It is easy to forget that the Division 1 season is still at its very early stages. Saturday's matched were round five on the fourteen match season, and although clubs are the bottom of the table will start to be worried, and those at the top will start to think of whether they can keep going towards the dreamed of title, in reality, we are still a long, long way or knowing who the title contenders (or relegation contenders for that matter will be)
Three of the four matches went with the pre-match favourites, with Cork County offering the one surprise on the road to Railway Union. Cork County batted first, and struggled some what on a surface that very few batsmen managed to score quickly on. Robin Russell top scored with 36, the former Pembroke player having his highest score for nine innings - dating back to his last visit to Park Avenue last August. Rachit Gaur took 3-41, the second time he has taken three wickets this season.
Needing exactly 200 to win, Railway Union were frequently in good positions. Kenny Carroll and Adrian Murphy put on 99 for the second wicket, as the home side got to 146-2. Murphy was run out for a 97 ball 84, and at 171-5, Railway needed 29 more runs from 10.4 overs. Jack Rietschel took 3-37, his best bwoling in Leinster, as those last five wickets fell for only 20 runs.
Leaders Clontarf had a convincing victory over Pembroke, with Andrew Poynter being the star. Pembroke must hate the sight if the Ireland and Lightning batsman. His knocks in Senior Cricket against Pembroke since 2011 have been 52, 56*, 40, 84, 100 and then another 100 at the weekend - 432 runs at 86.40. This 100, a 94 ball affair, helped Clontarf to 285-6, with Conor Kelly hitting a 43 ball 55. Jono Cook (3-44) , David Murphy (2-48) and Harry Balbirnie (2-33) came out of the carnage well - the others less so.
Pembroke never got going, Robin Kelly top scoring with 39, and Paul Lawson scored his highest senior score since 2011, as they were bowled out 119 run short for 166.
Malahide stay joint bottom of the league (along with Pembroke), after an 8 wicket defeat to Merrion. Fintan McAllister scored his 5th hundred since returning to Malahide in 2013, and his second in four innings, but didn't receive too much support. His 166 ball 124 was top score - Callum Riches was next with 34 as Malahide reached 238-6. David Rhoda had taken 2-40 and then put his mark on the second half of the match scoring 83*, as him and John Anderson (73*) added 169 for the third wicket, Merrion's highest 3rd wicket partnership since our records began in 2011.
In the last match, YMCA inflicted North County's first league defeat of the season. North County looked to be in a good position at the half way stage. Eddie Richardson took 5-29, his best league figures since May 2014, as YM were bowled out for 231. Jack Tector has been averaging 70 so far this season, and confirmed that as being an accurate figure, as he top scored with 70.
YMCA's four pronged spin attack was just too much for County, as a succession of twirlers left their mark. Simmi Singh took 1-21; Albert van der Merwe, 3-29 ; Yaqoob Ali, 2-41; and Ruadhan Jones 3-14 as North County were well short on 171.
Highest Batting average in Division 1 - Marchant Cup (current qualification - 250 runs)
David Rhoda's entrance to Leinster cricket has been fairly dramatic. He has been knocked off the top of the bowling averages (see below), but rockets to the top of the batting averages this week, having scored 257 runs whilst only being dismissed once.
Jact Tector remains the leading Irish qualified player, and is in fact locked in a close three horse race for the Marchant Cup, with Fintan McAllister and Andrew Poynter all within three runs of each other.
| # | Name | Club | Inn | NO | HS | 50 | 100 | 4s | 6s | Dks | SR | Runs | Avg |
| 1 | D Rhoda * | Merr | 4 | 3 | 106* | 1 | 1 | 27 | 4 | - | 90.49 | 257 | 257.00 |
| 2 | J Tector | YMCA | 8 | 2 | 135* | 1 | 2 | 45 | - | 1 | 69.54 | 420 | 70.00 |
| 3 | F McAllister | Mal | 7 | 2 | 124* | - | 2 | 38 | - | - | 65.69 | 335 | 67.00 |
| 4 | A Poynter | Tarf | 6 | 1 | 111* | 1 | 2 | 46 | 6 | - | 109.84 | 335 | 67.00 |
| 5 | Simranjit Singh | YMCA | 8 | 1 | 140 | - | 3 | 51 | 7 | - | 92.56 | 423 | 60.43 |
| 6 | A Van der Merwe | YMCA | 8 | 3 | 85 | 1 | - | 26 | 6 | 1 | 68.49 | 276 | 55.20 |
| 7 | S Grobler * | Cork | 6 | - | 95 | 3 | - | 35 | 1 | - | 74.67 | 286 | 47.67 |
| 8 | L Tucker | Pemb | 8 | - | 132 | 2 | 1 | 42 | 4 | 1 | 72.99 | 354 | 44.25 |
| 9 | B Parchment * | NC | 7 | 1 | 82 | 2 | - | 32 | 5 | - | 81.67 | 254 | 42.33 |
| 10 | T Fisher | YMCA | 8 | - | 85 | 2 | - | 25 | 1 | 1 | 61.27 | 299 | 37.38 |
Lowest Bowling average in Division 1 - O'Grady Cup (Current Qualification - 10 wkts)
Eddie Richardson has been the stand out bowler in Leinster cricket over the last few years, and after the weekend's 5-29, he returns to top spot, displacing Merrion's David Rhoda.
| # | Name | Club | Overs | Maid | RunsA | BBowl | 5I | Econ | SR | Wkt | Avg |
| 1 | Eddie Richardson | NC | 53 | 5 | 212 | 5-29 | 1 | 3.94 | 17.94 | 18 | 11.78 |
| 2 | D Rhoda * | Merr | 34 | 3 | 133 | 5-29 | 1 | 3.91 | 18.55 | 11 | 12.09 |
| 3 | A Cusack | Tarf | 37 | 6 | 152 | 4-21 | - | 4.04 | 18.83 | 12 | 12.67 |
| 4 | J Cook * | Pemb | 63 | 14 | 220 | 4-41 | - | 3.48 | 23.69 | 16 | 13.75 |
| 5 | R Gaur | RU | 36 | - | 142 | 3-39 | - | 3.87 | 22.00 | 10 | 14.20 |
| 6 | M Granger * | Tarf | 54 | 10 | 231 | 5-24 | 1 | 4.28 | 21.60 | 15 | 15.40 |
| 7 | Conor Kelly | Tarf | 50 | 6 | 216 | 5-40 | 1 | 4.32 | 23.08 | 13 | 16.62 |
| 8 | J Morrissey | Tarf | 43 | 8 | 189 | 5-74 | 1 | 4.31 | 26.30 | 10 | 18.90 |
| 9 | B Parchment * | NC | 57 | 5 | 249 | 3-24 | - | 4.34 | 28.67 | 12 | 20.75 |
| 10 | Y Ali | YMCA | 83 | 5 | 349 | 5-36 | 1 | 4.20 | 33.20 | 15 | 23.27 |
| 11 | Simranjit Singh | YMCA | 80 | 14 | 334 | 3-42 | - | 4.16 | 43.82 | 11 | 30.36 |
Most Catches by a fielder in Division 1 - Solomon Cup
Two more catches for YMCA captain, Albert van der Merwe sees him open up a smaiil lead over Bester, Lawson and Singh.
| # | Name | Club | Mts | Ct |
| 1 | A Van der Merwe | YMCA | 8 | 8 |
| 2 | T Lawson | Pemb | 8 | 6 |
| 3 | L Bester * | Merr | 5 | 6 |
| 4 | Simranjit Singh | YMCA | 8 | 6 |
| 5 | M Junaid Amin | Cork | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | E Delany | Tarf | 7 | 4 |
| 7 | Alan Reynolds | Mal | 6 | 4 |
| 8 | B Parchment * | NC | 7 | 4 |
| 9 | S Moreton | Tarf | 7 | 4 |
| 10 | P Lawson | Pemb | 8 | 4 |
Most dismissals by a wicket keeper in Division 1 - Hopkins Cup
Robert Forrest opens up a four dismissal lead, after one catch and two stumpings on Saturday.
| # | Name | Club | Mts | Ct | St | Dismissals |
| 1 | Robert Forrest | Tarf | 7 | 12 | 3 | 15 |
| 2 | L Tucker | Pemb | 8 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| 3 | F McAllister | Mal | 7 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 4 | J Cassidy | YMCA | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
Leading allrounder in Division 1 - Samuels Cup (Qualification 125 runs and 5 wickets/dismissals)
Simmi Singh retains a deserved 69 point lead. The weekend's big performers, McAllister and Richardson, both move up
| # | Name | Club | Mts | Runs | Wkt | Ct | St | Points |
| 1 | Simranjit Singh | YMCA | 8 | 423 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 643 |
| 2 | L Tucker | Pemb | 8 | 354 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 574 |
| 3 | F McAllister | Mal | 7 | 335 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 555 |
| 4 | Eddie Richardson | NC | 7 | 180 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 540 |
| 5 | J Cook * | Pemb | 8 | 192 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 512 |
| 6 | B Parchment * | NC | 7 | 254 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 494 |
| 7 | D Rhoda * | Merr | 4 | 257 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 477 |
| 8 | Robert Forrest | Tarf | 7 | 148 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 448 |
| 9 | A Van der Merwe | YMCA | 8 | 276 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 436 |
| 10 | Conor Kelly | Tarf | 7 | 133 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 393 |
| 11 | S Grobler * | Cork | 6 | 286 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 386 |