IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW – ROUND 6 (JUNE 13TH)

A rain effected round five of the IBI Corporate Finance Premier League thankfully saw none of the top four going into the weekend involved in a ‘No Result’ last Saturday. That means that Pembroke have extended their winning streak to five at the top of the table, sitting clear of Balbriggan and Merrion who have both won 4.

A pair of wash outs for Rush and Civil Service see them unchanged at the bottom, with Cork County sitting just above them in the table. This weekend sees some mouth-watering ties scheduled, with a headliner doubtless a repeat of last season's league decider between Leinster and Pembroke in Observatory Lane.

Elsewhere, Phoenix travel to Inch to take on North County, whilst Cork County are the other side heading out the M1 as they are in Kenure to face Rush. Clontarf visit the Village to take on Malahide, whilst in the Phoenix Park, Civil Service host Railway Union. Finally, in Anglesea Road, Balbriggan are involved in a second vs third place match-up in the league for the second week in a row, as they visit Merrion.

NORTH COUNTY VS PHOENIX

Two sides who would have had their sights firmly set on top half finishes at the outset of the season do battle in Inch, and the importance of a victory in this game will not be lost on either team. North County have been on the receiving end of some incredible individual performances in recent weeks, none more so than Edson Silva last weekend. Their bowlers will therefore be fully aware of the threats posed by Phoenix’s dangermen this weekend. Eddie Richardson and Husnain Maroof will be key with the new ball, whilst Lochie Hardy’s medium pacers, alongside Sean Sludds will need to keep control of the middle overs. The spin, coming primarily from Alan Joseph Mathew, can thrive in a scenario where the side has taken some early wickets, and if he is allowed to bowl aggressively is sure to be a handful. The batting is led by Hardy and Suliman Safi, who were their top two scorers in Monday evening’s T20 between these sides, whilst they were both in the runs in their cup victory against Clontarf two weeks ago. Jamie Grassi and Eddie Richardson are a strong pairing in the middle order, capable of moving the game along quickly when necessary, whilst the likes of John Devane and Alan Joseph Mathew have shown the ability to marshal the lower order.

Phoenix meanwhile come into this game off the back of a disappointing start to the season, winning just one of their opening five and knocked out of both cup competitions. They do carry the confidence of that thumping victory against North County earlier this week with them, albeit that was in a rain-affected T20 game. They will look to their skipper Shane Getkate to lead the way with the bat against one of his former clubs, as he is set to open the batting alongside Johit Munjal once again. Raghav Grover’s non-appearance at the bowling crease in recent weeks has seen him shifting up the order and he could take this opportunity to showcase his talents. The most obvious dangers in the side come in the shape of Tyrone Kane and George Dockrell, whilst Callum O’Byrne and Amish Sidhu round out the middle order. On the bowling front, Sean McNicholl and James Maginnis have shared the opening duties with varying degrees of success in recent weeks, and are likely to reprise the partnership once again, before Getkate can turn to his battery of spin bowling options, most prominently the leg-breaks of Ben White and his pair of left-arm orthodox bowlers in Dockrell and Sidhu.

Based on Monday evening’s fixture, North County will be very wary of the threat Shane Getkate poses in this tie. Doubtless they will look to their talisman, Eddie Richardson, to dismiss him, and should he do so, it could put the hosts right on top early in the piece.

KEY BATTLE: Eddie Richardson vs Shane Getkate

MERRION VS BALBRIGGAN

The 2^nd vs 3^rd battle sees Balbriggan once again involved this weekend, in a fixture that pits two of the more consistent performers in recent years against each other. Merrion were comprehensive in their victory over Clontarf last weekend, and will almost be hoping to pick up their batting where it left off. They were in a dominant position that day thanks to runs for Swapnil Modgill, batting at number three rather than his usual opening slot, and John Anderson who had slid down one to number 5. The make-up of the unit looks powerful should they appear in that order again, with Stephen Doheny and the in-form Danny Forkin at the top, whilst Seb Dijkstra slotted in at 4. Jamie Forbes adds power alongside Corne Botha, whilst Sean Stanton and Mikey O’Reilly have made more than meaningful contributions in the all-rounder slots in recent weeks. That duo look likely to open the bowling, with O’Reilly’s left-arm seamers in absolutely flying form in the last 2 weeks, claiming big wickets left-right and centre. Corne Botha’s right arm seamers throw some genuine pace into the equation, whilst the fourth quick slot could be filled by either Andy Doheny or Tom Ford who missed out last time with a knock. Peter Forkin’s offies see him as the frontline spinner, with support from any number of options in the batters, including Modgill’s off-spin, Dijkstra’s leg breaks, or the left arm of Forbes!

The Brigg meanwhile were thoroughly professional in seeing off Malahide last week, even if they’ll have been somewhat disappointed in not running up a bigger score from the position they got into. Their key men at the top include Connor Fletcher and Cameron Rowe, who will look to put them on the front foot early, whilst Prashan Naidoo has become a regular at number three. Chris de Freitas was in the runs last week, and he’s the jewel in the crown of this batting unit. A plethora of all-rounders that offer different skills see Seb De Oliveira, Jordan Hollard, skipper Dylan Lues and Ruan Strauss all capable of clearing the ropes and taking the game on quickly. The bowling attack is led by the genuine pace of Matt Hollard, who is likely to share the new ball with De Oliveira. The change-ups come from Andy Darroch and Strauss, who both bowl right-arm mediums. The off-breaks of the skipper Lues make him the frontline spinner, and the bowler who teams are generally happy to see taking as few wickets as possible, whilst Jordan Hollard is another man capable of taking wickets in clusters in this side.

Merrion will be gunning to get a look at Balbriggan’s lower-middle order early in this game, it’s likely that skipper Stanton will keep Corne Botha up his sleeve to attack Chris de Freitas when the left-hander comes to the wicket, if the teenager can dismiss the Brigg’s star man, it could really throw the cat amongst the pigeons early on.

KEY BATTLE: Corne Botha vs Chris de Freitas

MALAHIDE VS CLONTARF

Two sides who were beaten last weekend face off in The Village, and both will no doubt be licking their wounds looking forward to bouncing back this time around. The hosts will be looking to Robbie Foulkes to lead the way from the front with the bat, and it will be interesting to see whether Matt Langan continues alongside him at the top. Adam Doyle is a solid fixture at number three, providing the base from which their in-form all-rounder Jeremy Martins can perform. Greg and Matt Ford provide serious firepower in the middle, whilst Andrew Sheridan and Alex Brown round out a very deep batting unit. With the ball, the absence of Kelvin Donnelly last weekend will have been a concern, however James Newland continued to prove his worth, claiming best figures of 3/30. Martins could pair up to open the bowling with him once again, as Foulkes provides the medium pace back-up. Timcy Khanduja and Matt Ford were the two spinners last weekend, and the latter’s return to the bowling crease in particular is no doubt a major cause for optimism for the hosts.

‘Tarf meanwhile will have rued some poor fielding last weekend in their defeat against Merrion, and no doubt will be hoping to lay down a statement this time around. Séamus Lynch and Mitchell Thompson will look to dominate at the top, and in a similar vein to Malahide, they will seek to bat around their number three, as Eoghan Delany fills that role. Overseas man Sam Morgan was destructive on Monday night and will hope that knock kick-starts some form for him, whilst the return of David Delany to the batting unit adds real depth to the side. John McNally and Fionn Hand are the all-rounders in the side, and doubtless both will look to advance the game quickly when given the chance with the bat. The bowling of Reuben Wilson and Nawaz Khan were the two major causes for optimism in the performance last week, and if they can lead the way for Hand and McNally to follow once again, it could see the side in a new light. The spin comes from the left-arm of Cillian McDonnell, who may prove vital in the middle overs against this Malahide middle order that likes to dominate slow bowling.

The seamers of Reuben Wilson are likely to get first look at Robbie Foulkes this weekend, if he can get the better of the Kiwi, it will put Clontarf into a strong early position in this tie.

KEY BATTLE: Robbie Foulkes vs Reuben Wilson

CIVIL SERVICE VS RAILWAY UNION

Civil Service’s batting line-up is led by their skipper Deepak Jayachandran, and having continued at the top of the order in last weekend’s rain off, it will be intriguing to see whether Edson Silva can keep his good run of form going. Abhishek Arvind Kare, Simranjeet Singh and Vijay Adhikari are likely to feature in the middle order, alongside the all-round duo of Zaman Safi and Dev Ranolia. There’s a welcome sight in the side this week as Mubasher Siddique will open the bowling once again alongside Noor Ullah, whilst there’s support in the right-arm seam department from Safi, who has arguably been the pick of their bowlers this season without necessarily getting the just rewards. It’s likely that both Ranolia and Ramgokul Srinivasan will be given the chance to roll out their respective off-breaks early in the piece on home turf this time around.

Railway Union meanwhile are without Liam McCarthy this weekend, however they do see Philippe le Roux lead the side once again. He’s set to be a key cog in the batting unit alongside Rob O’Brien in the middle order, and no doubt both will hope to see Bruce Whaley get the side off to what sometimes feels like a head-start at the top of the order. Abhay Tipnis and Hayden Hamilton are busy players in the middle order, and are likely to find themselves in key roles, with both Connor Walden and Rob Carr also appearing in all-rounder roles. On the bowling front, the side is seam-heavy this weekend, with Digamber Mishra and Sumit Kumar both included, supporting the pace of Farman Afridi and slingers of Musa Shinwari. Tipnis is likely to enjoy the opportunity to bowl in Civil Service, however as the only frontline spinner in the side this weekend, he could have his work cut out.

Zaman Safi will doubtless want to prove a point against his old club this weekend, if he can knock over Rob O’Brien, it will give Civil Service a chink of light to chase after with the ball.

KEY BATTLE: Zaman Safi vs Rob O’Brien

RUSH VS CORK COUNTY

The hosts come into this absolutely vital clash this weekend on the back of one of the most remarkable run chases you are ever likely to see on Monday evening. Whilst that was a T20 game, it would be very hard not to take confidence forward from it, in particular with the bat where there was a starring role for Kiwi Isaac Bird, whilst Abid Taniwal showed how dangerous a prospect he can be smashing 43 from just 11 balls. If that duo are on song once again this weekend, it could prove to be a long afternoon for Cork County, as they also have to contend with the clean hitting of skipper Nathan McGuire and opener Jack McGee, whilst gloveman Finn McGee has also found himself clearing the ropes more and more often in the past few weeks. Nasir Totakhil is another man more than capable of contributing with the bat, and he could be seen to greater effect in the 50 over format. With the ball, Jarred Barnes’ recent return is helping to offset the absence of Allan Eastwood, whilst there’s plenty of frontline seamers in the bowling unit, including Asher Abbasi, Conor Butterly and Jawid Oryakhil, with the number of options available to McGuire showing the value of the all-round abilities possessed in his off-breaks and the left-arm orthodox of Totakhil.

Cork County welcome their skipper Diarmuid Carey back to lead the side this weekend as he’s recovered from a knee injury. He’ll feature in a bowling attack alongside fellow spinners Nabeel Anjum and Ehsan O’Sullivan who bowl leg-breaks and off-spin respectively, however the side is without Bakhtyar Nabi this time around. The seamers will be led by William Shields with his left-arm seamers taking the new ball, whilst it remains to be seen whether he shares the opening duties with the previous stand-in skipper Thorne Prophet, or returning quick Zubair Khan. Sam Fenn’s medium pace swingers can cause plenty of trouble for batters, however he will have his work cut out defending the straight boundaries in Rush this time around. The Leesiders are once again without Raj Undre this weekend, however they do welcome Benji Marris back to the side, and his experience could prove key here in a batting unit that will rely heavily on Josh Hartill once again. Prophet and O’Sullivan look likely to appear in the middle order, however Tiago Oelofse and Donald Marakassery will also need to stand up as they are without key man Brian Upman in his usual number 5 slot.

Rush will be hoping to see Isaac Bird getting stuck in with the bat again this weekend, if he can dominate early on against William Shields, the hosts could be on for a big day out!

KEY BATTLE: Isaac Bird vs William Shields

LEINSTER VS PEMBROKE

Two sides with half an eye on trips to the NCU on Sunday face off knowing they will need to put that to one side if they are to topple the other in this tantalising tie. The hosts have started the season reasonably, losing just once in the league so far this season, however they’ll doubtless have been frustrated by the No Result in last weekend’s game. They go into this weekend as close to full strength as they have been this season, welcoming back all-rounder Gareth Delany into the middle order being the most obvious boost to the team. That sees Tom Johnson set to have a new opening partner this time out, with Younas Ahmadzai a potential option having done so very successfully in the T20 format. Monil Patel is the key man at number three, whilst through the middle the likes of Saqib Bahadur, Joey Carroll and Monday night’s hero Mark Tonge are all clean ball-strikers. Overseas man Tom O’Connor has regularly found himself contributing in a big way with the bat this season, and in many ways he is the last line of defence for the team before the bowlers are exposed. Jai Moondra is the X-Factor bowler in the side, with his left-arm seamers regularly taking the biggest of wickets in the opposition ranks. He’s followed by Bilal Azhar and O’Connor, who both feature with the same discipline. Tonge and Carroll are the right-arm options, with Tonge in particular adding an extra yard this season that makes him a real threat. This time out sees Delany’s leg-breaks joining the offies of Bahadur, meaning the side has no fewer than seven genuine bowling options available to them.

Pembroke meanwhile could not be riding higher than they are this week, unbeaten in five in the league, they have dropped just 6 points in total this season, whilst also progressing to the quarter-finals stage in both Leinster and Irish Senior Cups. Tim Tector has been the key man for much of this success, with his aggressive manner at the top of the order constantly giving the Sydney Parade men the upper hand early in games. The return of his regular partner JJ Garth this week has been encouraging, whilst there’s no doubt the overall strength of the side swings hugely on whether Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker are at the disposal of skipper Jack Tector this weekend. Should they be, it allows overseas player Addison Sherriff to play a slightly freer role with bat in hand, whilst there’s plenty of back-up to choose from, with Danny Hogan, Greg Hollins and Sanil Gupta all showing fine form for the side when called upon in the past few weeks. With the ball, Sherriff leads the way alongside Byron McDonough, with both having excelled in the past couple of fixtures. Mark Berry is the other frontline seamer in the side, whilst they will doubtless be hoping to see a return to full fitness for Gavin Hoey, which would allow him to support Paul Lawson in the spin bowling stakes, with the former skipper bowling as well as ever in the recent absence of Hoey and Harry Tector, showing his worth with big wickets at important times.

The key battle between these two sides will rarely ever change, Jai Moondra’s ability to swing the ball back at Tim Tector has caused Pembroke’s star man trouble in the past, and one can be sure that they will look to see this happening again this weekend. If Tector can dominate against Moondra, he’ll have gone a long way towards blunting Leinster’s bowling attack.

KEY BATTLE: Jai Moondra vs Tim Tector

IBI CORPORATE  FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE

MATCH DAY 6 – JUNE 13^TH – All 12 Noon Start

At Inch, North County vs Phoenix

At Anglesea Road, Merrion vs Balbriggan

At The Village, Malahide vs Clontarf

At Civil Service, Civil Service vs Railway Union

At Kenure, Rush vs Cork County

At Observatory Lane, Leinster vs Pembroke