Cricket Leinster

LHK INSURANCE ALAN MURRAY CUP – MATCH DAY ONE PREVIEW (MAY 30TH)

The road to a potential shot at European glory starts this Friday evening, as the Group stage of the LHK Insurance Alan Murray Cup gets underway.

This season’s competition sees a move back to evening games, with Friday evening Senior cricket aimed at providing even more entertainment for the huge numbers of followers of the club cricket circuit throughout the province.

The holders of this cup are Leinster, who saw off Malahide and Pembroke on last year’s finals day to secure their slot in the All-Ireland competition, where they eventually fell just short, losing out to Lisburn in a Super-Over.

This time around, finals day is set for July 12^th, and as with the last number of seasons, the semi-finals will take place concurrently at 11am, one in Merrion CC (Anglesea Road) with the other in Pembroke CC (Sydney Parade). The final will then take place at 4pm in Sydney Parade.

The inclusion of the ‘Power Surge’ in this year’s competition is sure to add a new dynamic in the second half of team’s innings’, however there’s no doubt this format favours the bigger hitters no matter how many fielders are on the boundary!

TERENURE VS LEINSTER

The Dublin 6 derby is where the holders kick off their campaign, where they take on a Terenure team which no doubt will be looking to prove a few doubters wrong over the course of this campaign. A shuffle in batting order looks likely for the home side in this game, as their bigger hitters would include the likes of skipper Dónal Lynch and left-hander Sid Nair, both of whom would generally preside in the middle order, whilst it will be interesting to see how opener Gareth Morgan fares in this format, with the vast majority of his runs at the top of the order coming in boundaries indicating he could be the man to take advantage of the Power Play. Their bowling is then spearheaded by Dylan Cleary and Ben Dillon, both who rely on control and swing to out-gun their opponents, whilst Kripesh Shetty’s extra pace can sometimes prove tricky under home conditions. The spinners in the side include Tanvir Hasan, Jinal Khatri and Kashish Ghandi, a trio of leggies who tick all the boxes of deception, variation, loop, pace and guile when placed under the microscope.

Leinster meanwhile boast a battery of big-hitters, whether Gareth Delany features or not, that could prove to be a difficult proposition for Terenure to deal with here. The last time this pair met on a Friday night, Ben Mitchell was endeavouring to repatriate some match balls from Terenure back to Rathmines! He launched nine boundaries and six huge maximums that day making 85 from just 36 balls, and no doubt will relish the chance to replicate some of that form here. Younas Ahmadzai’s credentials as a T20 hitter are widely regarded as some of the strongest around, and adding in the class of Monil Patel, Saqib Bahadur and Joey Carroll through their batting unit, they have a whole host of men capable of doing plenty of damage. New ball bowler Jai Moondra is express pace and his ability to swing the ball whilst bowling quickly is sure to cause Terenure some issues, whilst his fellow left-armer Bilal Azhar has also been in excellent form this season. Mark Tonge is the third seamer in name only as he has generally shared the opening duties, proving a perfect foil for the left-arm duo to rotate at the opposite end. Bahadur’s offies are likely to prove crucial in this format as the traditionally more defensive style of bowling comes to the fore.

As referenced above, Ben Mitchell’s destructive ball striking has enjoyed conditions in Terenure once already, and if he can get on top of Dylan Cleary in the Power Play, it could make for a long 20 overs for ‘the Clee’.

KEY BATTLE: Dylan Cleary vs Ben Mitchell

DUBLIN UNIVERSITY VS PEMBROKE

Dublin University’s unbeaten start to the season will be put to the test this week, as they face off against a Pembroke side gunning to go one better than they did in this competition last time around. The home side are led by David Vincent, and will feature a couple of Pembroke men in their ranks, none more prominent than Macdara Cosgrave, who’s excellent form this season has been responsible for propelling Trinity to victory in the first round of the Leinster Senior Cup, and also seen them unbeaten so far in their District Cup campaign. The side is captained by David Vincent, who usually opens alongside ‘Mac’ whilst Jamie Forbes’ ball striking ability is likely to see him appear at number 3. Rory Betley is another man who will feature in the batting unit alongside Ryan Smith and Mikey O’Reilly round out the probable top six, with the latter having found himself discovering some real form with the bat in this competition last season. O’Reilly looks set to lead the bowlers, and is one of three left-arm seamers the Student’s have used this season including Jack Atkinson and Ben McCabe, whilst Theo Dempsey is another man likely to feature, with his opening spell being the catalyst for victory in that opening Cup victory. Their frontline spinner is the in-form ‘Tarf man Yash Bala, who’s off-breaks look set to prove very important in this tie, especially considering the conspicuous lack of left-handers in Pembroke’s team, meaning Bala will need to be on-song right from the get-go.

Pembroke meanwhile boast a host of players who could enjoy success in the T20 format, none moreso than Tim Tector, who’s form in the IP20s over the past couple of seasons has been nothing short of excellent. He leads a batting unit which features some big hitters in JJ Garth and Blake MacDonald, whilst it will be interesting to see where Gavin Hoey slots in, with his destructive late-order hitting often pivotal at the back end of 50 over innings’. There’s a return to the side for Andrew Boulton, with the Aussie having shown some decent form with the bat for the Dublin University side in the District Cup, with the top 6 likely to be rounded out by Jack Tector. Barry McCarthy returns to the side to lead the bowling unit, and with the inclusion of Luke Murray alongside Byron McDonough this week added to Boulton, Pembroke’s seamers look like a real force to be reckoned with. Their usual spin duo of the skipper Paul Lawson, and leggie Gavin Hoey see the away side with 6 frontline options available, should they be needed.

Macdara Cosgrave will no doubt be keen to put on a good show against his ‘home’ club here for the ‘Students’ however will need to negotiate the tough task of Barry McCarthy if he is to put his side on the front foot early on.

KEY BATTLE: Macdara Cosgrave vs Barry McCarthy

BALBRIGGAN VS NORTH KILDARE

Balbriggan were the champions of this competition two years ago, and are potentially in a good space personnel-wise to once again cause some trouble in the latter stages this time around. Their batting has a classy and destructive streak to it in equal measures, with stroke players such as Chris de Freitas, Cameron Rowe and Connor Fletcher set to feature in the top 4. They are complemented nicely by their bigger hitters, the skipper Greg Ford, overseas man Sebastian D’Oliveira and pair of left-handers Jordan Hollard & Dylan Lues meaning they’re a tough side to get a handle on. With the ball, the extra pace of Matthew Hollard is their trump card, and he leads a seam attack which features D’Oliveira and the left-arm mediums of Kashif Ali. Lues has proven in his exploits with the Leinster Lightning to be an excellent T20 bowler, whilst Abdul Samad and Jordan Hollard are the other spin bowling options at Ford’s disposal should they be required.

North Kildare meanwhile come into this game on a high having beaten Terenure last weekend in what already looks to be a big game in the context of their league campaign. Their batting in this format is no doubt led by the skipper Husnain Maroof at the top of the order, whilst Josh Uddin is another big-hitter, especially against spin, who can be expected to feature in the top 5. Yash Kalasannavar was the hero with the bat last week, and he will be looking to continue that good form into the shorter format, whilst they will also be hoping for contributions from the likes of Sayed Shah and Moize Haider. On the bowling front, Maroof’s early spell will be crucial, whilst Abdul Aryan’s medium pace will likely follow from the opposite end. Ali Elahi and Nazmus Monon round off the seam attack which looks like it will need to do the bulk of the bowling this time around. The frontline spin option is Asadullah Ahmadzai, who’s subtle changes in pace could be all-important.

The home side will no doubt be looking to blast North Kildare’s openers out of the attack early in their batting innings, and if Connor Fletcher can get a fast start against Husnain Maroof, it could prove to be a long afternoon for the away team.

KEY BATTLE: Connor Fletcher vs Husnain Maroof

NORTH COUNTY VS MALAHIDE

Two sides who will be relishing this change of format after a tough start to the season meet at Inch. North County’s batting unit has shown glimpses of it’s ability so far, however they will be hoping the opportunity to open their shoulders and clear the boundaries this week will see the likes of Suliman Safi and Hunter Kindley to better effect, especially with the latter playing against his former club. That pair lead the way for County alongside Jamie Grassi, who is another man that could thrive in this format. Their top 6 is rounded out by Brian Dunphy, Niall McGovern and skipper Eddie Richardson. North County’s spin could prove to be key in this game, and Alan Joseph Mathew leads that front, with support coming from Brandon Morris and Suliman Safi as the side boasts three off-spinning options. Abdul Ghaffar will likely share the new ball with Richardson, whilst the third seamer is Sean Sludds this time around.

Malahide meanwhile will no doubt be eager to see what the move to T20 brings out of Robbie Foulkes, with the Kiwi having been in tremendous form so far this season. Jeremy Martins and the returning Matt Ford are sure to offer some big-hitting in the middle overs, whilst Aaron Doyle is another man capable of clearing the boundary. Wicket-keeper Matthew Langan comes into this tie off the back of top-scoring for North Leinster in Monday’s rained-off 50 over fixture and may feature with the bat here too. On the bowling front there’s a welcome return for the vice-captain Kelvin Donnelly, who will share the new ball duties with his skipper James Newland. Andy Sheridan and Martins are the other seamers in an attack which no doubt looks far stronger now than it did a couple of weeks ago. Mike Frost and Mohit Sane are the two left-arm orthodox spin options this week, with a potential seventh option being the right-arm offies of Liam Foulkes.

Hunter Kindley will no doubt be aiming to get North County off to a good start against his old club here, and if he can put pressure on the returning Kelvin Donnelly early on, it could cause the away side all sorts of problems.

KEY BATTLE: Hunter Kindley vs Kelvin Donnelly

RUSH VS THE HILLS

The Kenure men showed off plenty of T20 credentials last weekend in their league fixture against Railway Union, and whilst that tie didn’t ultimately go their way, they will no doubt be hoping that some of their main men can continue their current vein of form. Nathan McGuire is front and centre here, he’s now made three centuries on the bounce in three different competitions, and comes into this game aiming to make it four from four in the space of just 20 days, his clean ball striking early on looks to be the key for Rush. Abid Taniwal is another man who seems to clear the rope almost at will on occasions, and alongside Hashir Sultan they offer a pair that could also strike quickly should McGuire not get going. Jack McGee is another man who could see this format play to his strengths, whilst no doubt Ehtesham Ahmed will be looking to reel in the years with some big hitting too. With the ball, Taniwal will lead the way with his left-armers, with support coming in the same discipline from Alex Neary. Asher Abbasi is the right-arm seaming option, whilst Allan Eastwood is likely to open the bowling should he feature. McGuire’s off-breaks and the left-arm tweakers of Nasir Totakhil mean there are plenty of high-quality options at Rush’s disposal for this fixture.

The Hills meanwhile have plenty of strong T20 options in their batting ranks, led at the top by Brandon Kruger and Ollie Horlock, whilst it wouldn’t be surprising to see a re-shuffle in the order to get Edson Silva facing more deliveries than he would in his favoured 50-over position at number 6. New man Adnan Shinwari showed some good striking last weekend in a debut half-century, whilst this could be the format where the likes of Cian Nulty and Matthew Weldon finally get the chance to prove their mettle with the bat when given slightly more freedom. A return to fitness for Pierce Ryan would be most welcome for The Hills, however it remains to be seen whether this tie comes too soon for him to join Tomás Rooney-Murphy, Sean McNicholl and Weldon in the seam attack. The pair of spinners are led by Febin Manoj who has been in good form this season, with support to him coming from Horlock’s offies, meaning the away side also play host to 6 frontline bowling options.

Sean McNicholl’s opening spell for The Hills will be the key here if they are to stop the runaway steam-train that is Nathan McGuire, however if McGuire gets on top early, it could be tough for the Skerries men to arrest the momentum.

KEY BATTLE: Nathan McGuire vs Sean McNicholl

ADAMSTOWN VS CLONTARF

It’s a first visit to Airlie Park for Clontarf this Friday, and with a couple of regulars missing from the Castle Avenue side, Adamstown may sniff a chance to claim a scalp. The home side’s batting is led by Prabhanshu Kamal and Aaditya Gupta at the top of the order, and a good start from that pair is imperative to their chances. Their main man is Dinesh Antony Kidagan, who will likely appear at number four and has shown on occasions, including in this competition last season, to have the ability to win games for his side. With the ball, Pomin Ponselvan and Nithin Padmaprabhu will be the likely openers who will need to make some inroads into the ‘Tarf line-up in the PowerPlay if they are to give the likes of Kamal and Kathan Shah a good chance to restrict their opposition to an achievable total.

Clontarf come into this game without Séamus Lynch or Eoghan Delany, whilst study commitments and injury also rule out Reuben Wilson and Curtis Campher respectively. Mitchell Thompson and Pat Xie are two men who have been in fine form with the bat so far this season, and much will rest on the shoulders of that pair this time around, with support coming from their trio of left-handers, David Delany, John McNally and Ethan Marshall. Ben McCarthy appears behind the stumps to deputise for the absence of ‘Moose’ and he will be gloving to a likely new ball pair of Delany and Liam Gilhooly, with further seam options including Luke Thomson and Marshall. Cillian McDonnell’s left-arm orthodox is supported by the offies of Xie in a line-up that still has plenty of ability on paper at least.

Dinesh Antony will be a key man for Adamstown in the middle order here, and ‘Tarf will be looking to Cillian McDonnell to keep him quiet, if he can do so, it will make ‘Tarf’s task of keeping the run rate low far easier.

KEY BATTLE: Dinesh Antony vs Cillian McDonnell

CIVIL SERVICE VS PHOENIX

A second iteration of the Phoenix Park derby this season once again sees the tie played in Civil Service. The home side will be buoyed by their win in the league last weekend, and are sure to be once again looking to their skipper Deepak Jayachandran to lead the way with the bat. Support for him comes in the shape of fellow opener Nilesh Joshi, and in the middle order from Dhiraj Shetty, who was also in the runs last weekend, Karthikeyan Jawahar and the big hitting Vijay Adhikari. With the ball they will be looking to Naveed Khan to lead the way alongside former skipper Sunny Malik, whilst the spin comes from Aamir Bafanda and could prove crucial once again on home turf. Roshin Raviprasad is another man who has been in good form at the bowling crease in recent weeks and will need to carry that on to keep the side in the game against their nearest neighbours here.

Phoenix meanwhile have often used this competition to blood younger players in recent seasons, however it remains to be seen what way they will go this time around. At full strength the likes of Shane Getkate, Tyrone Kane and George Dockrell offer more power hitting than most sides could dream of, whilst this could be an opportunity for the likes of Joe Cotgreave, Johit Munjal and Levon Shields to push the side forward with the bat. On the bowling front, they’re set to be led by their left-arm offies in Dev Ranolia and Amish Sidhu, whilst of their seamers, Raghav Grover bowled brilliantly in last weekend’s shortened innings against Pembroke. The absence of Theo Dempsey, with Trinity, sees another slot open there for another seamer to come in, potentially the likes of Ash Bain or Daniel Sugrue, who both featured in this competition last season.

There’s no secret that Civil Service rely on Deepak Jayachandran for runs, and they will be hoping he can get on top against Raghav Grover early in the innings here to give his side a chance to post a competitive batting effort.

KEY BATTLE: Deepak Jayachandran vs Raghav Grover

MERRION VS RAILWAY UNION

Finally in Anglesea Road, Merrion will be without a couple of familiar faces with both Jamie Forbes and Mikey O’Reilly on duty with Dublin University in this competition. They will have been encouraged, with this competition in mind, by the gears shown by their overseas man Connor Blaxall-Hill in Cork last weekend, whilst the inclusion of both Stephen Doheny and Swapnil Modgill at the top of the order sees them boasting a destructive batting unit. Adam Rosslee and Max Sorensen will provide more firepower in the middle order in a side which will be aiming to get off to a strong start here, particularly as progression would see them earning a home semi-final. On the bowling front, they will be looking to Melvin Devaraj and Sorensen to get them off to a good start, with one of that pair likely to partner their frontline PowerPlay bowler Tom Stanton. Andy Doheny and Sean Stanton are the other seamers who could feature, whilst Peter Forkin also regained his slot in the side last weekend, and his off-spin is likely to round-out the attack.

Railway on the other hand are without several players for this tie, as Philippe le Roux, Kevin O’Brien, Lotli Sesele and Ryan Smith are all out of the side for a variety of reasons. Liam McCarthy does return to strengthen the bowling unit, and is likely to share the new ball with Muhammad Sinan, with the other seamers in the side including Gethin Kelleher and Mark Canniffe. Fakhar Zaman is the frontline spinner with support likely to come from Srihan Karpe. That man Karpe could be one they look to for runs in this tie, he comes into this fixture off the back of an excellent century for South Leinster in yesterday’s District Cup game, and alongside Rob O’Brien, Hedayat Khogiani and McCarthy, that quartet look set to be the men Railway will be hoping can propel them to a score which puts them ahead of the game.

Railway’s newest Ireland cap Liam McCarthy will be hoping to produce a big opening spell in this tie to give his side a fighting chance, if he can dismiss the in-form Swapnil Modgill, it will crack the door open just enough to give Railway a sniff.

KEY BATTLE: Liam McCarthy vs Swapnil Modgill