IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE FINALE PREVIEW (SEPT 12TH)

The 16^th and final round of fixtures in the IBI Corporate Finance Premier League takes place this weekend, with the league title hanging in the balance heading into the final round of fixtures for the fourth consecutive season, once again underpinning the competitive nature of the competition at the top end of the table.

Just like 2024, it’s Merrion who go into the final day with their fate in their own hands, with Pembroke hot on their heels should they slip up. The main difference is that, unlike the last two seasons, the title protagonists are facing different oppositions this time around, as opposed to the de facto league final which has presented itself in September ’24 and ’25.

This weekend’s final round of fixtures see a simple equation, as Merrion require 8 points to guarantee the league title, meaning if they don’t win their fixture, they open the door for Pembroke to claim the title. Pembroke must outscore Merrion by 17 points in order to overtake the Anglesea Road side, meaning all eyes will be on Dublin 4 this Saturday.

Malahide are the visitors to Ballsbridge this weekend to face Merrion, who last won the title in 2021, whilst over in Sydney Parade, Pembroke play host to last season’s runners-up Leinster in a repeat of the final game of the 2025 season. Finally, just across the road, Balbriggan visit Railway Union, with the hosts looking to continue their strong recent form.

MERRION VS MALAHIDE

The home side come into this game on a truly remarkable run of form, and although coach Dom Joyce is sure to be ignoring trends such as this, the side which has won the league in the past three seasons has done so whilst on a winning run of at least three games or more.

Their victory over Railway Union last weekend came after the last minute withdrawal of overseas player Corne Botha, who they are again without this weekend, and with Sean Stanton absent due to brother Tom’s wedding, there is something of a hole to fill in the seam bowling department. They are hoping to see Hugh Kennedy fill the gap left by those two seamers with the new ball alongside Mikey O’Reilly, who has been in excellent form in the last few weeks, claiming 11 wickets since the split including a brace of three-fors and a game-defining 4/29 in the win over Pembroke. The third seamer in the team is Andrew Doheny, who claimed a crucial 3/55 in last weekend’s win. The spin is led by Peter Forkin’s off-breaks, who showed good form last week with a timely best effort of the season in claiming 4/52. He’s supported by the leg-breaks of Seb Dijkstra, whilst Swapnil Modgill’s offies are another useful part-time option that they can call upon.

Ultimately this game will rest with their batting unit, which was in full flow last weekend, Stephen Doheny’s unbeaten 164 the headline act in an innings which saw them amassing 343/2. He’s only failed to pass 50 on two occasions in his last seven knocks for the side, and has an average of in excess of 80 against Malahide when representing Merrion. Modgill will feature alongside him at the top of the order, with Seb Dijkstra plugged in at number three, Raj Undre was the other man to make an unbeaten century last weekend, his third of the season in all, and his aggressive nature can take the game away from the opposition rapidly should he get going. John Anderson has been as good as ever at number five this term, playing some crucial knocks when the side have been on the back-foot, and in the absence of two all-rounders from the side this week, he could play a vital role in taking the innings deep. Danny Forkin and Mikey O’Reilly will feature in that middle order, with Joe Hourihane continuing behind the stumps for the league leaders.

Malahide are without a couple key men this weekend, with opening bowler James Newland absent due to his own wedding celebrations. That will also see them without the destructive powers of Alan Reynolds at the top of the order. They do still have a batting order which can cause Merrion some issues however, Matthew Langan made what was ultimately a match-winning 44* last weekend at number 9, and is the likely option to jump right to the top of the order alongside overseas player Robbie Foulkes, whilst Adam Doyle at number 3 is one of several who are sure to be looking to finish the season on a high. The key man in the side remains the skipper Jeremy Martins, who has had something of a dip with the bat in recent weeks but remains a dangerous prospect should he get in and going, whilst Greg Ford is a player who can change the game rapidly. With the ball, they will look to Kelvin Donnelly and Martins for early breakthroughs, whilst the seam support comes from the all-rounder in the shape of Foulkes, Andrew Sheridan and David O’Halloran. Timcy Khanduja is the spinner in the side, and he will doubtless be looking to put in a good showing against his former club.

This one will come down to whether Merrion can get off to the strong start with the bat that they have done for much of the second half of the season, if Stephen Doheny can get in and put them on the front foot against the opening spell of Jeremy Martins, they could have one hand on the league trophy already.

KEY BATTLE: Stephen Doheny vs Jeremy Martins

PEMBROKE VS LEINSTER

Pembroke’s ‘drive for five’ has been hampered in recent weeks by availability issues led by the ETPL and Irish international duty, and then struck further blows by injuries to skipper Jack Tector and back-up keeper Greg Hollins on top of the restriction of Addison Sherriff to batting only. In that context it is somewhat remarkable that they have managed to stick in this far, and they have some key men to thank for that with both bat and ball.

JJ Garth is having by far his most influential season in his 1^st XI career at the top of the order, and he’s joined at the top by Macdara Cosgrave who’s stroke making has set him aside as one of the best players to watch in the league when he gets going. Andy Balbirnie at number three is another key player who they will hope can provide them with a telling contribution this weekend, whilst Sherriff’s batting has stood head and shoulders above most in the league for much of the season, never more than with his crucial innings last weekend against Balbriggan which was ultimately the catalyst for their victory. Sanil Gupta and wicket-keeper Danny Hogan have found themselves playing a key role in the middle order over the past few weeks, and they feature just ahead of the all-rounder duo of Dan Murray and Olly Riley, who are both capable of finding the boundary regularly at the tail end of the innings.

Their bowling unit is led by Byron McDonough, who has been in tremendous form for most of the season which has seen him break into both the Leinster Lightning and Ireland teams, with the side opting for an extra seamer this weekend in the shape of Luke Murray who has returned from injury with some strong spells in the 2^nd XI in recent weeks. He and Riley are the two options to share the opening duties with McDonough, whilst Dan Murray is likely to feature through the middle overs. Last week’s strong bowling performance was headlined by stand-in skipper Paul Lawson, who claimed a vital three-for with his off-breaks, and he is set to be key once again, with his support coming from fellow off-spinner Andy Balbirnie, who also claimed three wickets in that victory. Pembroke are sure to be focused solely on the task at hand in Sydney Parade this weekend, and will be aiming to pile the pressure onto Merrion with a victory.

Leinster meanwhile have struggled since the split, and in fact haven’t won a game in all competitions since they defeated Cork County on July 25^th. They continue to be without Gareth Delany and Jai Moondra who are on ETPL duty. Their bowling also lost Tom O’Connor midway through the season after he disappointed overall, meaning they have been indebted to their experienced seam duo of Joey Carroll and Bilal Azhar to carry the can with the new ball. They are supported by Kaustabh Apsunde as the third seamer in the side, however beyond that they are heavily reliant on their spinners, with Saqib Bahadur and Monil Patel both bowling full spells last weekend, whilst Tristen de Beer and Tom Johnson are the other options they could potentially turn to. With the bat, Azhar made an excellent maiden century last weekend in spite of their defeat, and he’ll feature alongside Luke Horgan once again, whilst Patel was also in the runs. It was the middle order where they fell down badly, and in spite of this Pembroke are sure to be aware of the dangers posed by the likes of Younas Ahmadzai alongside Bahadur and Carroll in a unit that could well pose the current holders plenty of issues.

Leinster will doubtless need an early breakthrough if they are to trouble Pembroke in this tie, and they will be looking to Bilal Azhar to continue his strong form with the ball. JJ Garth was the key man between these sides in the de facto league final last year, and if he can continue his good form for the hosts, they should be able to put themselves into a strong position.

KEY BATTLE: JJ Garth vs Bilal Azhar

RAILWAY UNION VS BALBRIGGAN

Finally in Park Avenue, the other in-form side in the league in the shape of Railway Union host Balbriggan. The home side were agonisingly close to downing Merrion last weekend, falling short in an excellent run chase. They are set to look to Bruce Whaley and Liam McCarthy to get them off to a flying start once again, and in spite of him falling short of what would have been a deserved century, are doubtless encouraged by Whaley kicking on to a big score in that game. Rob O’Brien is the glue in the batting unit, and he features just ahead of skipper Philippe le Roux who has made an unbeaten century alongside scores of 85 and 50 since the league split and is one of the form players in the competition. Abhay Tipnis and Ted Hasler will round out the middle order, ahead of all-rounder Ashil Prakash. With the ball, McCarthy will open proceedings alongside either Sean O’Brien or Sumit Kumar. Connor Walden is the fourth seamer in the side however it could be somewhat telling that the hosts have selected three spinners for this fixture, as Tipnis and Prakash are joined by leggie Jagraat Srivastava for the final game of the season.

Balbriggan meanwhile will be looking to finish the season on an upward curve, and their batting unit could well cause Railway some issues this weekend. They will be looking to their star man Chris de Freitas to lead the way, he’s set to continue in his familiar role at number four, following the top three of Cameron Rowe, who could be joined by either Ghanim Dara or Prashan Naidoo, with Kai Curran likely to continue at number three. Connor Fletcher and Jordan Hollard are a pair of destroyers in the middle order, with Hollard having very nearly put them top of the table with an unbeaten century against Merrion a couple of weeks ago. Seb de Oliveira and Ruan Strauss are the other all-rounders in a side which bats all the way down the order. Strauss and de Oliveira are the most likely options to open the bowling as the side continues to be without Matt Hollard who is on ETPL duty. Beyond them the ‘Brigg are spin heavy, led by skipper Dylan Lues with support coming from both Curran and Hollard, it will be interesting to see if conditions play into their hands as much as they do the hosts this time out.

Philippe le Roux is in fine form for the home side, and Balbriggan could well look to the golden arm of Jordan Hollard to dismiss him in the middle overs. If le Roux can dominate against Balbriggan’s spinners, it should put Railway on top in this game.

KEY BATTLE: Philippe le Roux vs Jordan Hollard

IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE

FINAL ROUND – SEPT 12^TH – 11:30AM

At Anglesea Road, Merrion vs Malahide

At Sydney Parade, Pembroke vs Leinster

At Park Avenue, Railway Union vs Balbriggan