SPRINT COATINGS DIVISION ONE PREVIEW – ROUND 4 (JUNE 13TH)

Sprint Coatings Division One returns this week after there was no Senior women's cricket action last week.

This week sees a full round of fixtures taking place with all eight teams in action, Clontarf are the visitors to Observatory Lane where Leinster look to continue their good form, which has seen them only beaten by Pembroke so far this season. Malahide meanwhile travel to Balbriggan, with the hosts looking to continue from their first league victory in the last round. Phoenix where the side who lost out to Balbriggan last time out and they make the trip to Skerries to face The Hills, However the game of the day undoubtedly takes place in Anglesea Road where the unbeaten Pembroke are the visitors to Merrion, who look to bounce back from their loss last time around.

Leinster vs Clontarf

After a slow start to the season Leinster had a breakthrough victory last week against Merrion in Rathmines, a fine all round bowling performance saw Laura Delany leading the way with three wickets whilst there were two apiece for Isabella Merriman and Clare Webber, these three are pivotal members of the bowling attack, and whilst they’re led by an international pair in Sophie MacMahon and Ava Canning the side is very much an all-round bowling unit. With the bat they are very much the same with Webber, MacMahon, Delany and Canning all being major components, whilst wicketkeeper Joanna Loughran is another vital cog in the wheel. When all these key players are available Leinster are an extremely tough side to beat and they ought to put up another tough task for Clontarf this time around.

Their visitors meanwhile come into this fixture unbeaten in the league so far, with wins over Balbriggan and The Hills either side of a no result and defeat in the first round of the Sprint Coatings Senior Cup. With their last two batting efforts missing their star performer of the past two years in Christina Coulter-Reilly, her return for this fixture comes as a massive boost, and makes their batting line-up even more formidable looking. Robyn Searle starred last time out, making a half-century, whilst both Freya Sargent and Julie McNally have both also added good contributions so far this term. With the ball, the attack is led by Sinead Thomson and Emma Butler, with Thomson in particular finding early movement and taking wickets to get the side off to a good start. Freya Sargent’s off-spin is an excellent option in the middle overs and generally has been tough for the oppositions to score off, whilst they have several other options in the shape of McNally, Lucy Barry, Genevieve Morrissey and Alyssa Pasley meaning they are never struggling for options to throw the ball to if someone is having an off-day.

The return of Christina Coulter-Reilly to Clontarf’s side this week gives them a huge boost, particularly against such a strong bowling unit as Leinster. If she can get on top of the bowling of Ava Canning early in the piece, it will make for a fascinating battle between the sides, with the opportunity for Clontarf to run up a big score vastly increased.

KEY BATTLE: Ava Canning vs Christina Coulter-Reilly

Balbriggan vs Malahide

Balbriggan got their season off the mark last time around, with an excellent run chase against Phoenix providing them with their first ever victory in the Senior cricket ranks. The key to their victory was undoubtedly the all-round nature of their bowling efforts, with no fewer than five of the six bowlers used taking wickets, whilst it was their premier bowler from their league win of last season, Reena Devi, who was the pick of the party taking 2/11. That good showing, along with the high class pair of Claudia Green and Anna Gaging, offers some cause for the side to be optimistic, as it will allow their less experienced bowlers, the likes of Erin Knight, Marisa Curtis and Robyn Claxton, to continue to put in strong performances like they did in their victory that day. Whilst the chase centred around Green’s unbeaten 73 from just 49 balls, the game was won with nearly five overs to spare, and her ability to get on top of the bowling is another thing which will work to the home side’s advantage if they are to continue on that winning trend.

Malahide meanwhile have had a disappointing start to the season, having suffered defeat to The Hills on week one, they then faced a nightmare trio of fixtures, as Leinster, Merrion and Pembroke were all in flying form in their respective fixtures against The Village. They have been boosted by the addition of Christelle van der Schyff, who joins as overseas pro, however it remains to be seen whether she will make her debut in this fixture. Arlene Kelly was flagged as being vital to the side last time around, and she delivered an excellent performance, taking 1/15 and making 57. Along with Anna Kerrison, Sarah Condron and Lana Ryan, they currently make up the bulk of the batting unit, and the addition of van der Schyff would bolster that unit significantly. With the ball, each of Kelly, Condron and Kerrison are very important to the side, whilst Ryan, Isobel McCormack and Maria O’Halloran are all bowling options that have been used thus far and give plenty of options to the away side to change things up. They will need to remain consistent throughout with the ball if they are to hold Balbriggan’s main batters under pressure for as long as possible.

The home side will be aiming to get through the opening spell of Arlene Kelly in order to give them a chance of running up a decent total in this game, however if Kelly can knock over their clean hitting number three Claudia Green early in the piece, it will give Malahide the chance to stay right in the game.

KEY BATTLE: Claudia Green vs Arlene Kelly

The Hills vs Phoenix

Two sides who have both come out the other side of extremely testing seasons in recent times face off here, and it sees some of the most exciting batting talents around on show. Starting off with The Hills, Tahlia Dunne and Elise Noble are two very clean ball strikers in their top three, with Dunne in particular starting the season in excellent form, with 77* in round one against Malahide a particularly eye-catching highlight. Around that pair, both Jane and Aimee Maguire have produced good contributions, along with Rebecca Gough and opener Lara McBride, with that four giving plenty of depth to the side. With the ball, Jane Maguire’s opening spell is always accurate and extracts any movement on offer, whilst the spinning pair of Aimee Maguire and McBride both having started the season extremely well. Beyond those three, the likes of Aisling Byrne has been a part of the side for a number of seasons and offers good control, with Tara O’Brien and Chloe Ericson being two newer additions to the team which offer more options to skipper Maguire.

Phoenix meanwhile have benefitted hugely from the addition of some experienced quality players to their side, with their batting unit now looking far stronger than it has for a number of seasons. At the top of the order, Georgina Dempsey and Gaby Lewis are two obviously high-class internationals, however the way in which they score their runs sets the game up nicely for those who follow them in the order to pick up from. Siúíin Woods at number three also scores at a good tempo, and her along with Alice Tector and Nevedha Saravanarajan round off a very strong top five which could put The Hills’ bowling attack under plenty of pressure. Tector and skipper Ali Keenan are a good opening pair with ball in hand, who should be able to produce enough movement to keep their hosts honest, whilst another new addition for the season Darcey Dalwood has emerged as a decent bowling option. Arisha Foysal’s leg-breaks are always reliable for Phoenix and will need to be on-song here in this fixture, whilst their opening day loss falling primarily due to having just five options in their attack, each of Saravanarajan, Alison Black and Juliet Gargan have all bowled overs since, meaning the extra options should allow for the away side to make any changes that may be required throughout the 20 overs.

With Jane Maguire opening the bowling for the home side, it makes a good start for Phoenix crucial, they will be hoping to see Gaby Lewis get them off to a flying start, and if she can do so it will give them the upper hand at the perfect time in the game.

KEY BATTLE: Jane Maguire vs Gaby Lewis

Merrion vs Pembroke

The pick of the fixtures and featured game in this round comes from Anglesea Road, as Merrion play host to Pembroke in a fixture which has produced some brilliant ties in the last few years. Four of the last eight T20 games between the sides have been won by a margin of 15 runs or less, with just one of those fixtures being won by the side batting second. That was however the last tie between the sides in the league, and Pembroke have continued in that vein to kick off their campaign this time around, chasing and winning in all four of their fixtures so far, whilst Merrion are in the same boat, having chased in their three victories and lost on the only occasion they’ve batted first.

Merrion’s batting is led by their international pair at the top, Rebecca Stokell and Leah Paul, who returned to the side for their Senior Cup victory over Malahide, however were unable to impose themselves upon Leinster in their last league fixture. Celeste Raack and Isobel Joyce have both produced important innings in the opening throws of the season, and will be important if they are to capitalise on the start which their openers can give them. With the ball, Niamh MacNulty and Síbha Bhoja have developed into a very strong new-ball pair, an area in which Merrion did struggle up until recent times, whilst Maddie Blazely also adds another strong seaming option. Paul’s left-arm off-spin delivered three wickets in their last fixture against Leinster, and she will be vital as always in putting Pembroke under pressure in the middle overs, whilst Julianne Morrissey’s wicket-taking ability is likely to be important against a side full of strong batting talents.

The visitors have been in flying form so far this season, with their batting unit simply overwhelming anything which has been thrown at them. New arrival Sarah Forbes has produced two good efforts opening the batting in chases, whilst Orla Prendergast has made blitzing half-centuries in the two games where Forbes hasn’t been in the runs. Robyn Lewis is another new arrival who boosts the side with both bat and ball, and their batting unit features some brilliant options throughout, including Lou Lou Little, former internationals Shauna Kavanagh & Clare Shillington, and Isobel Jennings, all of whom have made contributions to wins in recent times. With the ball, Forbes has been in excellent form, whilst the seam bowling of Little and Prendergast have both produced some match-winning efforts in the last few weeks, Little’s 5/8 against Leinster in the Senior Cup three weeks ago being particularly impressive. They are supported by the likes of KimLi McDonald, Mhairi Nicholl and Zoe Bell, with Pembroke’s strength in depth being a particularly impressive part of their success so far this season.

The home side’s batting is likely to be the key to this fixture, with Leah Paul having made half-centuries in each of Merrion’s last four victories over Pembroke, she is sure to be the key wicket that the visitors are gunning for, if she can get through Orla Prendergast’s opening spell, it will give them a massive chance of running up a total which could outgun even this extremely strong Pembroke batting unit.

KEY BATTLE: Leah Paul vs Orla Prendergast