SPRINT COATINGS DIVISION ONE PREVIEW – JULY 14TH

This evening sees the 9^th round of Sprint Coatings Women’s Division One fixtures, with the full complement of four games again set to be fought out, including a crucial fixture in Claremont Road between the two sides at the top of the league table.

YMCA VS MERRION

Starting with that encounter at Claremont Road, Merrion are the visitors to the YMCA side which they saw off in last night’s Senior Cup semi-final. This game however will have a distinctly different feel to it, with the Irish International series beginning this weekend, it is highly unlikely any of the players involved will be taking part in this fixture.

The home side will therefore be without their star batter Gaby Lewis, and all-rounder Georgina Dempsey, the pair were the only players who managed double figures in last evening’s fixture and as a result there will be an emphasis on their other senior players to step up to the plate this evening, with the bat Sophie Strickland has been in good form of late and will be leading the way as a result. Whilst with the ball, Kate McEvoy and Vanshika Shukla will be the pair leading the bowling attack in the absence of their international stars.

For the visitors, Merrion will be without Rachel Delaney, Leah Paul and Rebecca Stokell for this evening’s game, with those three being vital cogs in all three aspects of the game for their side, they are each massive losses in their own right. Celeste Raack has stepped up her game with the bat this season, whilst Cecelia Joyce is another player who remains more than capable of helping to cover for the regular absence of the international players in the squad. Ally Boucher and Isabel Light have both been regulars in the side this season and having each starred for the Leinster U17s in the past week, Merrion will no doubt be keen to give the youngsters a chance to flourish in their 1^st XI.

In the absence of the international stars ahead of this evening’s fixtures, there’s no doubt that the bowling of Celeste Raack in an effort to dismiss Sophie Strickland is likely to be a part of the game where the momentum is hinging on what way the battle plays out.

KEY BATTLE: Sophie Strickland vs Celeste Raack

CLONTARF VS THE HILLS

Next up, Clontarf host The Hills as the away side visit Castle Avenue hoping to gain their first on-field victory of the season.

Clontarf come into this game full of confidence having now beaten Pembroke twice in the last week, and secured a spot in the Senior Cup Final on August 1^st. That is in no small part down to the form of their overseas player Bhavi Devchand, who made an amazing unbeaten century in last evening’s game, backing up her fine half-century the week before. Her batting alongside Christina Coulter-Reilly and Aoife Brennan has been allowing the latter two to play with more confidence in recent weeks and as a result leading to the team putting together big scores in their last couple of innings, that top three will once again be the key for the home side. With the ball, Coulter-Reilly and Emma Butler have played leading roles in recent weeks, whilst youngsters Alice Walsh and Freya Sargent have both shown considerable promise and will remain important as the side looks to continue its momentum.

The Hills are without their key player in Jane Maguire this week, however they came within a matter of a couple of balls of beating Pembroke in last week’s cup quarter final in her absence, and will take confidence as a result of that. Robyn Searle and Miranda Andrews were in the runs that night, and with support from stand-in skipper Aisling Byrne and Naomi Matthews, will have high hopes of a repeat performance again this evening. With the ball, Matthews was a stand-out performer in that fixture, it will be up to herself, Byrne and Katie Boylan to shoulder the main bulk of the bowling workload as they aim to restrict this Clontarf batting line-up which now seems full of confidence.

Bhavi Devchand is the obvious wicket which The Hills will be aiming to take early in the piece tonight, however the battle at the top of their own batting innings between their star batter Robyn Searle and Tarf’s young opening bowler Freya Sargent is possibly every bit as important to them in the game as how their bowlers cope with the in-form Australian.

KEY BATTLE: Freya Sargent vs Robyn Searle

PHOENIX VS PEMBROKE

The Phoenix Park is the venue as Pembroke visit their winless hosts, Phoenix. The away side will be aiming to bounce back from their back to back losses against Clontarf, and are boosted in no small manner by the availability of Lou Lou Little and Shauna Kavanagh for this evening’s fixture. They will support stand-in captain Clare Shillington with the bat and that trio will be looked at to very much lead by example from the top three slots in the order. With the ball, Little’s return this week has been a big help to the side, however Louise McCarthy is unavailable for this fixture which does take away four overs of accurate slow bowling from their attack. The attack has a decidedly younger look to it with it’s other options among Anna Beale, Lainey Martin, Kimli McDonald and leg-spinner Lucy Robinson, who are all likely to play a role in this fixture.

The home side are skippered by Sarah McIntosh this evening in the absence of Nevedha Saravanarajan, whilst Ali Keenan is also missing for this fixture. With the ball, Sophie McDonough, Zara Craig and Alison Black will play a leading role. Whilst skipper McIntosh, Lucy & Sophie McDonough and Simran Saini will be the batters who are hoping to put together a decent score in an effort to give their bowlers a chance to defend against this strong Pembroke batting side. Whilst they will miss their skipper in this fixture, this is an opportunity for the younger members of the side to put their best foot forward in a game where they will have every chance of victory if they play to their abilities.

Lou Lou Little is one of the most destructive players in the league on her day and her wicket will be of vital importance in the Pembroke batting innings. The hosts will be looking to Alison Black to try take her wicket and give them an early foothold in the game.

KEY BATTLE: Alison Black vs Lou Lou Little

LEINSTER VS MALAHIDE

Finally at Observatory Lane, Malahide visit a Leinster side who have very much struggled for much of this season when they are without their international stars. Sue O’Connor tonight captains the home side who are without their 4 key players in Laura Delany, Sophie MacMahon, Ava Canning and Jenny Sparrow, whilst the in-form Joanna Loughran is also unavailable. Rebecca Rolfe and Ellen Ridgeway are therefore the two key wickets for the home side at the top of the order. With the ball, O’Connor can call upon Katie Dillon, Sophia Nulty and Sarah Ingram, all of whom have contributed well at points in the season, however with the possible 20 overs of bowling they are missing from the players listed above, these four will have their work cut out to cover for the loss of all those options.

Malahide come into this game after a humbling defeat to Merrion last weekend, however will see this as a great opportunity to bounce back, even if they are without their star player in Amy Hunter this evening. Caoimhe McCann takes over the mantle of being the most important wicket in the side, however her form of late has also been strong. Beth Deacon will be one of the players supporting her this evening, and is off the back of an unbeaten century earlier in the week in the Malahide 2^nd XI. With the ball, the bowling attack is boosted by the return of left-arm spinner Anna Kerrison, whilst their seam bowlers Sarah Condron and Sarah Brophy will lead the way with the new ball.

Caoimhe McCann is the key wicket to the Malahide batting innings, and Leinster will have their work cut out in trying to dismiss her, Katie Dillon has bowled well so far this season and will probably be the bowler tasked with attempting to see off the Villagers skipper in the PowerPlay overs.

KEY BATTLE: Katie Dillon vs Caoimhe McCann