SPRINT COATINGS DIVISION ONE PREVIEW – ROUND 9 (JULY 25TH)

The ninth round of fixtures in Sprint Coatings Division One take place this evening, and after a couple of rounds where everyone has been beating each other with the exception of the top side Pembroke, the league table has something of a slanted look to it, with the Sydney Parade outfit sitting more than three wins clear at the top of the table.

This evening’s fixtures are the reverse of Round 7 from just two weeks ago, meaning Malahide’s first game since beating Clontarf in Castle Avenue, is at home to the same opposition! Merrion host Balbriggan, whilst Pembroke make the trip to Phoenix, finally in Skerries, Leinster are the visitors to The Vineyard to play The Hills.

MALAHIDE VS CLONTARF

We kick off with Clontarf seeking to atone for their astonishing loss to Malahide in Round 7, where having kept this evening’s hosts to a modest total, they completely collapsed with the bat. They are near full strength this week however there will be a further wait for Una Raymond-Hoey’s return to club action. Christina Coulter-Reilly and Robyn Searle will need to lead the way and give a good start with the bat to allow the less experienced, more explosive, middle order a chance to flourish. Julie McNally, Freya Sargent and Genevieve Morrissey are three members of that unit who ‘Tarf will be hoping can keep them on the front foot. With the ball, last week saw excellent spells from all of the bowling unit, however left-arm seamer Sinead Thomson continues to lead the way with the new ball and with support from Emma Butler, Lucy Barry and Alice Walsh, they make up a good seam attack. Sargent is the frontline spinner in the side and will be a vital middle overs bowler once again.

Malahide meanwhile have seen their results ebb and flow as player availability changes. Arlene Kelly and Amy Hunter are two crucial players for the side, and if both are available it makes them a totally different proposition than without them. Kelly then spearheads a bowling attack featuring Sarah Condron, Christelle van der Schyff, Haley Moore and Sarah Brophy, whilst the spinner in the side is Anna Kerrison. Lana Ryan is the other bowling option which has appeared regularly throughout the season. With the bat, the inclusion of Hunter would change the dynamic somewhat, however Ryan and Condron have batted at the top of the order in her absence, whilst van der Schyff and Kelly occupy positions at 3 and 4, these four have done the bulk of the heavy lifting in their recent wins, however it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that the likes of Kerrison, Gemma Devally and Juliette Evans-Garrett who have taken the slots at 5, 6 & 7, could need to produce some late runs to assist the batting efforts.

Christelle van der Schyff proved to be the thorn in Clontarf’s side last time around, and her batting is likely to be vital for the home side once again. If Sinead Thomson can knock her over, it will give the visitors a massive boost.

KEY BATTLE: Christelle van der Schyff vs Sinead Thomson

MERRION VS BALBRIGGAN

The last fixture between these two sides saw Merrion’s batting and bowling having a contest over which could be more dominant, as Leah Paul’s 98* guided the side to 186, before five wickets between Niamh MacNulty and Síbha Bhoja killed the chase before it got going. That pair are likely to lead the bowlers once again this week, with support from Maddie Blazely in the seam department, along with Julianne Morrissey’s off-spin. With the bat, they are without Izzy Joyce who has been in good form this season, and will likely see Celeste Raack at the top of the order, with chances for Ally Boucher, Annabel Squires and Aoife Brennan to put themselves into the reckoning with some good performances.

Balbriggan meanwhile boast a much stronger side than they did for that game, with Tess and Lara Maritz returning to the team last week. They will need to be firing with the bat against this strong Merrion line-up, as the pair along with overseas player and captain Claudia Green, and Anna Gaging will make up the main bulk of a top 6 which must score most of the runs for the away side. Green was the shining light in last week’s defeat by Clontarf, bowling an excellent four over spell, and the spells of Lara Maritz and Gaging are both set to be very important once again. Alexandra Atkinson, Erin Knight and Reena Devi are three more bowlers who are likely to appear on the scorecard, with Atkinson in particular having impressed earlier in the season.

Merrion’s opening bowlers really killed Balbriggan’s chances of a big chase last time around, and that’s where the return of Lara Maritz to the batting line-up could prove vital for the away side. If she can safely negotiate the opening spell of Síbha Bhoja, it will put the side right into the game.

KEY BATTLE: Síbha Bhoja vs Lara Maritz

PHOENIX VS PEMBROKE

A very strong Pembroke side roll into this fixture off the back of a bounce-back eighth win in a row in the league last week against Leinster, and they’re boosted by the continued availability of their Irish stars. Orla Prendergast and Sarah Forbes will lead the way at the top of the order, to be followed by Lou Lou Little, Shauna Kavanagh and Clare Shillington in the middle order. Eimear Mullen is missing from the role she’s been successful in of late at number 6, however Isobel Jennings does return to the line-up and should also boost the batting. With the ball, the seamers are led by Prendergast and KimLi McDonald, whilst Mhairi Nicoll and the star of last week’s bowling effort Anna Beale also offer good options, Forbes’ off-spin supports Zoe Bell who has broken into the side and made a real impact this year bowling the same discipline.

Phoenix meanwhile go into this game without Gaby Lewis, and the unfortunate Georgina Dempsey who has picked up an injury that will see her miss a number of weeks, including the upcoming Sprint Coatings Senior Cup Final. This is something of a hole in their batting line-up, however they have plenty of players with the ability to fill some of the void and will hope the likes of Siúin Woods, Alice Tector, Zara Craig and Nevedha Saravanarajan can potentially stand up and give a strong account in the absence of these two key batters. Tector and Ali Keenan will likely take on the new ball duties, whilst Craig is another key bowler in the side. Last week’s cup semi-final hero was Sophie McDonough, and she is likely to play another vital role with the ball having broken back into the attack in recent weeks.

Realistically Pembroke’s batting unit will look to give itself a really strong start and get ahead of the game early on, that’s where Sarah Forbes becomes very important, as she bats with good tempo whilst Prendergast and Little strike boundaries around her. If Alice Tector can knock Forbes over early, it will allow the side to attack the other end.

KEY BATTLE: Alice Tector vs Sarah Forbes

THE HILLS VS LEINSTER

Leinster visit The Vineyard aiming to get a victory which could pull them off the foot of the table, however they are still without both Sophie MacMahon and Laura Delany, both of whom are still on the comeback trail from their respective injuries, meaning the batting is led by skipper Ava Canning and keeper Joanna Loughran, whilst Clare Webber’s return will be extremely valuable to that aspect. Beyond that trio, the likes of Jenny Sparrow, Orla Bagnall and Isabel Saeed-Maguire, who can all make contributions when called upon. With the ball, Canning will lead the way along with Katie Dillon, with support from other medium pacers in Webber and Isabella Merriman. Aisling O’Kelly and Beth Dimond are the other two potential bowling options in a side where there doesn’t appear to be an obvious frontline spin bowler.

The Hills meanwhile are bouncing into this game and will be looking to keep up some fine form in advance of next weekend’s Cup Final, with the bat, Tahlia Dunne and Elise Noble have been excellent in recent weeks, with support coming from Lara McBride at the top of the order, and the Maguire sisters Aimee and Jane in the middle order. They are followed by Cliodhna O’Reardon and Rebecca Gough, both of whom produced vital contributions in recent weeks. With the ball, the Maguire’s have struck a strong opening partnership and managed to restrict their oppositions in the Power Play, whilst McBride and Noble both bowl reliable off-breaks which have been seen to good effect, never more so than in last week’s semi-final victory. Tara O’Brien and Chloe Ericson are the final two seamers who may be used in the side.

In the absence of Delany and MacMahon, Ava Canning has stood up hugely for Leinster in recent weeks, and her battle at the top of the order with Jane Maguire could prove to be crucial in deciding what way the momentum of this game goes.

KEY BATTLE: Jane Maguire vs Ava Canning

SPRINT COATINGS DIVISION ONE

ROUND 9 – JULY 25^TH

ALL 6:00PM STARTS

At The Village, Malahide vs Clontarf

At Anglesea Road, Merrion vs Balbriggan

At Phoenix Park, Phoenix vs Pembroke

At The Vineyard, The Hills vs Leinster