IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW – ROUND 9 (JUNE 28TH)

It is a huge weekend for Cricket Leinster clubs to round off June, as the big hitters go toe-to-toe at the top of the table in the IBI Corporate Finance Premier League, all the while with half-an-eye on Sunday’s Irish Senior & National Cup campaigns, where sides from the province have been utterly dominant so far this season so far. In the Irish Cup, five of the eight teams remaining are currently ranked in the top 9 positions in the Premier League table, meaning we have a huge weekend of action to look forward to.

The league ties this weekend see some excellent cricket in prospect, Clontarf host Pembroke in both competitions, and with both sides in contention at the sharp end of the table, Saturday’s tie is set to be a humdinger and will be the featured action. Elsewhere, Kenure sees Rush play host to Phoenix, whilst just down the road in The Vineyard, The Hills host Leinster, who still sit atop the league having not lost a game as yet. Otherwise on the North side, Balbriggan will host Railway Union, with Cork County making the trip to the international ground to take on Malahide in The Village. The action is rounded out in Anglesea Road, where North County visit Merrion.

CLONTARF VS PEMBROKE

We kick off in Castle Avenue, where our featured game pits two of the strongest teams in the league against each other. Starting with Clontarf, their batting line-up may not be deemed ‘star-studded’ however they do boast some of the more consistent performers in club cricket at the moment. Mitchell Thompson has led the way at the top superbly so far this season, passing 50 in half of his knocks to date, and last weekend converting to a superb unbeaten century against Merrion. Eoghan Delany at number 3 has out-scored Thompson’s tally of 372 so far by 11 runs, however three figures has somehow eluded him thus far. Séamus Lynch has threatened to put the side out of sight early in games in recent weeks, however he hasn’t managed to kick on and that will be something ‘Tarf will be hoping to see come right this time around. Pat Xie has provided some excellent contributions at crucial stages so far this season, and is set to play a key role once again, whilst the top 6 is rounded out by two men in red-hot form in the shape of the left-handed all-round duo of skipper David Delany and John McNally. On the bowling front, Reuben Wilson will share the opening duties with Delany, whilst Clontarf have gone with an extra seamer to usual, with both Luke Thomson and Ethan Marshall available to the skipper as well as McNally who has bowled excellently this week in the IP20s. The spin bowling is led by the ever-consistent Cillian McDonnell, who is without regular spin-twin Yash Bala this weekend, meaning the off-breaks will likely only feature David Vincent, in an attack that has no fewer than 7 front-line options.

Pembroke meanwhile come into this game having weaved their way through a tricky period in the league, having seen off Phoenix and Merrion a few rounds ago, they bounced out of back-to-back rain offs with a comprehensive win against Cork County last weekend. They are buoyed by the inclusion of nearly all of their big-name internationals for this tie, not least at the top of the order where Andy Balbirnie will look to continue his imperious form, having made unbeaten scores of 150 in each of his last two appearances for the Sydney Parade outfit. He’ll be accompanied by Tim Tector, who has been putting the side on the front foot regularly with some swashbuckling batting in the Power Play, whilst this looks to be a huge weekend for Blake MacDonald at number three, with big scores having eluded him for a number of weeks, he will be a crucial member of the batting line-up. Harry Tector and Lorcan Tucker will busy themselves in the engine room, and doubtless will be looking to carry some excellent form from this week’s Leinster Lightning exploits into the weekend. JJ Garth and Jack Tector are the next pair up, and with Tector having dug his side out of a major hole the last time the Pembroke batting line-up was ‘full noise’ they are sure to be brimming with confidence. Byron McDonough has made a welcome return to the side and his right-arm quicks will be important up top, he’s likely to share opening duties with Harry Tector, who has reprised the role excellently whenever called upon so far this season. Skipper Paul Lawson and Gavin Hoey make up a three-pronged spin attack, whilst there is also the option of Andy Balbirnie who could well make up some overs as well.

Andy Balbirnie’s form for Pembroke this month has been sensational, and they will be hoping he can delivery the goods once again at the top of the order, Clontarf will be hoping to see Reuben Wilson dismiss him early on, and allow ‘Tarf’s seamers to have a look at the Pembroke middle order.

KEY BATTLE: Reuben Wilson vs Andy Balbirnie

RUSH VS PHOENIX

Phoenix will travel to Kenure also at full strength this weekend, as they welcome back their IP representatives having missed both George Dockrell and Ben White from the side in recent weeks. Eknoor Singh is the leading run scorer in 50 over cricket this season, and he will continue behind the stumps for this fixture. He spearheads the batting line-up alongside Shane Getkate at the top of the order, with the make-up of this weekend’s team suggesting Joe Cotgreave the most likely candidate to bat at 3. Dockrell and Tyrone Kane will fill roles in the middle order alongside Adam Chester, whilst it seems Amish Sidhu and Raghav Grover will both move slightly higher in the order to balance the team out. Kane looks set to share the opening duties with left-arm quick Tom Malone, who showed some excellent skills in his debut last weekend, this will see Grover likely switching to first change as Phoenix will stick with three seamers this weekend. Ben White leads the spinners with his leg-breaks, whilst there’s a triumvirate of left-arm orthodox for Chester to choose from, as Sidhu and Dev Ranolia join Dockrell, who’s bowling has began to find it’s stride again in recent weeks.

Rush meanwhile boast the second-top run scorer in 50 over cricket this season in the shape of Abid Taniwal. He’s the leading 6-hitter with 27 so far and it’s no surprise that he will remain in the middle order for this fixture. Nathan McGuire is ranked fourth on the run-scoring charts, and has three centuries in Leinster competitions this season, he is yet to make a score between 10 and 103 this season, so is sure to prove to be a big wicket in this game. Elsewhere in Rush’s batting unit, there was a change at the top last weekend and it will be interesting to see if Saadat Gull and Jarred Barnes reprise their partnership once more, Jack and Finn McGee provide some depth, whilst Nasir Totakhil’s move to number five comes as no surprise after he had been successful in that role last season. The side has missed the extra power which Hashir Sultan adds in recent weeks, and a return for him would surely be a big boost. With the ball, Barnes and Allan Eastwood provide an excellent opening pair should Taniwal’s injury niggles continue to prevent him from delivering his left-armers, whilst Asher Abbasi and Alex Neary are the other likely seam options in the side. Totakhil and McGuire are two excellent spinners in their own right, and as mentioned previously, their ability to both bat in the top 6 helps Rush add some much-needed depth with both bat and ball lower in the order.

Phoenix’s batting is destructive and deep, and whilst Eknoor Singh has been in excellent form this season, the key wicket for Rush this weekend is sure to be George Dockrell, with his ability to hit the ball straight and hard set to prove tough for the hosts to deal with, however if Jarred Barnes can get an early look at him, it could prove to be an interesting match-up.

KEY BATTLE: Jarred Barnes vs George Dockrell

THE HILLS VS LEINSTER

This tie is a repeat of what was, with the benefit of hindsight, the upset of the first round of the Leinster Senior Cup, when a brilliant unbeaten century from Ollie Horlock helped The Hills to victory. Leinster return to The Vineyard this weekend at full strength, and will be hoping to keep their league campaign on track with a victory here. Their batting is led by the brilliant Monil Patel, however it is perhaps a sign of how well Leinster have bowled, and how well rounded their efforts have been this season, that he is their only player in the top 25 run scorers so far this season. Ben Mitchell started his season like a house on fire, and could find this game the best opportunity to restart his good form at the top of the order, where he is likely to be joined by Tom Johnson, who has gotten several starts without really kicking on so far this season. Younas Ahmadzai is the most destructive batter in their line-up, and he starts a middle order at number four that features the likes of Saqib Bahadur, Joey Carroll and Mark Tonge, all of whom have found some good form at stages this season. The bowling is led by Jai Moondra who will likely share the duties with Tonge, as Bilal Azhar has found himself bowling brilliantly as first change for much of the season. Joey Carroll will be the fourth seamer in a very strong quick bowling unit. Bahadur will lead the spinners alongside Mitchell’s left-arm, whilst behind the stumps, Tristen de Beer’s continued management of a finger issue means he’ll be in the field with Rian Cassidy taking the gloves.

For The Hills, whilst he fell agonisingly short of a memorable first senior ton last weekend, Matthew Weldon looks to have cemented his position at number four for the foreseeable future in Skerries, and he’ll provide the link between the circumspect and calculated men at the top of the order in the likes of the aforementioned Horlock and James Cusack, with the more aggressive stroke-makers at 5 and 6 in the shape of Mark Donegan and Nathan Rooney, the latter in particular set to play a big role in the middle order against Leinster’s spinners. Andy Kavanagh and Tómas Rooney-Murphy at 7 & 8 add depth to the line-up, having both been appearing higher up the order in recent times. With the ball, whilst injury is likely to keep Weldon away from the bowling crease, The Hills still have plenty of options. Sean McNicholl has led the way brilliantly in recent times and will open alongside Cian Nulty who’s heavy length makes him a tough proposition early doors. Shazil Ahmed and Rooney-Murphy make up a four-pronged seam attack, whilst this weekend sees the spin come just from Horlock and Cusack, with Febin Manoj not in the side.

Leinster will be acutely aware of how important the wicket of Ollie Horlock is to them in this tie, if Jai Moondra can knock him over early on, it will give the side a massive chance of restricting The Hills.

KEY BATTLE: Ollie Horlock vs Jai Moondra

BALBRIGGAN VS RAILWAY UNION

In Jack Harper Park, we have an intriguing battle, as both Railway and Balbriggan look to be sitting under the flickering lights of the last chance saloon in terms of Premier League qualification for the post-split section of the season. The pair sit 7 points apart in 8^th and 9^th places respectively and a loss in this game would likely see either of the sides put out of contention for top 6 qualification. The hosts will be hoping for more big contributions from Connor Fletcher and Chris de Freitas in the top 6, whilst the return of Farooq Nasr to the middle order is a big boost. Cameron Rowe and the skipper Greg Ford are likely to top and tail the top 6, meaning the all-rounder Dylan Lues will stick in his slot at number 7. With the ball, Sebastian D’Oliveira and Matt Hollard lead the way, with the latter doubtless riding the crest of a wave having been involved in two weeks of IP20 cricket now, their seamers are supported by the usual pair of Kashif Ali and Andy Darroch. Lues is the primary spinner in the side, and if he is supported by Nasr once again, it makes their bowling a different proposition to what it has been this season.

Railway meanwhile will feel they are the best placed side in their little cluster to push themselves into top 6 contention, their batting is boosted by some midweek form for Hedayat Khogiani, who was in the runs for South Leinster, he will be joined by Ashil Prakash at the top, whilst they will be hoping to see their full complement of big-guns available this time around, with Rob O’Brien in good form at club level, alongside two men who have made their own contributions at IP level in the shape of Philippe le Roux and Liam McCarthy, before getting to Srihan Karpe and Ryan Smith in the middle order. With ball in hand, McCarthy will be the man they hope to see lead the way alongside Digamber Mishra and Muhammad Sinan, whilst their spin in recent weeks has come from Hamza Maan as the primary leggie, supported by Karpe and Prakash.

Ashil Prakash has been a rock for Railway in recent weeks, if he can get through the opening spell of Seb D’Oliveira, it will give Railway a fighting chance of putting up a big total.

KEY BATTLE: Seb D’Oliveira vs Ashil Prakash

MALAHIDE VS CORK COUNTY

In The Village, Malahide are nearing full strength once again this weekend with the ball, however on the other side of things they are without Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin and Matt Ford on the batting front. James Newland will likely be partnered by his vice-captain Kelvin Donnelly to open the bowling, whilst their other pair of seamers are David O’Halloran and Jeremy Martins. That’s not where the bowling options end however, as they also see Liam Foulkes return with his off-breaks, accompanying the left-arm spin of Jonathan Tall, and leg-breaks of Timcy Khanduja to give Newland no less than 7 bowling options. With the bat, they will be hoping Robbie Foulkes can continue his good form, with the Kiwi currently ranked third in the run-scoring aggregates, alongside new recruit Alex Brown who appears to be another man they will be pinning their hopes on for big contributions in the second half of the season. Adam Doyle returns from injury and will join wicket-keeper Matthew Langan in the top 6, after the latter has shown some good form in the past month.

Cork County meanwhile come into this tie without the services of PJ Moor, but will be acutely aware of the importance of a win here, as having seen The Hills win last weekend they have returned to the foot of the table. They will be looking to their bowling unit, led by overseas man Mark Andrianatos, as well as Zubair Khan and Darsh Shetty, to put them on top early in this fixture. The absence of Bakhtyar Nabi means they will be looking to the skipper Diarmuid Carey and Raj Undre to provide further bowling options and support their frontline seamers. Batting wise, Sunil Gautam, Benji Marris and Brian Upman will be key men in the top five alongside Thorne Prophet and their star man Andrianatos. The top six is rounded out by Syed Aiman, and Cork County will be fully aware of how important it is that their side can pull a result out of the bag in this fixture.

Mark Andrianatos is a massive wicket for the away side here, if James Newland can dismiss him early on, it will make for a huge moment for the home side.

KEY BATTLE: James Newland vs Mark Andrianatos

MERRION VS NORTH COUNTY

Finally, in Anglesea Road, fifth hosts sixth in what could prove to be a very important game, as with some sides guaranteed to close the gap, a win here could relieve a lot of pressure on the side that claims victory. Merrion will be hoping to see their batting, led by Stephen Doheny and Swapnil Modgill, clicking into some form this weekend. That duo are followed by Connor Blaxall-Hill, Adam Rosslee and John Anderson in what is a very well-rounded middle order if they can produce something like their best form. Jamie Forbes and Max Sorensen have shown the ability to add some punch later in the innings, and this could prove important against this North County outfit. With the ball, Melvin Devaraj will lead the way alongside Sorensen, whilst the other seamers in the side could include Sean Stanton and Grant Glutz. The spin comes from Tom Stanton’s left arm, supported by the offies in the shape of Blaxall-Hill and Modgill.

North County meanwhile have landed on a strong batting composition in recent weeks, and are indebted to the continued availability of Niall McGovern to open the batting alongside Suliman Safi, with the pair having struck up a good partnership. Hunter Kindley and Eddie Richardson will fill slots three and four, before the big hitting wicket-keeper Jamie Grassi, and Brian Dunphy, who will both add some impetus with their clean ball-striking. The all-rounders include Alan Joseph Mathew, who will lead the spinners as well as batting at number 7. He’s joined in the spin bowling stakes by Suliman Safi as they are without their regular third spinner in Brandon Morris this time around. Their seamers are led by Richardson and Abdul Ghaffar, whilst there’s plenty of support in this area this weekend, with Usman Ahzar, Sean Sludds and Jake Devane all available as frontline bowling options as well.

Connor Blaxall-Hill has been somewhat boom or bust for Merrion so far this season, and no doubt North County will be hoping to stop him getting going this time around, they’ll be looking to Adbul Ghaffar to put him under pressure early on and potentially give their side a foothold in the game.

KEY BATTLE: Connor Blaxall-Hill vs Abdul Ghaffar

IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE

ROUND 9, JUNE 28^TH, ALL 12 NOON STARTS

At Castle Avenue, Clontarf vs Pembroke (Featured Game)

At Kenure, Rush vs Phoenix

At The Vineyard, The Hills vs Leinster

At Jack Harper Park, Balbriggan vs Railway Union

At The Village, Malahide vs Cork County

At Anglesea Road, Merrion vs North County