ED SPORTS SENIOR CUP SEMI-FINALS PREVIEW (JUNE 30TH)

This evening sees four become two in the ED Sports Senior Cup, as the finalists for July 10th's showpiece final will be decided.

The action sees Pembroke travelling to Jack Harper Park to take on Balbriggan, with the pair having fought out a run-fest on Saturday evening in Sydney Parade where Pembroke came out on top.

Meanwhile in Anglesea Road, Merrion host Malahide, and once again these two also faced off in league action on Saturday afternoon, when tonight's hosts chased down 137 with 16 balls to spare thanks to runs for Bella Armstrong and Aisling Lawlor.

BALBRIGGAN VS PEMBROKE

Balbriggan come into this tie in relatively strong form, and hoping to exact some revenge for their defeat to Pembroke on Saturday evening. That result came in the absence of one of their key top-order players in the shape of Madison Landsman, however there were runs for Courtney Gounden on that occasion, and her continued form in the past month has been key for the 'Brigg. Lara Maritz will likely open the batting alongside the left-hander, and she too was in the runs on Saturday, making an unbeaten 85 in their run chase against The Hills. Julia Hoal will also feature in the top three, whilst there's also ex-captain Tess Maritz who will bat in the middle order in this powerful Balbriggan side. Their bowling is led by the seam of Maritz, along with Erin Knight and Anna Vezhakattu, whilst there's spin in the shape of both Gounden and Landsman, should she return to the side.

Pembroke meanwhile welcome back some star quality to their side for this fixture, as both Lou Lou Little and Sarah Forbes are back into the batting line-up. It's most likely that one of that duo will join skipper Isobel Jennings at the top of the order, with the other slotting in at number three, whilst they also boast two of the most destructive batters in the league at four and five in the shape of overseas player Marama Downes and Clare Shillington, who both made rapid runs in Saturday's victory. Izzy McLean and Susie Whaley round out the batting line-up in a top 7 that sees plenty of firepower on show. On the bowling front, Downes leads the way and it was her who cracked the door open last time out with the early wicket of Maritz. KimLi McDonald will likely share the new ball with her, whilst there's also medium pace from Mhairi Nicoll and the returning Hannah Little. Forbes offers an off-spin option, whilst the teenage duo of Whaley and Jess Duffy-Mullen are another pair who could be called upon by Jennings should extra options be required.

Lara Maritz is the key for Balbriggan in this game, however her impact with the ball could be more important this time around, as she'll likely face off against the destructive Lou Lou Little early in the piece, if she can knock over Pembroke's returning international, it could put the hosts on the front foot.

KEY BATTLE: Lara Maritz vs Lou Lou Little

MERRION VS MALAHIDE

Merrion's batting unit overpowered both Malahide and Rush on Saturday afternoon, and they will be hoping for more of the same from their top order once again this evening to give them the best chance of victory. Bella Armstrong was in the runs against Malahide, dominating proceedings with 54 from just 37 deliveries, her opening stand with Annabel Squires has produced plenty of success this season and looks set to be key once again. Aisling Lawlor's unbeaten 47 also helped marshal a potentially tricky situation to the finish line in Saturday's win, and that knock ought to feed confidence throughout the rest of the side going into this fixture. Aoife Brennan, Ally Boucher and skipper Niamh MacNulty will make up the remainder of the batting unit in a side that boasts plenty of strength in spite of the absence of their internationals. On the bowling front, MacNulty and Síbha Bhoja lead the way with the new ball, whilst there's a real potential for it to be a trial by spin from there on out for the home side, as Armstrong, Lawlor and Ashwi Manoj bowled 12 overs between them on Saturday and showed absolutely no reason to adjust from that formula heading into this fixture.

Malahide meanwhile will be looking to their opening pair with the bat, Freya Sargent and overseas player Meg Thompson, to get them off to a strong start as they have done on many occasion this season. Thompson in particular will carry plenty of confidence into this evening's tie, as she top-scored with a fluent 91 from just 64 deliveries in Saturday's game between the sides. That pair are followed by their all-round duo of Sarah Condron and skipper Anna Kerrison, with Condron in particular having proved key to their progress to this stage, having made an unbeaten 41 in their chase against Leinster in the quarter-final stage. Gemma Sargent and Sorcha O'Carolan-Murphy will look to add some later runs through the middle order and both have shown the ability to close out games in recent weeks. On the bowling front, they are without the seam of Haley Moore, who took the key wicket of Squires on Saturday, meaning Condron will have a different new-ball partner this weekend, with Gemma Sargent a possibility to fill that role. Sarah Brophy is the other seamer in the side, whilst Malahide boast their own extremely strong spin duo in the shape of skipper Kerrison and Freya Sargent, both of whom will bowl off-breaks that should offer plenty of control through the middle overs.

Doubtless Malahide will have their eyes on the big wicket of Bella Armstrong this evening, knowing that if they can knock the New Zealander over early on, it could put them right into the game, if Sarah Condron can dismiss her, Malahide will really fancy their chances in this tie.

KEY BATTLE: Bella Armstrong vs Sarah Condron