DLR County 2 vs The Hills 4 - DLR County 2 of Division 17 play their second ever T20 final, after winning the Intermediate Cup in 2018. They play The Hills 4 of Division 16 in the Just Property Minor Cup final, with The Hills 4 playing their first ever T20 final, after playing 39 previous cup matches. The one previous meeting between the teams was last year's Division 17 match in Margaretstown on September 10. Joseph Russell made 57 and Andrew Russell 59* as The Hills made a distinctly useful 228/8. Rohith Satheesh Kumar then top scored for DLR County with 33, but 3-25 for Brandon Vincenzo Sebastian pegged DLR back at the beginning, and they couldn't recover from 18-2, eventually be bowled out for 193.
Ongar 1 vs Dundalk 1 - The final of the 2023 GS Cricket Junior Cup with Division 14's Ongar 1 playing Dundalk 1 of Division 13. Neither side has even got to a cup final before, with Ongar being in their first year of existence, and Dundalk 1's previous three trophies all being league wins. Despite their different divisions, and Ongar's limited history, the teams have helpfully already met in this year's Junior Cup. The pair both came out of Group A, with their group match going the way of Ongar by 18 runs - one of only two matches lost by Dundalk this year (the other was against Finglas 2 in the league last week). Ongar made 148/6 from their 20 overs with Anup Kishen (the club's leading run scorer) making 54, Sanju Thomas taking 3-25 for Dundalk. With five overs left, Dundalk needed 33 runs with five wickets left, but 3-17 from Karthick Natarajan took the wind from Dundalk's sails, and the tail folded to finish short by 18 runs.
Balbriggan 1 vs YMCA 1 - The closeness of this year's Premier League will have been no surprise to anyone, and Balbriggan's win over Leinster two weeks ago has seen them leap up the table to third. That makes today's clash against YMCA the game of the day. A win for Balbriggan may not be quite enough to move up to 2nd, but a loss will leave a big gap between them and YMCA with only four games left. If YMCA are to have any title hopes, they have to win, and with enough bonus points, could go top tonight, depending on how Malahide do against Leinster. All three previous senior meetings between the teams have been in Balbriggan, with YMCA winning one and losing two. Last year's match saw Aaron Bailey hit 94* for YMCA, only his second ever senior 50 in 48 matches for YMCA. That got YM to 260/6 from 50 overs, with Andrew Darroch the pick of the Balbriggan bowlers with 3-45. It proved to be a well below target, as Connor Fletcher (114) and Greg Ford (101) added 161 for the 3rd wicket to get Brigg home by 8 wickets with 68 balls to spare.
Railway Union 1 vs Merrion 1 - The Premier League's bottom side Railway Union host 6th place Merrion in something of a must win. Since the start of 2021, Railway are 12-6 in home senior matches and 7-10 away. With this match, Clontarf and Leinster the visitors to Park Avenue, they have to win at least two of those home games, perhaps needing to pinch an away win against YMCA or Balbriggan. Merrion also find themselves at the wrong end of the table, but already have two more wins than Railway, and three from their last five will do the job. The pair haven't met in a Senior match in Park Avenue since August 2016, and Railway have won the last three played. Merrion's last win was nearly exactly 10 years ago, on 11 August 2013. There were 50s for Railway's Kenny Carroll (51) and Patrick Conliffe (69 - the last of his five senior 50s) as Tyrone Kane took 4-42 to dismiss them for 217. Brett Thompson led the way for Merrion with 62 as sedate game was won by Merrion by 4 wickets with 28 balls to spare.
Leinster 1 vs Malahide 1 - Where to start. Leinster's brilliant victory in the Irish Senior Cup yesterday was a famous day for the old club. The only downside is last night's celebrations and its effect on today's game. As a guide Leinster played Merrion the day after their 2009 Irish Senior Cup win and were skittled out by Merrion for 123. Leinster have lost their last two Premier League matches, and have a tough task today to stop the slide, hosting Malahide. Leinster look to be safe from relegation (although one more win would be handy for them) but a loss today would surely extinguish any title hopes. Malahide haven't lost since mid-June, and just have to keep on winning. Their game against YMCA on the last weekend looks like being a great end to the season (at this point in time anyway). Malahide's last Senior win in Rathmines was a Championship victory in June 2014. Fintan Mc Allister (88), Callum Riches (62) and Ian Guerin (54* - his only career senior 50) all made 50s as Malahide made an imposing 280/8 with Bilal Azhar taking 4-30. Azhar is now only 5 wickets away from becoming the 17th Leinster player to take 200 senior wickets. Craig Mallon made 89 for Leinster, and Peter Johnston 57, but Leinster finished a tantalising four runs short in a great finish.
Clontarf 1 vs The Hills 1 - Clontarf, who have won their last four Premier League games (as well as last week's Senior Cup win against The Hills), host The Hills, who have lost their last five (and who haven't won since beating Clontarf on June 10). Of the sides above them, Clontarf do not play Malahide again, and so their fate is out of their own hands - they need to win as many as possible and hope. The Hills just need to worry about relegation, and ideally win three of their last five. They have a tough set of fixtures though, with their last day match against Merrion looking crucial. Clontarf have won the last four senior matches in Castle Avenue, with The Hills' last win being in August 2014. Michael Baumgart made 66, but with The Hills in trouble at 145/8, Tomas Rooney Murphy (35) and Jonathan Andrews (23) added 57 for the 9th wicket to get them to a respectable 202/8. That is the highest away 9th wicket stand in senior cricket we have on record for The Hills (since 2010). Connor D'Arcy and Bill Coghlan both took three wickets for Tarf. Naseer Shoukat (3-42) and Mark Dyer (3-51) were then instrumental in bowling Clontarf out for 172 for a 30 run win.
Pembroke 1 vs Phoenix 1 - A clash of the titans in the Championship as first and second meet, with Pembroke closing in on the title. It can't be confirmed today, but the right set of results for Pembroke could lead to the trophy being won on August 19. Phoenix are locked in a battle with Rush for the second spot, but Rush's big 25 point win over Cork County yesterday has put a lot of pressure on Phoenix , and a loss today will mean they have to beat Rush next week to stay in the race. This is the 200th senior match between the teams, with the first going the way of Phoenix by 231 runs on 9 June 1919. Since then, Phoenix just lead the head to head 85-82 with 30 draws and 3 no results. Matches between the pair in Sydney Parade have been few and far between. Phoenix won the last one by 3 wickets (in 2022) but Pembroke's last win was in June 2018. Phoenix made 207 all out thanks to 55 from Reinhardt Strydom and 72 from Fletcher Coutts. But the match was all about a 191 run partnership between Andrew Balbirnie (95) and Theo Lawson (93) to seal the match with 62 balls and 8 wickets remaining. It was the last time Balbirnie passed 50 in Leinster senior cricket.
The Hills 5 vs Swords 5 - The Hills are in fourth place in the Development League/Division 20, with five games still to play. They are 55 points behind leaders Adamstown 8, but have a couple of games in hand. Swords are bottom, but will only be in relegation trouble if a 21st Division was added in 2024. Sword have won both of the previous games between the teams. Hayden Clinton hit 43 for The Hills in the August 2022 league game with Tara O Brien taking 3-34 in the same match. For Swords, Mishel Serin struck 39 across the two matches, and Ron Xavier hit 29* and 12. With the ball Joseph Johnson took 4-16 in the August 2022 match.
Carlow 4 vs Adamstown 8 - Leaders of the Development League/Division 20 Adamstown 8 travel to Carlow to take on 5th place Carlow 2. Carlow's chances of the title are gone so today is all about development. The title race had still a long way to go, with Adamstown and Clontarf having three matches left, but Pembroke in 3rd still having six to play. The only league meeting between the team was this year's reverse fixture in Corkagh Park, when Adamstown came out big winners. Angad Bawa made 59 for Adamstown and Birbaan Singh 60, the youth players adding 107 for the 3rd wicket as Adamstown got to 193 all out. Ishaan Mohan took 3-33 for Carlow, his career best in his first season in Open Competitions. Carlow struggled in reply, with Talha Ahmed top scoring with 20, Owen Abbas taking 2-18 and Nirbaan Singh 2-3 as Carlow lost by 121 runs.
Greystones 4 vs Clontarf 7 - Clontarf 7's have offered a rare ray of sunshine in a tough year for Clontarf's lower teams. They are second in Division 20, and travel to Greystones who are down in 6th. The one previous meeting was on July 7 this year, with youth players to the fore. Ruairi Murphy hit his first 50 for Clontarf with 92 and Sam Pepper made 33 as Tarf got to 240/4. In reply, Milo Dagg got 27* and Finn Baxter 22 as Greystones got to 154/8, Ruairi Irving taking 2-11.
Knockharley 1 vs Merrion 3 - Knockharley have four games left in which to get out of the Division 4 relegation zone. The good news is that both Wexford Wanderers 1 and Phoenix 2 are within 2 points, and Merrion themselves are only 24 points ahead, and a big win for Knockharley today would see them overtake Merrion. Merrion are up in 4th and have five games left to try to catch second place The Hills 2 - who are 45 points ahead. But as we have seen, they cannot take their eyes off those below. There have been four league games between the teams in Kentstown, with Merrion only winning one. That game was a Covid era T20 match, and worryingly for Merrion they have failed to pass 117 in any of those four matches. The match last September saw Asif Ali take 3-6 and Daneyaal Janjua 3-25 as Merrion recovered slightly from 48-8 to post 64 all out - the lowest total in Merrion 3's post 2011 history. Knockharley's chase was hardly easy though. Vishal Singh took 5-29 (his second 5 wicket haul for Merrion 3 in 2022) and Beant Bhathal 3-23 as Knockharley fell to 53-8. But Ovais Ali's 20 at the top of the order proved crucial as the home side won by 2 wickets.
Athlone 3 vs Lucan 3 - Athlone lost to Balbriggan 4 yesterday, a result that leaves Athlone with far too much to do to get promoted. So they need to concentrate on avoiding relegation, with another two wins from their last six matches being enough. Lucan are one place above them in 4th and are 89 points behind Adamstown 7 (before yesterday) so have little chance of promotion or relegation! One previous match between the teams was last year's Adamstown Cup match on June 19. There were 50s for Lucan's Shalitha Wijethilaka (57) and Gurpal Singh (50) with Lucan getting to 201/6. Athlone didn't recover from being 4-2, limping to 76/7 with Siddharth Patel top scoring with 22.
North Kildare 6 vs Sandyford 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of North Kildare 6 vs Clondalkin 3 (June 11)
Balbriggan 4 vs DLR County 2 - Balbriggan's 8 wicket win over Athlone 3 yesterday has kept up the remote chance of promotion for Balbriggan. Adamstown 7 won as well, so the gap between third and second stays at approximately 70 points - surely too much for Balbriggan to make up with only five games left? DLR County 2 can confirm promotion today with a big win, but the exact points needed depend on the scores in some of yesterday's games. The only previous league match between the teams was on May 14th this year. Ryan Keenan took 5-36 for Balbriggan, his first five wicket haul in Leinster cricket and along with Druhan Knight's 3-27, DLR County were bowled out for 156. But the DLR County bowling attach was up to the task. Naveen George took 3-25 and four others took wickets as Balbriggan could only make 125 all out from 36 overs, Amkela Nontso top scoring with 38.
Phoenix 5 vs Greystones 2 - Three Division 12 games left for Phoenix and four for Greystones but they may not be the most exciting games as the season comes ot an end. Greystones look to be safe from relegation (one more win should ensure it), but they are 40 points behind Lucan 2 in second place, and that looks to be too big a gap to close in four games. Phoenix are down in 6th place and have a battle on their hands to avoid relegation. They are only 9 points ahead of Adamstown in 7th place, but Adamstown have a game in hand. Phoenix will have to win at least two of their last three games. Phoenix lead the overall head to head 6-3, with Greystones winning the last two league matches. The match on May 14 2022 saw Greystones win by 63 runs. Rahul Mahajan took a slightly expensive 5-76 from 7 overs, the most expensive five (or better) wicket haul for Phoenix we have on record since 2011, as three Greystones players got to 40 - Mirwais Nawabzai (46), Adian Longstaff (44) and Hisham Ismail (49). Greystones' 279/8 was more than enough, although there would good Phoenix contributions from Sanip Kumar (51), Dinesh Sagi (60) and Jack Bennett (46*) as Phoenix came back from 22-4 to finish on 216/8.
North Kildare 2 vs Malahide 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Clontarf 3 vs Civil Service 2 (August 9)
Lucan 2 vs Mullingar 2 - Mullingar remain the mystery side in Division 12. Down in 5th place but with four games in hand on leaders Sandyford, they would go top if those four matches were all big wins. Lucan also have a game in hand on leaders Sandyford whilst being 48 points behind. Both have real promotion chances and look safe from relegation, but the losers today will probably be out of the race for the Division 12 title. The good news for Lucan is that in five previous matches between the teams, Lucan have won all five. St Catherine's Park is a high scoring ground, with at least 300 likely to be needed by the winning team. Last year's match saw Sameer Handa score 118* for Lucan, his only century in a 119 match career for Adamstown and Lucan. Sean Glennon took 3-42 for Mullingar to leave Lucan at 192/7 before Gurpal Singh came in at number 10 to break all manner of records. He scored 83 as Handa and Singh added 108 for the 8th wicket to get Lucan to 300/8. That is the highest score by any Lucan number 9 and the highest 8th wicket partnership for Lucan 2. In reply Ali Yasir scored 101 for Mullingar and Sean Glennon 52. Yasir's highest score we had recorded since 2011 was 99, scored against Railway Union 2 in 2014, and he finally got to his first century for Mullingar in a career that now stretches to 120 matches. A flurry of late order wicket (Dhiraj Singh took 4-48) saw Mullingar make 245/8.
Sandyford 1 vs Laois 1 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Clontarf 3 vs Civil Service 2 (August 9)
Terenure 2 vs Railway Union 3 - Division 6's second place team will be concentrating mainly on the second promotion spot, with small possibilities of both relegation and the title. Terenure have five games left to close the 63 point gap on Longford at the top and are only 24 points ahead of Leinster in 7th. They merely need to keep on winning. It is a similar story for fourth place Railway. With Clontarf 4 officially relegated last weekend, there is only one more relegation place to worry about, but in a tight league, and of six teams could take it. Railway only have three games left though and have no chance of the title. This fixture has been played in Terenure six times since 2011 with Railway winning four. The last time was in July 2018, when Terenure could only make 104 with Donal Vaughan top scoring with 42* and Mohnish Kriplani taking the last three wickets to fall to end with 3-21. Philip Rout took 3-25 for Terenure, but defending the total was always going to be hard work, and Railway crawled to victory in the 31st over for the loss of 4 wickets. Kriplani top scoring with 35*.
Castleknock 3 vs Wicklow County 2 - The top two in Division 16 meet in a potential classic in Porterstown Park. Both teams have plenty of matches left (Castleknock 5, Wicklow County 6) so the result of this match won't decide the league, but the winners will be in a great position. The four previous matches between the teams were all in the period 2013-2016, with Castleknock winning only one. In the only match played in Porterstown, Wicklow County won by 8 wickets. Rohan Raikar took 4-11 and Oliver Murphy 3-25 as Castleknock were limited to 159/9 with Ali Shah top scoring with 35. Wicklow County 2's all time leading run scorer (Thejas Sreedharan with 2761 at 31.38) then hit 63 to see County home by 8 wickets.
Longford 1 vs Pembroke 3 - The runaway leaders of Division 6, Longford 1 host Pembroke 3, with the title in sight. As it stands they are 63 runs short of the league, but that title will quickly come down as second place Terenure 2 presumably fail to pick up maximum points in every game. Pembroke 3 are in 5th and should have their eyes on relegation, being only 6 points ahead of 7th place Leinster 3 (who have two games in hand). There is one stat that shows how hard this afternoon will be for Pembroke - in seven matches between the teams, from 2017 to this June, Longford have won them all. This year's league fixture saw Ethan Clarke (72) and Jurgens Badenhorst (76) put on 143 for the first wicket (now the 3rd highest 1st wicket partnership on record for Pembroke 3) but the rest of the order struggled as Umar Sarfraz took 4-36, the 6th time he has taken four wickets for Longford 1. Pembroke finished on 242 all out, and at 28-3 Longford should have been out for the count. But runs for the middle order ( Adnan Sarfraz top scored with 45) saw Longford get home with 9 overs and 2 wickets left.
Finglas 3 vs Clondalkin 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Clondalkin 3 vs Sandyford 3 (August 5)
Naas 1 vs Merrion 5 - Naas 1 will be confirmed today as the bottom side in Division 11 if they lose to Merrion. With the side being reduced to seven teams as a result of YMCA 4's withdrawal, that should make Merrion safe from relegation. With them having five games remaining, there is still a faint chance of promotion, but the amazing reversal of fortunes would need five wins and results to go their way. Two previous matches between the teams were both in the Whelan Cup and were both won by Merrion. The June 2022 match saw Kamil Mahajan make 52 (his first 50 for Naas, after 14 50s and 2 tons for Adamstown), but the rest of the batting fell away as Adamstown went from 82/1 to 138 all out. Himanshu Sharma took 3-13 for Merrion to clean up the tail. Sharma (44) and Harry Sandys (36 - his career highest score in his 60 matches since 2018) then added 71 for the 4th wicket to see Merrion home with 24 balls remaining.
The Hills 3 vs Ashbourne 1 - The Hills may be in third place in Division 9, but have a 21 gap to North Kildare 3 in second, having played one game more. With four games remaining, the Hills may have to win all four to get a promotion spot. In a tight league, they are not safe from relegation either, being only 18 points ahead of Lucan in 7th place - having played a game more than them. Everything to play for for The Hills! Ashbourne are in a safer position, looking down on the rest of the league in a two way tussle with North Kildare. They have five games remaining, and just need to make sure they do better than North Kildare, with the two meeting in the final match of the season on September 10. The teams haven't played each other since 2018, with The Hills winning both matches that year. In the match in the Vineyard, Ashbourne were going well at 51-0 (Terry Bruton 44) before a horrific collapse saw them slide from 88-2 to 107 all out, including being at 105-5! Losing five wickets for two runs was Ashbourne 1's biggest ever five wicket collapse. The architect of the Ashbourne misery was Jason Magee who took 6-16, his best figures on record (since 2011), and the second best figures for The Hills 3 we have on record, behind Aijaz Farooqi's 6-11 against Malahide 4 in May 2013. The Hills didn't have it their own way when chasing, losing six wickets to get their in 28 overs.
Adamstown 2 vs Phoenix 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Merrion 4 vs Castleknock 1 (August 6)
Swords 4 vs Kilkenny 3 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Clondalkin 3 vs Sandyford 3 (August 5)
Wexford Wanderers 2 vs North Kildare 5 - Wexford are looking good for promotion in Division 13, 12 points behind Finglas 2 in second but with two games in hand on them. Dundalk look to far ahead at the top of the table, but the second promotion spot is Wexford's to lose at the moment. North Kildare are down in 7th place with six matches still to play. It is still too early to tell, but three wins from those six matches should be enough to ensure safety. This year's reverse fixture resulted in a big Wexford win. Consistent batting all the way down the order sawWexford make 221/7 with Prasanth Pillai (58) scoring his first 50 for Wexford after previously getting one for Swords 1 in 2021. It went wrong for North Kildare right at the start of their reply and from 17/4 there was no coming back. The wickets were shared around, with Steven Vuyk taking 3-13 as North Kildare made only 61 to lose by 160 runs.
Tyrrelstown 2 vs Rush 3 - Fourth in Division 11 hosts third place. Both look safe from relegation in the seven team league, but both are up against it when it comes to promotion. Tyrrelstown are only seven points behind second place North County, but have played one extra game. Rush are on an identical number of points as Tyrrelstown (127) but have played a game extra. The only previous meeting between the teams was this year's meeting on April 29 in Kenure. Tyrrelstown struggled form the word go, slipping to 29-4, and no one scored more than Vigneshwar RK's 18. Abhishek Raj had the best bowling return for Rush with 3-24 as Tyrrelstown were bowled out for 97. Rush quickly had their own problems as well as they fell to 25/4. But Callum Armstrong (22) and Niall Mullen (52) ensured there were no more issues and Rush won by 6 wickets in 19.5 overs.
Adamstown 6 vs Pembroke 5 - Division 16 continues to look like a cracker, with these two teams involved in the fight at the wrong end of the table. Pembroke are 18 points ahead of Knockharley 3 in the second relegation spot, but have played one game more. Adamstown are only seven points ahead of Knockharley, but have played a game less. At a guess Pembroke need another two wins from their last four, and Adamstown three wins from their last six. Another pair of teams who have only ever met once - on June 10 this year in a league game in Sydney Parade. Pembroke's excellent total of 246/4 was built around three excellent innings - Bhushan Baviskar (currently the highest run scorer in the entire Open Competitions for 2023) with 54, Prashanth Nair with 50* and Subramaniyam Ravisankar with an unbeaten 102. In 17 games for Pembroke he had only passed 36 twice - and both times converted into hundreds. Adamstown made the chase look easy though, as Rozeen Ahmed hit 101 and Waleed Ahsen Abbasi 106*, the pair adding 127 for the fourth wicket. It is the highest successful run chase ever for Adamstown 6 and the only time in Adamstown's history (for any team) that two players have scored tons in the same innings.
Laois 3 vs Railway Union 5 - A Division 15 mid table clash, but to be honest there is a higher likelihood of both teams being relegated than getting promoted. Laois are in 5th place with four games remaining, and are 18 points ahead of Clontarf 6 in 7th place. Railway are a place higher and have played a game less, so should be closer to safety - one more win from their last five games should be enough. Laois have won the last seven matches between the sides, with Railway's last win coming back in August 2013. In Park Avenue, Sahab Uddin took 3-36 for Laois, with only Damian Gargan (32) and Nicholas Jagoe (52*) contributing for Railway as they got to 161/9 from 40 overs. That proved plenty, with Ajith Ravi taking 3-29 and Iftikhar Sabir 3-5 as Laois were bowled out for 141. William Blackley (29), Daniel Monk (29) and Jasmeet Singh (30) all got starts but it wasn't enough.
Leinster 6 vs Merrion 7 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Merrion 7 vs Ongar 2 (August 7)
Civil Service 3 vs Kilkenny 1 - No preview as waiting for scorecard of Merrion 4 vs Castleknock 1 (August 6)
Malahide 4 vs Leinster 4 - Division 10 is rapidly coming to an end, with leaders Leinster only having two matches left as they travel to Malahide who have four to go. As it stands 47 points are needed to guarantee the title for Leinster, a total that will probably end up being lower. Promotion can not be promised today either, but a win will set them up nicely for their last game away to Clontarf on August 30. Malahide are in 6th and look to be out of the promotion race (they are currently 67 points behind second place Balbriggan 3). One or two wins from their last four matches should save them from relegation as well. Malahide have not won this fixture at home since a two wicket win in August 2019. Leinster made 218/7 thanks to 60 from Avtar Singh. There were runs all the way down the Malahide order with Brian Gilmore (39), Adam Doyle (31) and Sean Drumm (76) all scoring well. But incredibly it was still close, and at 180/7 could have gone either way. 39 from Ryan Condron proved crucial as he and Joe Jennings added 37 for the 8th wicket, Malahide eventually winning by 2 wickets with 7 balls to spare.
Mullingar W1 vs Terenure W2 - No preview as waiting on multiple Division 4 scorecards to be completed/processed.