BATTLE OF BREADY (SAT 16.8.2025)

Next Saturday (16th) will be a proud day for cricket in Leinster when two of our biggest clubs travel to Derry to compete in the Irish Senior Cup Final.

Clontarf will be looking win the Bob Kerr trophy for the second time. It is 12 years since their previous success when Eoghan Delany led his club to a memorable win over Merrion in August 2013 in Malahide.

In fact, Delany is the only player from that team who will take the field in Bready on Saturday - a remarkable achievement for a brilliant club man who has amassed over 7,000 senior runs for his club.

Delany contributed 42 with the bat in the 2013 Final however a superb undefeated hundred from former Ireland International Andrew Poynter catapulted Clontarf to that first Irish Senior Cup victory with an over to spare.

Balbriggan will be making their first appearance in the Irish Senior Cup Final and will be hoping to bring home the coveted trophy at their first attempt. The growth and development of Balbriggan CC is already a brilliant success story - reflected in the club's ascent into the senior ranks of Leinster (and Irish) cricket, the establishment of it’s women's section and the development of the club's indoor centre (which is already regarded as a top-class facility by all who have used it).

Whilst Balbriggan will be competing in their first Senior Cup Final, they will not be short of relevant experience in the camp. The squad is coached by Andre Botha who has no less than six Irish Cup medals (5 won with North County and ironically 1 secured with Clontarf back in 2013). Duane Harper was also with North County during those halcyon years and also won his fair share of medals.

Excluding the two ‘covid years’, this competition has taken place 22 times so far this century with CL clubs prevailing on 16 of those occasions as follows:

North County (5)
Leinster (2)
Merrion (2)
The Hills (2)
Clontarf (1)
Malahide (1)
Pembroke (1)
Phoenix (1)
Railway Union (1)

As far as the two teams are concerned, perhaps the biggest news ahead of the weekend is on the Clontarf side, as having made scores of 114* and 124 in his last two league fixtures, Curtis Campher will miss this weekend’s fixture.

They do however have a litany of match-winners in their side. With the bat, at the top of the order, they have Séamus Lynch who has been both a thorn in the side of Balbriggan on the first day of the Premier League season, making 94, as well as making what proved to be a game-changing 100 in the quarter-final victory against Pembroke in Castle Avenue.

He’s joined at the top of the order by Mitchell Thompson, who has amassed 602 runs in Leinster competitions so far this season, and is in fantastic form having made an unbeaten 127 against Pembroke last weekend, as well as a century against Merrion at the end of June.

Number three is Eoghan Delany, another man to have made a match-winning ton in this season’s competition, with his 117* against Malahide in the semi-final a month ago proving vital in the teams progress to this stage. Delany’s 223 runs in the competition so far have seen him dismissed just twice, and he currently sits third in the run-scoring list.

David Delany will slot in to the position left vacant by Campher at number four, and he’s currently the leading run-scorer in this competition, with an unbeaten half-century in round one, followed by an unbeaten ton in round 2 against Rush, digging his side out of a big hole on that occasion. That form has carried across Leinster cups as well, with stand-out performances form Delany including an unbeaten century in their quarter-final against Phoenix, and an astounding 7/19 against Railway Union in their semi-final.

Pat Xie will be number five, with the Clontarf overseas yet to really light up this competition as yet. He has however been in decent form in Leinster competitions, passing 400 runs including some telling performances against Railway Union (115*) and a blitz of Merrion in the first round of the Leinster Senior Cup.

John McNally has proven to be a game-changer in this competition, he’s taken 8 wickets at 13.5 so far, including a best bowling of 6/27, which is also the best of his 1^st XI career. Whilst with the bat, he has been scintillating in Leinster competitions when given the opportunity to get to the middle, with the highlight undoubtedly his 76* against Phoenix in the cup quarter-final.

David Vincent rounds out the batting unit and the strength of this side can only be underlined by his innings in The Mardyke at the end of July. He made 172 in that fixture, opening the batting, a knock which could very well have kick-started his season, having been very much searching for form until that stage, his season looks to be starting to peak at the right time, whilst his off-spin is also sure to get a lot of use against the left-handers in Balbriggan’s middle order.

Ethan Marshall is the first of four who will primarily act as bowlers, with his right-arm medium pace likely to be used as a change up option in the middle overs, he’s also shown an ability to clear the ropes late in the innings, and is one slot higher than usual, so may need this attribute to come to the fore more so this weekend than it has so far this season.

Reuben Wilson will share the opening duties with David Delany, and his right-arm seamers have been thoroughly consistent this season. Having not been prominent in either of the opening two rounds, Wilson has taken 3/29 and 4/36 in the quarter and semi-finals, and is set to be a key bowler for his side once again. He showed his worth with the bat in the Leinster Senior Cup Final, top scoring from number 10, and is sure to be ready to battle late on again if needed.

Luke Thomson is another bowling all-rounder who can hit the ball a long way, whilst his seamers are likely to be the main attribute called upon, he hits the ball in unique areas of the ground, and can prove to be an awkward customer to bowl to late on in the innings.

Finally, the left-arm spin of Cillian McDonnell was the second hero of their quarter final win against Pembroke, as he claimed a hat-trick in the second innings that stopped ‘Tarf’s nemesis in it’s tracks during the chase. McDonnell has claimed 16 wickets so far this season in Leinster competitions, and it’s the knack for important wickets which makes him stand out, with 8 of those being a top three batter in the opposition.

Balbriggan meanwhile see themselves with a very familiar line-up for this fixture, and whilst they have also progressed through four rounds so far, there have been significantly fewer runs scored in the Jack Harper Park side’s fixtures so far than in Clontarf’s ties.

At the top, wicket-keeper/batter Connor Fletcher plays a crucial role with his ability to score fluently, with his tournament strike rate of 90 so far an indication of this. He’s passed 50 twice in the season in passing 250 runs in Leinster competitions, and is a man who the ‘Brigg will look to on the big occasion.

Cameron Rowe is another top-order player who the side have been indebted to so far this season, he’s made the two highest scores for the side in the competition so far this season, making 78 and 73, and whilst his league form hasn’t quite been to that standard, another standout effort saw him making 73 against Merrion in their league tie.

Their stand-out batter all season has been Chris de Freitas, and he is the only other player to pass 70 in this competition so far this season, making 71*. His 399 runs in Leinster competitions have come at an average of 49.88, putting him 20 runs clear of the next highest on the list. Having made three half-centuries, and been dismissed just 8 times in 13 knocks, the left-hander is sure to be a crucial player for his side.

Dylan Lues has found himself batting up the order somewhat in recent weeks, and his 287 runs at 28.7 this season put him second in their standings. This comes from an excellent start to the season, where he opened up with back-to-back half-centuries, and his consistency has been rewarded with a move up the order in recent weeks. His off-breaks remain his primary skill of interest to Balbriggan, and he’s likely to play a very important role through the middle overs of Clontarf’s innings.

Skipper Greg Ford is next up, and he’s a man who has threatened to go big this season without at any stage kicking on to huge scores, no doubt a frustration for his coach Andre Botha will be that he’s made 6 scores between 12 and 26 so far this season, and could desperately do with beginning to convert these starts into some big contributions.

Seb D’Oliveira will feature in the middle order, and his impact since his late arrival has been a boost to the side. He’s averaging 29 with the bat, and keeps a high tempo at an important stage in the innings, and whilst having only claimed 14 wickets in Leinster competitions, like McDonnell for Clontarf, half of these have been top three batters in the opposition, showing how crucial his spell can be.

Jordan Hollard’s ball-striking is another man who can change the game quickly for the ‘Brig, with his season strike rate above 100, and having been not out at the end of a remarkable run-chase in their semi-final against Lisburn. His off-breaks are different to Lues, allowing the ball more loop and flight, and has been one of the leading bowlers for the side so far, taking 24 wickets across all competitions in 50 over format.

Farooq Nasr’s off-breaks will see him feature as the third spinner in the side, and he’s also likely to be key in knitting the batting order together. He’s averaging near 24 this season with the bat, and could find himself playing a big role in this tie. His bowling adds another variety that’s slightly different to their other pair of spinners, darting the ball in and targeting the stumps.

Matt Hollard has been one of the most prominent pace bowlers in Leinster so far this season, and has taken 7 wickets in the Irish Cup at an average of 20, to go with his 38 wickets at 14.21 in Leinster competitions. Hollard’s express pace has been in particularly hot form in recent weeks, never more so than last weekend, when he took 6/6 against The Hills. He’s already been on the successful IP20 side for the Leinster Lightning, and is the man they will look to for a big opening spell this weekend.

The other seamer of note in recent times is Andrew Darroch, who’s spell against The Hills last weekend saw him taking three wickets without conceding a run in an effort almost as impressive as Hollard’s. Darroch was previously the bowler with an extra pace angle in this side, and now bowling in tandem with Hollard is an extremely imposing proposition. His five wickets in this competition so far have cost just 13.2 apiece.

Finally, Kashif Ali’s left-arm will round out the bowling attack, he’s taken four wickets at 16 in the competition, and is certainly a vital middle-overs bowler. He generally operates with the keeper up to the stumps, trapping batters in their crease. His 11 wickets in Leinster competitions have been slightly more expensive, at 31 apiece. Ali’s batting is what has thus far made him the hero in the Irish Cup however, with his bat providing the winning runs in the nail-biting semi-final victory over Lisburn.

Chris de Freitas has been Balbriggan’s most consistent batter this season across all competitions, underpinning two of their run chases in this competition, averaging nearly 50 in Leinster competitions, and making the highest score so far this season in the IP50 competition, doubtless his wicket will be the one which Clontarf are desperate to take.

Meanwhile for the Bulls, David Delany has been the man for the big occasion with bat and ball throughout much of this season, if he has ever found himself to fail in one facet, it is nearly certain that he will produce with the other. Based on him having spent much of the season bowling rapid two-over spells in an effort to take wickets, it is almost a certainty that he will stride to the end of his mark when Chris de Freitas comes to the wicket.

If Delany can knock over his Leinster Lightning team-mate, de Freitas, early in his innings, Balbriggan will have an uphill task in this fixture, and this is sure to be a battle not to be missed!

KEY BATTLE: David Delany vs Chris de Freitas

Whatever the outcome on Saturday, the Bob Kerr will be staying in the CL region for at least another 12 months. The 2026 Final is scheduled to be hosted at Castle Avenue as part of Clontarf’s anniversary celebrations.

Good luck to both teams!