LEINSTER 2 CROWNED SENIOR 2 CUP CHAMPIONS FOR 2025!

The LHW Financial Planning Senior 2 Cup came to it's climax with a truly excellent game of cricket this afternoon, as Leinster won a thriller against Terenure by three wickets with just 16 balls to spare.

Terenure won the toss and batted first, and got off to a decent start as Colm Morgan (28) found the boundary early in the piece. When Morgan and number three Zeeshan Mumtaz fell in quick succession however, they were in a spot of bother at 68/3. Khizar Jan fell with the score on 100, leaving the game teetering.

Niqash Ali and Mustafa Ali added 56 for the fifth wicket, before the former, Terenure's skipper, was dismissed for 43. Hilal Asad joined Mustafa Ali and added 43, before falling for 24, whilst Ali fell two balls later, run out, backing-up off a powerful straight drive, for 40. That stunted the last few overs somewhat, as Terenure finished 224/8.

Leinster's chase started poorly, as they lost three wickets for just two runs to go from 16/0 to 18/3. Hilal Asad bowling particularly well at the outset, claiming two of those wickets. Joe O'Sullivan joined Amit Whagmare, and the pair added the first crucial partnership of the innings, notching up 62 before a mix-up saw O'Sullivan sent back, slip and fall mid-pitch, to be run out with the score on 80. Just two balls later Devansh Singh was bowled, leaving Leinster 80/5 and in plenty of bother.

This was the moment that Kaustabh Apsunde truly grabbed control of the game for the Rathmines side, batting aggressively and finding the boundary regularly. He added three boundaries straight after drinks, and from there the runs began to flow. Alongside the more circumspect Whagmare, the pair added a brilliant stand of 118 in 22 overs, keeping the tempo of their innings high throughout.

When Asad returned and bowled Apsunde, the Leinster all-rounder had made 67 from 81 balls, and truly swung the game in his side's favour. Whagmare then fell for 68, with his side on the brink of victory, and when Owais Syed Bacha flicked over backward-square leg for four, the game was completed with 16 balls to spare and sent the Leinster side-line into delirium.

Congratulations to Leinster, the LHW Financial Planning Senior 2 Cup Champions for the 2025 season, a brilliant achievement for all involved with the side.