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  1. Home
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  3. LHW FINANCIAL PLANNING LEINSTER SENIOR CUP QUARTER-FINALS (SUNDAY 15.6.2025)
12th June 2025 by Mick Cotter

LHW FINANCIAL PLANNING LEINSTER SENIOR CUP QUARTER-FINALS (SUNDAY 15.6.2025)

The Quarter-Finals of the LHW Financial Planning Senior Cup competition will take place on Sunday (15th) as follows:

Dublin University v Railway Union (College Park)

Clontarf v Phoenix (Castle Avenue)

Pembroke v The Hills (Sydney Parade)

North County v Balbriggan (Inch)

Unfortunately, none of the selected Ireland players will be available to their clubs for these games which coincide with the International T20 series being held in Derry.

Our thanks to Alan Lewis (MD, LHW Financial Planning) for his support

DUBLIN UNIVERSITY VS RAILWAY UNION

In the first Quarter-Final clash, Trinity will host Railway Union in College Park having brushed aside North Kildare by 9 wickets in the first round. The ‘students’ last won the Senior Cup trophy in 1963 (the third year of a treble success in the competition).

Railway Union (who have won the Senior Cup on two previous occasions) secured their Quarter-Final place when they beat Rush at Park Avenue despite a big ton on the day from Nathan McGuire. The win for Railway was underpinned by a decent performance with the ball, Ashil Prakash taking 5/46 (including McGuire) and Liam McCarthy with 3/44.

The home side boast an excellent squad assembled from a host of their competition rivals, and will be hoping for a strong showing to see them extend their season once again. Their batting is led by the in-from opener Macdara Cosgrave, who looks set to be joined at the top of the order by their skipper David Vincent. Jamie Forbes has batted at number three for the home side for much of the season, and is likely to reprise this role once again, whilst gloveman Nicolaas Pretorius is a key batter in the middle order alongside the hard-hitting Rory Betley and youngest member of the side Ryan Smith. They are set to be missing Matthew Humphreys (Ireland) and Mikey O’Reilly (injury) from their bowling attack compared to the first round tie, meaning that it’s likely we’ll see Theo Dempsey sharing the new ball with Ben McCabe, after which it’s a death-by-spin approach, with Yash Bala and Vincent providing off-breaks and Donncha Tucker’s left-arm orthodox being the three frontline options, supported by Forbes and potentially Cosgrave.

Macdara Cosgrave knocked off the winning runs for Dublin University in Round 1

Railway Union meanwhile are boosted this weekend by the return of Philippe le Roux to captain the side, and he adds plenty of strength to their batting unit alongside, the man who has deputised for him, Rob O’Brien, the in-form Ashil Prakash who anchored most of their innings last weekend against The Hills, and the clean-hitting Hedayat Khogiani. Letli Sesele will continue in the side as Liam McCarthy is still unavailable due to Ireland commitments, with the batting unit completed by the all-round hitting of Mark Canniffe and Stuart de Klerk, both of whom have produced some rapid-fire efforts for their 2nd XI in recent weeks. On the bowling front, in the absence of McCarthy, Muhammad Sinan and Gethin Kelleher are the frontline seamers, with support from the aforementioned all-rounders Canniffe and de Klerk in the fast bowling stakes. Hamza Maan’s leggies make him the primary spinning option, with support from Prakash who’s part-timers have become something a bit more than that in the last few games.

The prize for the winners in College Park is a home semi-final on Sunday 20th July against either Clontarf or Phoenix.

Trinity will be taking on Railway at College Park for a Semi-Final spot

This tie looks like it could be a real thriller, and with some real aggression in the middle order in the form of Jamie Forbes, the ‘students’ will no doubt be hoping to see him get on top of Hamza Maan, if he can do so, it will put the home side in the box seat with bat in hand.

KEY BATTLE: Jamie Forbes vs Hamza Maan

CLONTARF VS PHOENIX

The clash of the round is likely to be the battle of Clontarf as the host club take on Phoenix at Castle Avenue. Phoenix (who are now coached by the competition sponsor!) will be looking to go one better this year having lost out to Pembroke in the 2024 Final. Shane Getkate was the hero for Phoenix in round one with a brilliant hundred in the Park derby against Civil Service. The Irish international hit 7 sixes and fours in a run a ball 103. Clontarf ousted Merrion in the first round thanks to a fine batting effort at Anglesea Road with Mitchell Thompson top scoring with a run-a-ball 79 (7 fours, 3 sixes) supported by Eoghan Delany (51*) and a 39-ball 57 from Patrick Xie.

Both of these clubs have lifted this historic trophy on 15 occasions (Clontarf has been one of the dominant clubs in recent years having prevailed in 4 of the last 10 years whilst it is 43 years since the cup was held in the Park).

When these sides met two weeks ago, Eknoor Singh was the man who left ‘Tarf with nightmares, as his century powered Phoenix to a massive victory. Once again the side is without George Dockrell, meaning they will be looking to Shane Getkate and Tyrone Kane to support the Aussie at the top, whilst skipper Adam Chester will likely deputise behind the stumps, with Nic Pretorius playing for Dublin University. Queenslander Joe Cotgreave rounds out the stand-out names in the batting unit for a side that regularly threatens big performances like they produced the last time these two faced off. On the bowling front, Kane and Raghav Grover lead the way, however that pair are the only regular seamers in the absence of Theo Dempsey. Amish Sidhu and Dev Ranolia are the left-arm spinning duo who will aim to tie Clontarf down in the middle overs, however in the absence of both Dockrell and leg-spinner Ben White, they are likely to be looking to James Maginnis to round out their bowling options.

Reuben Wilson

Clontarf have a host of players missing for this tie, however are still able to name a strong and in-form unit, which comes in off the back of some good results in recent weeks, particularly last weekend’s pair of victories against Malahide (led by unbeaten runs from Eoghan Delany) and Rush in the Irish Cup, when David Delany made a brilliant century from an extremely unpromising position. That pair, along with their opening partnership of Séamus Lynch and Mitchell Thompson, as well as overseas man Pat Xie, have all produced performances at various points throughout their games this season, more often than not seeing two players produce big scores to provide success for their side. The one exception so far this season was that game against Phoenix in the league two weeks ago, and no doubt that will be rankling with this batting unit. With the ball, Reuben Wilson returns to lead the way, whilst it remains to be seen whether the skipper Delany will still be restricted to just one day of bowling again this weekend. John McNally is the other seamer certain to appear in the side, and he does so on a high having taking 6 wickets against Rush last Sunday. They are without Yash Bala and David Vicnent who are on Trinity duty, meaning Cillian McDonnell will likely be bowling alongside Xie in the spinning stakes this time around.

Skipper David Delany and John McNally are both in-form players for Clontarf

‘Tarf’s main issue last time out against Phoenix was the stubbornness of Eknoor Singh, who stuck out several tough spells to make an ultimately well-paced century. They will be keen to knock him over early this time around, and will likely be looking to Reuben Wilson as the man to see him back to the pavilion early in the piece.

KEY BATTLE: Eknoor Singh vs Reuben Wilson

PEMBROKE VS THE HILLS

Meanwhile at Sydney Parade, the Cup holders (Pembroke) will host The Hills and will be favourites to progress to the semi-final stage despite the absence of no less than six club players on International duty. The Hills have been struggling so far this season and exited the National Cup last Sunday at the hands of NW side Ballyspallen. That said, they will be encouraged by their performance in round one of this competition when an unbeaten 125 from Oliver Horlock (12 fours, 4 sixes) supported by a disciplined performance in the field ensured that they saw off Leinster by just 2 runs at The Vineyard – vital late wickets for skipper Tomas Rooney-Murphy (2/18) and Horlock (2/41).

Pembroke have been in fine form, comprehensively defeating Instonians in the Irish Cup whilst overcoming Merrion last weekend in a nail-biter Premier League contest. Jack Tector was the hero in the chase against Merrion whilst his earlier century ensured no drama in the opening round of this competition against debutants Adamstown at Airlie Park.

In spite of the home side’s absentees, they can still name a star-studded batting line-up for this tie, with their in-form Andy Balbirnie leading the way alongside the Leinster Lightning capped JJ Garth. Their number three Blake MacDonald has been making ominous starts, however hasn’t really kicked into top gear for a number of weeks, something the Victorian is no doubt looking to amend in this tie, whilst the aforementioned Jack Tector will slot into number 4, and there’s every chance his experience proves pivotal in that role. The all-round duo of Joe Prendergast and Andrew Boulton will occupy slots in the middle order, whilst a batting line-up that remains deep as ever sees Sanil Gupta featuring alongside gloveman Sam Murphy. Dan Murray and Mark Berry are the two frontline seamers who make up a four-pronged attack alongside Prendergast and Boulton. The skipper Paul Lawson is going to prove crucial with his off-spin, and will be looking to add to the 31 wickets he’s taken against The Hills at this level in this tie.

Mark Berry

The visitors batting has struggled at times this season, however their Aussie number three Horlock is a man they will be looking to for another big contribution this time around, with support for him coming at the top from the likes of Adnan Shinwari and Hassan Shahid. That trio will need to lay a strong foundation, with the confidence of the middle order playing a big role in how strong of a performance they can put together. Andy Kavanagh and Tómas Rooney-Murphy will feature here, alongside teenager Matthew Weldon, and the hard-hitting Edson Silva, however the key no doubt will be one of the top order batting for a long period of time. With the ball, Sean McNicholl leads the way and has been a hugely important operator so far this season, with his early wicket-taking ability a massive boost to the side. Cian Nulty bowled excellently last weekend, taking three wickets, and could be accompanied by Pierce Ryan once again, with that trio adding to the all-rounders of Weldon and Rooney-Murphy. Febin Manoj’s 3/27 was another superb display against Railway Union last weekend, and could well prove to be the key to keeping Pembroke’s middle order quiet in this tie.

The victors at Sydney Parade on Sunday will have the privilege of hosting either North County or Balbriggan on 20th July for a place in the Final on Saturday 2nd August. 

Ollie Horlock will be a key man for The Hills at Sydney Parade

Pembroke’s bowling unit is undoubtedly depleted, and they will therefore be seeking some early wickets in this tie to put them on the front foot, that could well see Mark Berry’s early spell against Ollie Horlock proving to be the key spell in the game!

KEY BATTLE: Mark Berry vs Ollie Horlock

NORTH COUNTY VS BALBRIGGAN

The fourth Quarter-Final is an all-Fingal clash between North County and Balbriggan at Inch. This one is hard to call as both sides have match-winners throughout their line-ups. Balbriggan beat Malahide convincingly by six wickets at The Village in round one underpinned by a match defining stand between Chris De Freitas and Greg Ford - playing against his old club. They sped their side to victory with a fourth wicket partnership of 82 in 11 overs, with De Freitas hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes in a 40-ball unbeaten 47, while Ford made a 35-ball 43 (4 fours, 2 sixes). 

Balbriggan also come into this weekend on the back of a successful nail-biter in the Irish Senior Cup when they edged out Leinster at Jack Harper Park by a margin of just 2 runs. Meanwhile, North County will be confident having achieved a brilliant win away from home at Coleraine last weekend in the Irish Cup and have reached the Quarter-Final stage of this competition based on a facile 6-wicket home win over Terenure in a fine all-round team performance with both bat and ball.

Surprisingly, despite major success in the Irish Cup over the years, North County have only won this competition on one occasion when they defeated Clontarf in the 2003 Final whilst Balbriggan are in pursuit of their first Senior Cup title.

Balbriggan will travel to Inch for the All-Fingal Quarter-Final

Balbriggan’s batting unit has started to come good in recent weeks, with scores from their middle order unit of Cameron Rowe, Chris de Freitas and Greg Ford all boosting the team with some decent results in recent weeks, however the form of the opening pair of Connor Fletcher and Ghanim Dara is something which will continue to cause concern. Their all-rounders provide some depth to the batting order, with Dylan Lues in particular having shown some good form with bat in hand this term. Matt Hollard leads the bowling unit, and alongside Sebastian D’Oliveira provides an opening duo that can cause any team trouble, and they will need to be backed up well by Kashif Ali and Andrew Darroch this time around. Lues is supported in the spin department by Jordan Hollard and the leg-breaks of Abdul Samad, in an attack that features plenty of options for the skipper Ford to choose from.

Chris de Freitas

North County meanwhile will be looking to their talisman Eddie Richardson to once again strike fear into their nearest rivals in a fixture where he always thrives. His 19 career wickets against Balbriggan have come at an average of just over 12.5, and once again he leads the way with the ball. Abdul Ghaffar and Usman Azhar are the other pair of seamers who have been near ever-present this season, and could be accompanied by Sean Sludds if they choose to go with an extra seamer in the attack. That hasn’t been how they’ve lined up in recent weeks however, rather going with an extra frontline spinner in the shape of Brandon Morris to appear alongside their main offie Alan Joseph Mathew, and providing possibly slightly more control than the part-time option of Suliman Safi. Safi is the man who Balbriggan will fear above all with the bat, with he and Hunter Kindley leading the way for the hosts. A flip in the order led to an upturn in fortunes for Brian Dunphy and Jamie Grassi in last week’s Irish Cup victory, with the pair both making scores in excess of 80 batting at 5 and 6, this is a luxury only afforded to the Inch outfit by Niall McGovern’s ability to seamlessly transition back to the top of the order, and this could prove important once again, as the skipper Richardson has also appeared to rekindle some form with a shift to number 4 seeing him making an unbeaten half-century in last weekend’s league victory over Phoenix.

Both sides look to classy left-handers with the bat to give them the edge in that regard, however it’s Chris de Freitas for Balbriggan who is arguably a more important wicket for North County to take than anyone else, they’ll be hoping to see Alan Joseph Mathew’s off-breaks match up well against him, and potentially get the home side off to the perfect start with the ball.

KEY BATTLE: Alan Joseph Mathew vs Chris de Freitas

PATH TO THE FINAL

The LHW Financial Planning Senior Cup semi-finals are scheduled for Sunday 20th July. The Final will then take place at Sydney Parade on Saturday 2nd August and will be live-streamed throughout the day via the CL YouTube channel. As part of the day, there will also be the annual CL Patron’s Lunch.

The semi-finals will be determined as follows:

Dublin University/Railway Union vs Clontarf/Phoenix

Pembroke/The Hills vs North County/Balbriggan

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