IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW – ROUND 6 (JUNE 7TH)

At approximately 3:20pm this Saturday, the IBI Corporate Finance Premier League will reach the halfway stage in what has, thus far, been an enthralling opening league campaign. With 5 games played, the state of play sees the top three teams separated by just 6.5 points, as Leinster, Phoenix and Pembroke all sit on four wins each.

Even at this early stage, with the points from the opening 11 games carrying into the post-split stage of the season, these fixtures at the top of the table are becoming increasingly important as the weeks pass by.

At the opposite end of the table, The Hills and Cork County are currently occupying the bottom two slots, and with 12^th place being the relegation slot, they will both be keen to claw back the likes of Balbriggan and Rush who sit just above the pair.

This weekend also sees no fewer than 17 Cricket Leinster clubs in action in the all-Ireland competitions, meaning all sides in the Premier League with the exception of Cork County face into a double-weekend of action.

The fixtures see Phoenix playing host to North County, whilst in Anglesea Road Balbriggan are this week’s visitors to Merrion. The international venues clash as Malahide make the trip over to Castle Avenue and face Clontarf, whilst the featured action of the round comes from Park Avenue, where The Hills face off against Railway Union. Cork County are the visitors to Kenure to take on Rush, whilst finally the big tie of the day sees 1^st face 3^rd in the league, as Leinster travel to take on Pembroke.

PHOENIX VS NORTH COUNTY

Second placed Phoenix play host to North County who currently occupy sixth position in the table, and with finishing in the top 6 bringing so many positives, including guaranteeing the position in the league for 2026, and securing Irish Senior Cup qualification, North County are sure to be fully aware they have plenty to play for in this tie. Their batting is led by two classy operators in Suliman Safi and Hunter Kindley, and whilst Safi perhaps hasn’t quite hit the heights he may have hoped to yet this season, they provide enough strength to worry any side. Jamie Grassi and Brian Dunphy at the top will be looking to get the side off to a good start, with both having similar qualities in their ability to find the boundary regularly, which always makes for an exciting PowerPlay. Niall McGovern, Eddie Richardson and Alan Joseph Mathew round out the top 7, providing plenty of experience and depth to the batting unit. Their bowling sees Abdul Ghaffar as the real point of difference in the side with his extra pace, whilst Usman Azhar is proving to be a tricky operator once again this season, as he did when he last played for the club in 2022. Eddie Richarson will share the new ball with one of that pair, with only three frontline seamers in the side this weekend. Alan Joseph Mathew is the frontline spinner in the side and is supported by Brandon Morris, who also bowls off-breaks. The potential sixth option in the side could be one of Safi or Kindley, both of whom have been used at varying points so far this season.

The hosts meanwhile boast an excellent side, however this weekend will find themselves without both George Dockrell and Ben White, with that pair on international duty. Their form has been key in recent weeks, particularly Dockrell’s batting, which has on a couple of occasions dug ‘Nix out of some serious problems. Eknoor Singh and Shane Getkate are the pair who were in the runs last weekend, and in the absence of their hard-hitting Leinster Lightning man, that pair will be under pressure to perform once again. Tyrone Kane and Joe Cotgreave will appear in the middle order once again, with the batting unit likely to be rounded out by the skipper Adam Chester and gloveman Nic Pretorius. On the bowling front, home conditions have tended to suit Amish Sidhu nicely over the past two seasons, and Phoenix will be hoping that this trend continues to help alleviate the loss of White and Dockrell, whilst Dev Ranolia is the other left-arm spinner likely to get to roll his arm over. Levon Shields’ leg-spin was given a run out against Pembroke, and if he returns to the side, this could be another viable option. The seamers are led by the right-armers of Kane and Raghav Grover, with support likely to come in the shape of Theo Dempsey.

North County’s key man here is likely to be Suliman Safi, an excellent player of spin in his own right, Phoenix don’t appear to have a candidate to take the ball away from his outside edge. This will see Amish Sidhu under pressure to tie the left-hander down in his spell.

KEY BATTLE: Amish Sidhu vs Suliman Safi

MERRION VS BALBRIGGAN

Merrion come into this game somewhat reeling off the back of an amazing comeback victory by Pembroke last weekend. They now must go to battle missing more than half of the runs which were made in Monday’s effort, as Stephen Doheny is on Ireland duty. They do have one man in serious form in the shape of Swapnil Modgill, however he is still yet to pass three figures this season, which is sure to rankle with the Merrion opener. Connor Blaxall-Hill and John Anderson are likely to appear at numbers 3 and 4, with the expectation that Adam Rosslee would return to the top of the order, where he batted the last time Stephen Doheny was absent from the side. Danny Forkin, Grant Glutz and Andy Doheny all come into the side this weekend as Merrion must do without Doheny, Mikey O’Reilly and Tom Stanton for this fixture. The skipper Max Sorensen and Jamie Forbes will feature in the middle order of a side that will be aiming to find a better balance than last time around, when having gotten as good a start as they could have possibly hoped for they collapsed from 275/3 to 309 all out in the final 7 overs of their innings. On the bowling side, removing their two left-armers, seamer O’Reilly and spinner Stanton, from the side this week leaves the side lacking slightly in variation in it’s attack. The innings will likely be opened by Sean Stanton and Melvin Devaraj, with the other seamers in the side including Andy Doheny and Sorensen. The top order provides the spinning options, with Blaxall-Hill and Modgill the two most likely to help account for the absence of Stanton.

Balbriggan meanwhile are riding the crest of a wave into this tie, having obliterated The Hills last weekend, they will once again be looking to their seam attack to cause some problems for their hosts. Matthew Hollard’s five wickets last time out was a season’s best for him, whilst the addition of Sebastian D’Oliveira to the side in the last couple of weeks has helped account for the absence of Sam Willemse through injury, his return surely cannot come quicky enough for the ‘Brig men. In the meantime it’s Kashif Ali who provides the left-arm option, whilst Chris de Freitas’ part time mediums are also to be wary of. The off-spinning pair of Dylan Lues and Jordan Hollard are likely to have a massive role to play in this game, essentially in a direct head to head with Merrion’s spin-twins. On the batting front, Connor Fletcher and Ghanim Dara are still searching for form at the top of the order, however Cameron Rowe, de Freitas, and the skipper Greg Ford have all produced important contributions in recent weeks to help the side to crucial victories, and this middle order is one which will be looking to do some damage with the bat once again. Lues, Hollard and D’Oliveira will be the men to provide some late impetus to the effort if a decent platform can be laid for them to wield the long-handle.

Merrion’s batting unit has looked strong when it’s had Stephen Doheny, however in his absence their scores have not been as high, they will be looking to Adam Rosslee to dominate from the start in this game, if he can win out in the face of Matt Hollard’s opening spell, it could put Merrion in a strong position.

KEY BATTLE: Adam Rosslee vs Matthew Hollard

CLONTARF VS MALAHIDE

In Castle Avenue, two sides coming into this weekend off the back of losses on Monday face off. ‘Tarf’s batting unit finally crumbled in the face of a big chase last time around, as Phoenix’s 322 proved a bridge too far. They will be hoping to bounce back in a big way, and will be looking to their top order to do just that. Séamus Lynch and Mitchell Thompson have been something of a formidable partnership in the early part of the season, rarely losing wickets too early on which has set the side up nicely. Eoghan Delany and Pat Xie at 3 and 4 are both in strong form, and doubtless between these four the ‘Tarf batting unit will find the firepower to bounce back from last week’s disappointment. John McNally showed a glimpse of some form in Monday’s tie, and is sure to be aiming to provide more runs in an effort to move up the batting order. The bowling looks weaker without the skipper David Delany rolling his arm over, and in the continued absence of Reuben Wilson due to exams, ‘Tarf are relying on some very inexperienced seamers in the shape of Liam Gilhooly and Ethan Marshall to support McNally in the quick bowling stakes. The spinners have been boosted by a return for David Vincent, who provides a strong additional option alongside Yash Bala and Cillian McDonnell, both of whom have shown some good form in recent weeks.

Malahide meanwhile remain firmly reliant on the form of a couple of their stronger players to keep the side in the game as much as possible. Those two with the bat are Robbie Foulkes and Matt Ford, both of whom have been in the runs in the past couple of weeks, however The Village are sure to feel that Foulkes’ good run of form can’t possibly go on forever, and will be looking to the likes of Matthew Langan, Jeremy Martins and Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin to provide some ballast in the top order around the Kiwi’s excellent stroke-play. Timcy Khanduja and Aaron Doyle round out the batters in the side. James Newland and Kelvin Donnelly’s return as a new ball pairing has once again been split up with the latter missing this weekend’s game, meaning Martins and Andy Sheridan are the only other seamers in the side this time around. Mike Frost and Mohit Sane once again reprise their role as the left-arm spinning pair, whilst Liam Foulkes’ off-breaks round out a bowling attack that will need to be on top of it’s game this time around.

Malahide hold the key to this game with Mike Frost, he will be aiming to tie down the ‘Tarf middle order, and if he can knock over Pat Xie, it will give the hosts plenty of work to do this time around.

KEY BATTLE: Pat Xie vs Mike Frost

RAILWAY UNION VS THE HILLS

The featured action this weekend will come from Park Avenue, where The Hills visit ‘The Patch’ for a game between two sides keen to get on a run towards the top 6 in the table. Railway once again see themselves without Liam McCarthy or Philippe le Roux for this game, meaning Rob O’Brien continues to skipper the side, whilst there are some players in decent form around the teenager in the batting unit. Not least in the shape of ‘coach’ Lotli Sesele who has proved his worth in spades in recent weeks for the side with bat in hand, whilst Srihan Karpe and Hedayat Khogiani are two more men who will be aiming to show their abilities to go big. Ryan Smith features alongside Karpe in the middle order before we reach the all-rounders in the shape of Gethin Kelleher and Muhammad Sinan. On the bowling front, Stuart de Klerk and Sumit Kumar add to the seaming stocks in the absence of McCarthy, and will make up a battery of four alongside Kelleher and Sinan. Ashil Prakash and Karpe are joined by Hamza Maan in the spin bowling stakes this time around, meaning the home side have no fewer than 7 frontline options that they could call upon.

The Hills meanwhile have a batting unit that will be looking to bounce back from a chastening defeat last time around. Ollie Horlock and Hassan Shahid are the pair who could look to bat through the innings in the side, whilst the stroke play of the likes of Adnan Shinwari cannot be ignored in the middle. Andy Kavanagh and Tómas Rooney-Murphy provide some grit, with the pair likely to appear at 5 and 6 as there is a return for James Cusack to the side, likely at the top of the order. Yaseen Sherzad, Matthew Weldon and Cian Nulty are a trio of clean ball strikers who will bat lower down, and all three are capable of finding and clearing the boundary when the opportunity arises. Sean McNicholl is the key man for The Hills’ bowling attack, as his early spell has often caused problems for the opposition with his ability to move the ball sideways being a huge asset. Rooney-Murphy, Weldon and Nulty are the other seamers in the line-up which once again is without Pierce Ryan this time around. Febin Manoj leads the way and is sure to relish conditions in Park Avenue, which could also see Horlock’s offies playing a greater role this time around once again.

Rob O’Brien has proved the key for Railway Union in recent weeks, and it’ll be interesting to see if The Hills openers can get an early sighter at him, if Sean McNicholl gets the opportunity to bowl to him early on, it’s sure to be a battle not to be missed.

KEY BATTLE: Rob O’Brien vs Sean McNicholl

RUSH VS CORK COUNTY

In Kenure, a Rush side that has played well without necessarily earning the results it’s deserved until Monday’s fixture faces off against a Cork County team that once again has the services of PJ Moor to count on. He joins a batting unit that features right-hander and wicket-keeper Benji Marris, overseas man Mark Andrianatos and Thorne Prophet in it’s regular top 4. Whilst the side is without Brian Upman this time around, they are able to call on the services of Syed Aiman, who ought to add some strength to the batting in this tie. Sunil Gautam is the other man who may feature in the batting unit this time around. The bowling is led by Zubair Khan with his opening duties likely to be shared with Andrianatos, that pair’s right-arm seamers are supported by Darsh Shetty and Cork’s Suliman Safi, before the away side will get in to using the off-spin of Bakhtyar Nabi and left-arm orthodox of their skipper, Diarmuid Carey.

Rush meanwhile have a batting unit which is now starting to find some form around their main man Nathan McGuire, as last weekend’s victory saw runs for each of Ehtesham Ahmed, reeling in the years as he made 42, Abid Taniwal, who has proved to be destructive on plenty of occasions, and gloveman Finn McGee, who is the latest on the conveyor belt of excellent keeper-batsmen to be produced by the Kenure side. Nasir Totakhil provides some solidity at the top of the order, whilst Jack McGee is the other man in the top 6 who has some proven pedigree at this level, and could find this game an opportune time to cash in back on home soil. A return for Hashir Sultan would be a welcome boost to the team. Taniwal leads the seamers and is the quickest of the 5 who generally turn out for the home side, whilst Jarred Barnes and Allan Eastwood still make use of their extra bounce to great effect. Asher Abbasi and Alex Neary are the other pair in the side, both of whom have provided some glimpses of brilliance in spells they have bowled so far this season. The spin as usual comes from Totakhil, who has been relentless in his wicket-taking ability, and McGuire who has seamlessly slotted back into the role that last-term’s overseas player Josh Doyle had filled.

Abid Taniwal’s opening spell could prove to be the key here, as he will seek to knock over the key man for the away side, as PJ Moor’s Cork County career seeks to get up and running in earnest.

KEY BATTLE: Abid Taniwal vs PJ Moor

PEMBROKE VS LEINSTER

An utterly depleted Pembroke side host Leinster this weekend, and whilst the side must do without no fewer than 5 players named in the Ireland squad this time around, that’s not the end of their list of casualties, as Byron McDonough, Greg Hollins, Joe Prendergast and Luke Murray all miss out on this tie for a multitude of reasons. Paul Lawson last week praised his side’s resilience in the absence of a number of bowlers, and this time around they find themselves reaching even further into the depth chart. Andrew Boulton will lead the seamers, with support from Mark Berry and Dan Murray, however it appears likely that Lawson could take on the opening duties himself this weekend in the absence of Harry Tector, whilst Andy Balbirnie appears very likely to play a prominent role with the ball this time around. With the bat, Balbirnie will likely be joined by JJ Garth at the top of the order as Tim Tector misses out, whilst key positions in the middle order appear set to be filled by Macdara Cosgrave, Fiachra Tucker and last week’s hero Jack Tector. Overseas man Blake MacDonald is a huge wicket at number 3, and he could prove to be a real gamebreaker in the absence of a list of players that would be the envy of most club’s playing squads.

Leinster meanwhile are near to full strength this weekend, missing Gareth Delany through injury, whilst Tristen de Beer is unavailable and replaced by Rian Cassidy behind the stumps. That will see Tom Johnson and Ben Mitchell at the top of the order, with Monil Patel in superb form at number 3 following his 158 last weekend against North County. Leinster’s middle order is in such strong form that numbers 4 through 8 could almost be picked out of a hat,  so it will be interesting to see what way Joey Carroll, Saqib Bahadur, Younas Ahmadzai and Mark Tonge are sent out to play this game, with this line-up having a feeling that nearly every batter coming in can be more destructive than the last! With the ball, Jai Moondra and Bilal Azhar have shown some really strong form, whilst Mark Tonge has generally shared the opening duties with that pair and really found some rhythm this term. Kaustabh Apsunde rounds off the seamers in the line-up, with the spin coming from the two opening bats, as Johnson and Mitchell can both provide a left-arm option, whilst Saqib Bahadur’s mystery-spinners have often proved tricky.

With so many of Pembroke’s main men missing with the ball, they will be looking to the skipper Paul Lawson to deliver an early gut punch to Leinster here, the off-spinner will no doubt be lining up Ben Mitchell as a match-up that he can win to put his side into the game here.

KEY BATTLE: Paul Lawson vs Ben Mitchell

IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE

SATURDAY, JUNE 7^TH, ALL 12 NOON STARTS

At Phoenix Park, Phoenix vs North County

At Anglesea Road, Merrion vs Balbriggan

At Castle Avenue, Clontarf vs Malahide

At Park Avenue, Railway Union vs The Hills

At Kenure, Rush vs Cork County

At Sydney Parade, Pembroke vs Leinster