PEMBROKE CLAIM THIRD CONSECUTIVE IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE IN DRAMATIC SEASON FINALE!

An unscriptable season came to a sensational end in Dublin 4 this afternoon, as Pembroke were once again the fastest finishers, nicking the league title out from under Merrion's nose for the second time in three seasons, in doing so claiming an unprecedented clean sweep of all trophies available to them this season, third IBI Corporate Finance Premier League title in a row, and fourth league title on the spin (including the 2023 Championship crown)

Starting off in Merrion, where our featured action saw Malahide's skipper Jeremy Martins winning the toss and inviting the hosts to bat first. They bowled an excellent opening spell between Martins and Kelvin Donnelly, with neither bowler managing to take the edge in spite of relentless line and length.

That all changed when Robbie Foulkes came into the attack, he dismissed Stephen Doheny caught behind, before changing ends and bowling an over that changed the game immeasurably, dismissing Swapnil Modgill and Raj Undre in the space of three balls, before even having time to see John Anderson dropped off his bowling. Foulkes did however dismiss Anderson just a couple of overs later, thanks to a sharp catch by Andrew Sheridan. That saw him finishing with 4/27 from his 10 overs, as Merrion sought to rebuild.

Danny Forkin and Seb Dijkstra added a 50-partnership for the fifth wicket, before Sheridan, bowling off-breaks, induced a poor shot from Forkin to see him caught on the boundary for 46. It was then left to Dijkstra to shepherd the tail, as he was eventually out for 58 as his side could manage just 191 all out in the final over of the innings.

Meanwhile, in Sydney Parade, Pembroke had recovered from 38/5 and 117/7 to post a competitive score of 185 all out. Sanil Gupta the man who kept the league title alive through the afternoon, as he shared vital stands of 60 with Danny Hogan (17) and 68 with Paul Lawson (24*) before being dismissed for an excellent 101 from 112 deliveries, a knock which featured 13 boundaries and a maximum. Two wickets for each of Bilal Azhar, Mark Tonge and Saqib Bahadur putting Leinster well on top before Gupta took control of the innings.

That news meant that Merrion went out to field knowing they needed early wickets to put themselves in the ascendency. However when Robbie Foulkes was spilled at slip in just the third over, there was a sense around the ground that a chance that they could ill afford to miss had been spurned. Hugh Kennedy bowled a jaffa to knock over Matthew Langan's off-stump, bringing Adam Doyle to the crease to join Foulkes.

Foulkes and Doyle moved the score to 108, before a poorly judged sweep from Doyle saw him out LBW for 47, however they had put Malahide into an excellent position. Any sense of a comeback was quickly quashed, as Jeremy Martins joined Foulkes at the crease and immediately rotated the strike to get the partnership going. As news filtered around the ground of more and more wickets falling in Sydney Parade, Malahide continued to accelerate, and as Martins thumped Modgill and Dijkstra for sixes at opposite ends of the ground, it was left to Foulkes to nick the winning boundary to the rope, finishing 79*, as Martins was also unbeaten on 47 to secure a thumping win for The Village.

When that game was completed, Pembroke had Leinster 8 down, however a late assault from Mark Tonge was keeping them in the game, a brace of boundaries, firstly over and then just to the right of wicket-keeper Danny Hogan brought them within 14 runs of victory. However the hero of the season with the ball, Byron McDonough would not be denied, and with the second last ball of his ten over spell had Tonge caught at deep cover by Addison Sherriff - sending Sydney Parade into raptures.

Huge congratulations are due to Pembroke, who claim their third consecutive title, and their clean sweep of all club trophies for the 2026 season. Well done to all players, coaches, officials and supporters associated with the team on this remarkable achievement.

See you all at the CL Awards Night and Gala Dinner at the Round Room in the Mansion House on January 29th - it's sure to be another brilliant night for all involved with the side this season - https://buytickets.at/cricketleinster/2361582

Meanwhile in the IBI Corporate Finance Championship - a last ditch win for Rush, coupled with defeat for Civil Service, saw the Kenure outfit rescuing themselves from the foot of the table, where they had been for almost the entire season to this point.

In Kenure, the hosts batted first, and after a slow start they were indebted to quick runs for Abid Taniwal (64) with support from Jack McGee who made 46, and Nasir Totakhil's 45, as they eventually finished with 251/8 from their 48 overs. Ethan Marshall the pick of the Clontarf bowlers claiming 3/60.

Clontarf's response got off to a flying start, but when Séamus Lynch and Yash Bala fell, they could never recover, as there were three wickets apiece for the spin bowling duo of Nasir Totakhil and Nathan McGuire, with Allan Eastwood and Taniwal claiming two each in shooting 'Tarf out for just 127 to secure their Premier League slot for the 2027 season.

Finally, that was all made possible by North County comprehensively dismantling Civil Service over in Inch. Batting first, the hosts made 176/9, however they did well to recover to that position having lost quick wickets early doors to Noor Ullah, before their recover was disturbed by top-scorer John Devane retiring hurt on 51. 20s for Brandon Morris, Jake Devane and Sean Sludds however guided them to their final total.

Civil Service were then dismal in their run chase, only Zaman Safi making double figures as the side were all out for just 54, Eddie Richardson claiming 4/21, whilst there were also wickets for Alan Joseph Mathew, who took 3/9, and Abdul Ghaffar with 2/16, as they secured 25 points to round out their league season.