940, there were thirteen entrants, the then seven Senior League teams plus Carlisle, Cremore, Imperial Tobacco, Malahide, Monkstown, and Railway Union. For some years in the 1940s, some second elevens even took part.

The competition has been played in various formats over the decades. The 2024 iteration is, once again, being played as a white-ball (coloured kit) knock-out competition. 

With the holders (Clontarf) having bowed out at Park Avenue in Round One, the competition is wide open as we reach the Quarter-Final stage. Having knocked out Clontarf, Railway will now take on Phoenix who completed a remarkable win over Merrion in Round One when they successfully defended 96 to win by 12 runs. Whilst Phoenix have won the trophy on no less than 15 occasions, their last success was in 1982 (some 42 years ago).

Dublin University had a surprisingly facile win over The Hills in Round One and now host the Irish Senior Cup holders, Leinster CC at College Park as the student team looks to extend their run in the competition. Trinity's success in round one was largely based on their spin attack with Matthew Humphreys, Gavin Hoey, David Vincent and Yash Balasubramanium sharing combined figures of 10-42 off 25.2 overs.

Balbriggan will host Pembroke (who are unbeaten this season in all formats) at Jack Harper Park having secured a bye in the previous round when YMCA were forced to withdraw from the 2024 competition due to ground availability issues. Pembroke had a relatively straight-forward home win over Rush in the first round underpinned by a strong all-round performance from overseas player, Nick Stapleton (3-18 and 47*).

And finally Malahide will host Terenure having brushed aside North Kildare by 10 wickets in Round One with Younas Ahmadzai unbeaten on 80 off just 39 balls. Terenure progress to this stage based on a solid win in the previous round over Civil Service. 

Dublin University vs Leinster

As mentioned already, the ‘Students’ progressed to this stage courtesy mainly to an excellent bowling display by their four spinners when they faced The Hills three weeks ago. However that doesn’t by any stretch mean that their seamers aren’t an extremely tough proposition. Mikey O’Reilly and Theo Dempsey are both bowlers who have been capped at Senior IP level by Leinster Lightning, and that pair will be crucial with the new ball in this fixture. The only natural progression for Dublin University to follow on from that pair would be a pair of first choice spinners from InterPro level, and in Gavin Hoey and Matthew Humphreys they have just that, with the pair being the lead spinner for the Lightning and Northern Knights respectively. That four have plenty of ability and if they can take enough wickets to put Trinity into the game, it will give them a fighting chance with the bat. Whilst the side bowled very well the last time they played, their batting is as yet to prove itself, as they only limped over the line by 5 wickets in pursuit of 83 in the first round. Hoey’s aggressive style could prove itself to be invaluable against Leinster’s change bowlers this weekend, whilst he’s likely to be joined once again by Nicolaas Pretorius and Jamie Forbes in the middle order. They key to seeing that middle order flourish is the base on which they are able to build, and in ‘Tarf man David Vincent at the top of the order, they have the ideal foil for which to build an innings around.

Leinster meanwhile have a slightly different team taking the field on Sunday compared to Saturday, however their keys remain in many ways the same. Luke Callanan and Tristen de Beer drop out for this game, and are replaced by Aviral Shukla and Rian Cassidy who takes the gloves. That does make it quite likely that either Mark Tonge or Bilal Azhar will take the new ball in Callanan’s absence, and they may well miss his extra yard of pace at stages in this innings. The extra spin option that Shukla provides is an interesting addition alongside Tom Johnson and Saqib Bahadur, it would be fair to say that they may be hoping the pitch in College Park is offering a similar level of assistance as there has been for most games this season. With the bat, if the pitch is spinning more a fast start will be crucial, meaning Matthew Vercoe-Curtis will need to rediscover the stroke making which he used in his early season century to get them away in the PowerPlay. If that happens and Joey Carroll and Monil Patel are afforded the opportunity to build on a good start, it may be hard for Dublin University to arrest the momentum.

Gavin Hoey’s leg-breaks have been vital for both Pembroke and Dublin University, as well as the Leinster Lightning over the past 18 months, and this game is likely to mean more of the same, his battle with Monil Patel early in his bowling spell will be the one to watch out for.

KEY BATTLE: Gavin Hoey vs Monil Patel

Balbriggan vs Pembroke

If Pembroke get out the other side of this weekend still an unbeaten force, they will be fancying their chances of once again competing at the sharp end of every competition. Having brushed Rush aside in the last round with relatively little fuss, but also without really firing on all cylinders, no doubt they will be firing into this weekend hoping to find some real momentum. Last week’s victory over Leinster showed that in spite of the star-studded look to the line-up, they are still more than happy to get their hands dirty when the time calls for it. In the absence of Gavin Hoey who is obviously on duty with Trinity, Paul Lawson will be the centre of attention with the ball in hand, whilst the seam attack which features Olly Riley, Byron McDonough and Joe Prendergast is an excellent unit and will almost certainly cause Balbriggan plenty of problems. With the bat, JJ Garth looked impenetrable last weekend until depositing a long-hop straight into a fielder’s hands, and Balbriggan is a ground which could certainly see him thrive. Other stroke players in the top six that could see themselves producing the goods in this game include Diarmaid Tucker at 3, Jack Tector at 5 and Fiachra Tucker at 6. The importance of batting right to the end was exemplified last weekend by the fact Byron McDonough was the second highest score from number 11, and that could again prove to be crucial to the side.

Balbriggan meanwhile are the only team in the second round yet to play a game in this season’s competition, and they do face an extremely stiff task in facing up to Pembroke at this stage. Their batting unit will see Cameron Rowe and Ghanim Dara attempting to get them off to a swift but solid start, whilst at number three Chris de Freitas will be aiming to turn one of his several starts so far this season into a big score. If there’s a week where they need one of the top three to go big, it’s for this game, as it would take the pressure off Greg Ford in the middle order, where he is without Ciaran Gray who played last weekend, or his replacement for Saturday’s game Emad Uddin, meaning in an ideal world, the side would have Ford at the crease coming towards the business end of their innings. Sebastian de Oliveira and Dylan Lues are two men who can find the boundary later in the piece, and may be needed to play bigger roles this time around. With the ball, the new ball pair of Sam Willemse and de Oliveira will need to be on the ball from the get go, with anything errant sure to be punished by Pembroke’s plethora of batting talents, whilst as has been the case several times already this season Lues will be the man who they look to for a really solid 10 overs throughout the middle and back end of the innings, if he can take wickets, it will keep them well and truly in the game.

Considering the batting time which Balbriggan’s middle order has been somewhat devoid of this season, Chris de Freitas is likely to be the key man in ensuring the side gets off to as strong a start as possible and keeping them out of the firing line for as long as possible. Joe Prendergast’s nagging lengths are the type of bowling that could induce a false shot from the Brig left hander, and if he can, Pembroke will need to be sure they take the chance.

KEY BATTLE: Chris de Freitas vs Joe Prendergast

Railway Union vs Phoenix

Railway Union face off against Phoenix for the first time since the ill-fated Promotion/Relegation play-off game that saw the sides swap places in the Premier League and Championship for this season. Having seen off Clontarf in the first round, Railway will be looking to their bowlers to give them a chance of beating Phoenix again this weekend. Liam McCarthy and Sean O’Brien’s new ball spell will be vital, with that pair by a distance the most experienced bowlers in the team for this tie. Their spin is bolstered by the inclusion of Hamza Maan this time along with Srihan Karpe, whilst Zaman Safi is once again the 5^th bowler and third seamer in the side. Considering the depth of the attack, much of the responsibility will be on that pair of openers to get them off to a good start. With the bat, Rob O’Brien and McCarthy are likely to be key men again, whilst Hedayat Khogiani has shown shoots of being able to put together big innings’ at this level, and it will be interesting to see how Karpe and Ashil Prakash get on at the top of the order against Premier League opposition.

Phoenix meanwhile have plenty of class in their side, and will surely feel as though they can overpower Railway with the bat early in their innings. They won’t have Nicolaas Pretorius boundary hitting ability as he plays this competition with Dublin University, however they are still full of talent with the bat, with the likes of Johit Munjal, Adam Chester, Tyrone Kane and Shane Getkate all very likely to find or clear the boundary right from ball one in their innings. However considering the tough environment which Park Avenue can regularly be, they will be looking to Jack Lalor to be the mainstay of the innings to allow their stroke players to work around his class. On the bowling front, Lalor, Kane and Getkate are all excellent options however the trump card for Phoenix is no doubt Amish Sidhu, who ought to relish conditions in Railway, where spinners tend to thrive. Sidhu will be supported by Dev Ranolia, and the pair have bowled nicely in tandem at stages this season, that may well prove to be the case here again.

As mentioned, Railway’s bowling is likely to hold the key to this fixture, and in that context Sean O’Brien could be their man with the new ball, if he can dismiss Jack Lalor early on, it will shift the momentum across to the home team and allow them to put pressure onto the Phoenix middle-order.

KEY BATTLE: Seán O’Brien vs Jack Lalor

Malahide vs Terenure

Sunday’s featured game sees Malahide hosting Terenure, with both sides through to this round with their only win in Cricket Leinster competitions so far this season being in the first round. Malahide’s batting unit has looked more than competent on several occasions, without ever really catching fire in the way it may have once threatened to, Younas Ahmadzai has only really gotten going in his knock during their 10-wicket win over North Kildare. Matt Ford comes into the side for this fixture, and adding him as well as Ali Frost into the middle order that already contains Jeremy Martins and Andrew Sheridan compared to last weekend, makes them a very tough looking opposition. Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin at the top of the order will need to be in his typically stoic form in order to allow those free-flowing players below him to flourish. With the ball, seamers James Newland and Kelvin Donnelly will be hoping to extract some early movement, and with Jeremy Martins to follow on from them, there’s not really much let up at one end for at least the first 15 overs. Mike Frost is an excellent left-arm spinner, however the fact that this game is being played on a pitch which will be fresh on Saturday may well negate him into being more of a containing bowler, with Matt Ford and Andrew Sheridan the pair who could both do similar jobs on a more part-time basis if needed.

Terenure meanwhile see a number of changes to their side from Saturday to Sunday, Henry Dall is once again skippering the side in Dónal Lynch’s absence, whilst Ryan Smith replaces Gethin Kelleher, Farjad Khan comes in for Jinal Khatri, and Abdul Shokoor Amiri for Gareth Morgan. Their bowling unit is unchanged however as once again they’ll be lead by Dylan Cleary and Kripesh Shetty, with their change seamers being Raghav Grover and Darsh Shetty. Dall is the lead spinner in the line-up, however the return of Shokoor Amiri offers an alternative to take the ball in the other direction as well. With the bat, Séamus Lynch will as usual be important at the top of the order, but it could well be Darsh Shetty and Grover in the middle order that are the real decisive batters in how well this game goes for the away side, as they will need to negotiate Malahide’s spinners in a more fluent manner than most have so far this season to really give themselves the opportunity to dominate with the bat. Sid Nair is the finisher in the side who will be looking to clear the ropes late in the game.

Terenure’s win against Civil Service in the first round was their first on-field success in this competition since 2006, and they aim to beat Malahide to reach the semi-final stage for the first time since 2002, if they are to do that, Séamus Lynch’s start with the bat will be the key to giving them momentum in the game. If he can dominate early in the piece against James Newland, it will put Terenure ahead in the game just like round 1, and it will be a matter of ensuring they do not give that momentum back at any stage to give them a fighting chance.

KEY BATTLE: James Newland vs Séamus Lynch

SKELLIG SIX 18 SENIOR CUP: QUARTER-FINALS  (Sunday 2nd June 2024)

Dublin University vs Leinster (College Park)
Balbriggan vs Pembroke (Jack Harper Park)
Railway Union vs Phoenix (Park Avenue)
Malahide vs Terenure (The Village)

The Skellig Six 18 Senior Cup Final will take place at Pembroke CC (Sydney Parade) on Saturday 3rd August and will be accompanied by the annual CL Patron's Lunch.

Our thanks to June O'Connell, CEO Skellig Six 18 Distillery for her support of club cricket in Leinster. We hope to have June with us at Sydney Parade on 3rd August to present the trophy.

You can follow all the action via the CL Match Centre - www.cricketleinster.ie/match-centre

The Semi-Finals are scheduled for Sunday 23rd June.