WINS FOR PEMBROKE, MALAHIDE, LEINSTER AND CLONTARF, AS 'TARF GO TOP - ED SPORTS PREMIER LEAGUE (30.07)

A cracking night of cricket in the ED Sports Premier League this evening saw three teams claiming the full 25 points, as Clontarf are now top of the table for the first time since they claimed the league in 2023.

There were comprehensive victories for 'Tarf against Balbriggan, whilst Pembroke cruised their run-chase against Merrion. Leinster claimed full points in what proved to be a comfortable chase in Rathmines, whilst there was a low-scoring thriller in Milverton, as Malahide and The Hills shared just 107 runs for 15 wickets!

Kicking off in The Hills - the first result of the night saw a game that ebbed and flow in spite of it's low-scoring nature. Batting first, the hosts lost their big names early, as Jane Maguire and Lara McBride were dismissed cheaply, Freya Sargent and Sarah Brophy ultimately combining to almost halt the innings, taking 4/11 and 3/21 respectively as The Hills were 20/7 at the end of the 6-over PowerPlay. Eve Meachen's 18 guided them to 53 all out, which looked well below par at half time. At 7/4 however the target briefly will have felt miles away for Malahide, however Meg Thompson (23*) and Haley Moore grabbed the game and took it on, bringing the score from 7 to 52 in just 33 deliveries, Moore dismissed for 20 just before the chase was complete as Malahide were 5 wicket winners inside 10 overs.

The next result came from Sydney Parade, where Merrion batted first. They started brightly with 33 for Bella Armstrong and 26 for Annabel Squires, however after that duo fell, nobody passed 13 as the innings lost all momentum. Marama Downes the pick of the bowlers for the hosts claiming 2/17 as they kept Merrion to just 116/6 in their allocation. Lou Lou Little dominated the chase, as she plundered 13 boundaries and two maximums in an unbeaten 84 from just 35 balls, sharing a powerful, unbroken stand of 122 with skipper Isobel Jennings, who herself was not out on 34 from just 21 deliveries, in securing a 10 wicket win, also inside 10 overs!

In Castle Avenue, Clontarf posted the highest score of the night, as they ran up 215/1 in their 20 overs. Robyn Searle was the star of the show, as she made 103 from 62 deliveries, hitting twelve fours and two sixes in the process. Her opening stand with Christina Coulter-Reilly was worth 186, as the Irish international finished unbeaten on 78 from just 51 balls, and added 38 with Alice Walsh (14*) in the final 15 balls of the innings. The reply started perfectly for Clontarf, Sinead Thomson dismissing Lara Maritz first ball without scoring, and when the South African trio of Courtney Gounden (23), Madison Landsman (20) and Julia Hoal (15) were all dismissed, 'Tarf squeezed Balbriggan to 112 all out in the 19th over. Annabel Walsh, Hannah Lee and Robyn Searle all claiming two wickets in the process of securing a 103 run win.

Finally in Observatory Lane, Rush batted first and produced another huge opening stand, this time Ellie McGee and Cate Pedersen combining before the latter was dismissed, run out for 58 out of a stand of 150 in the first 15 overs. McGee continued on relentlessly, adding a further 51 in the final 5 overs with Elizabeth Cohr (24*) and ultimately finishing unbeaten on 98, having faced just two balls in the final over with a potential century in the offing, Rush's 201/1 however looked an imposing halfway mark score. When Cohr dismissed Rebecca Rolfe for 11 the visitors will have felt they had proceedings under control, however what followed was an outrageous partnership between Laura Delany and overseas player Alex Sheedy. The pair combined to add an unbroken stand of 188 in just 15.4 overs to sink the Kenure side's hopes of victory on the road, Sheedy ultimately unbeaten on 79 from just 50 deliveries, whilst Delany was not out on 96 from 51 balls, finding the boundary on 15 occasions as well as one maximum, as the pair secured a 9 wicket win with 13 balls to spare.