Another series of crunch matches in this very competitive league saw the top four of the table in action against each other. Luckily the rain stayed away and only the match between The Hills and Phoenix was affected, that match suffered a downpour and abandonment at the end of the first innings.
Clontarf vs Malahide
Malahide 118 all out in 19.2 overs (B Armstrong 34, J Turner 20, A Walsh 4-23, F Sargent 2-16, C Coulter Reilly 2-19, J Mc Nally 1-20)
Clontarf 119/5 in 18.2 overs (C Coulter Reilly 50, A Brennan 23, M O'Halloran 2-15, A Kerrison 1-19, H Moore 1-27)
Clontarf win by 5 wickets
Another all round performance from Christina Coulter Reilly saw Clontarf to a comforable 5 wicket win over Malahide. Regular wickets for Clontarf, in particular an excellent 4-23 in 4 overs from Alice Walsh, meant that Malahide could only post a below-par 118.
The home team had no great difficulty in chasing the target, with opener Coulter Reilly making 50 even before Freya Sargent (11*) brought it home in the 19th over.
Merrion vs Leinster
Merrion 167/5 in 20 overs (P Inglis 107*, C Raack 34, K Dillon 2-19, O Bagnall 2-28, I Merriman 1-39)
Leinster 83 all out in 18.2 overs (R Rolfe 32, A Quires 2-16, S Stewart 2-8, N Macnulty 1-16, S Bhoja 1-16, I Light 1-2)
Merrion won by 84 runs
A superb innings for Merrion of 107 off 75 balls (14 fours) from Polly Inglis took this match away from Leinster as she carried her bat through 20 overs. Both teams were missing their internationals (almost all internationals were unavailable across the teams) and the class of Inglis showed. She was supported by Celeste Raack with 34.
The Leinster reply got off to a bright start with Rebecca Rolfe making 34 at the top of the order. But the strong Merrion bowling attack - many of who featured in the U15 & U17 Interprovincials this week - kept taking wickets while also preventing Leinster from scoring. The wickets were shared throughout the attack as Merrion achieved a comfortable victory.
Pembroke vs YMCA
YMCA 117/5 in 20 overs (S Forbes 32, A Tector 25*, H Little 1-21, A Beale 1-21, Z Bell 1-21, K McDonald 1-5, V Shukla 1-8)
Pembroke 118/2 in 16.4 overs (C Shillington 58*, R Lewis 1-18. J Wright 1-24)
Pembroke won by 8 wickets
YMCA were missing Gaby Lewis at the top of the order, a big loss in terms of runs and leadership. Sarah Forbes stepped into the breech though and top scored with 32, ably supported by 25* from Alice Tector. Both teams would have been happy with 117 given the circumstances.
The reply however was a different story with Clare Shillington playing a wonderful innings of 58* off 47 balls with 5 fours and 1 six. Batting through the overs this clearly gave Pembroke the foundation they needed to chase the target comfortably. They made it over the line with 20 balls to spare.