Sportshub Whelan Cup final preview

Leinster 4 and Clontarf 4 clash in Park Avenue for the final of the Sportshub Whelan Cup. Leinster 4 last won a competition back in 2014, when they won Division 8. Incredibly their last T20 win was the 1980 YMCA Salver, and Leinster last won the Whelan Cup with Leinster 5 in 2015. Whilst in recent years, Clontarf 4 have pulled ahead of their southside counterparts (Clontarf 4 finished 45th in the league last year - Leinster 4 were 73rd), their history is fairly well matched. Clontarf 4's last title was also Division 8 (in 2017), and their last T20 win was in this very competition - the 1998 Whelan Cup, the only time Clontarf 4 have won it. The two sides played five times between 2015 and 2017, with Clontarf winning three times and Leinster twice.

Clontarf 4 - key players

Three players look to hold the key of whether Clontarf 4 can come good on their tag of favourites. Naveed Rana is the leading batsman with 138 runs at 27.60, whilst two bowlers have taken 11 wickets for the side - Shafqat Ayub (at 9.91) and Aamir Azaz Khan (at 7.45)

Leinster 4 - key players

If Leinster 4 are to win their first T20 trophy for forty years, they will be looking to four players to being it home. Dharmraj Chudasama joined this season from DLR County, and has made an instant impact, taking 12 wickets at 8.67. The run scoring has been shared around, with Avtar Singh hitting scores of 4, 66, 27, 59*, 30 , 23 and 8 for 217 runs at 37.17. Behind him come Suyash Vaidya (141 at 28.20) , Tom Halliday (125 at 41.67) and Muhammad Mohsin Shaikh (121 at 30.25).

Venue

In the last ten years, Clontarf 4 have paid two visits to Park Avenue, with both trips being of the recent vintage. They lost to Railway Union 3 in 2019, but beat the same side by 8 runs on their way to the final. As a club, Leinster CC didn't win a single Open Competitions match between June 2014 and June 2018. BNut since then it has become more of a happy hunting ground, with the club winning five of the last seven, including the 4th team's one visit, a 39 run win over Railway Union 4 in 2019. The average first innings score on in Park Avenue this year has been 104. Sides batting first this year have won seven times, with the side batting second chasing successfully five times.