IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW – ROUND 2 (MAY 3RD)

After a competitive opening weekend saw both of last season's top two beaten, the season will really kick into gear this Saturday, as teams set themselves up in their only double-weekend of league action this season.

Wins for Leinster, Phoenix, Clontarf, North County, Malahide & The Hills sees the league table holding a distinctly Northside flavour in the top half for now.

This weekend’s action sees some mouth-watering fixtures in the IBI Corporate Finance Premier League, where the featured action will come from Anglesea Road, with Malahide visiting Merrion in a fixture which always seems to deliver some big performances.

Elsewhere the only sides facing off who both won last week do so at Castle Avenue, where The Hills visit Clontarf. Balbriggan play host to Leinster, with the other game on the Northside of the Liffey being a local derby between Rush and North County in Kenure.

In Sydney Parade, Pembroke host their nearest neighbours Railway Union, whilst the southern-most fixture of the round takes place in The Mardyke, as Cork County host Phoenix.

MERRION VS MALAHIDE

Malahide enter this game having snuck past Railway by the skin of their teeth last weekend, whilst an understrength Merrion side battled hard but fell well short against Phoenix. This weekend sees what may already be a must-win for Merrion in the grand scheme of the season in order to keep their title hopes on the right track.

The home side see two key players returning, as Stephen Doheny comes back in at the top of the order having missed last weekend’s opener due to the Irish Wolves tour. Also returning is their skipper Max Sorensen. This pair, whilst obviously adding some prowess with the bat and ball, as well as Doheny’s presence behind the stumps, will add some significant experience of this level to the team, which appeared to be somewhat lacking last weekend as having made a decent start they collapsed massively. Swapnil Modgill will have been frustrated at being dismissed having made a good start, however he and Doheny are sure to enjoy reprising their partnership of the last two seasons which has proved so fruitful. Beyond that pair, John Anderson will, as ever, be vital in the middle order, as the hosts will be aiming to make use of what look set to be some excellent batting conditions on their home turf this weekend.

With the ball, they will be looking to Sorensen for some much needed wicket-taking ability, whilst Mikey O’Reilly and Melvin Devaraj are the pair who should be feared the most if there’s anything to be extracted from the wicket early on. Andy Doheny is the fourth seamer, with the spin threat being two-fold, coming in the form of Tom Stanton’s left-arm, which produced an excellent 10-over spell last weekend, with Modgill’s offies likely to be the final piece in the puzzle.

Malahide meanwhile will see their skipper James Newland return this weekend and this should prove to be a huge boost particularly considering how well their bowling attack performed in his absence last weekend. If Kelvin Donnelly were also to make his first appearance of the season, it would be tough to ignore the overall strength of their unit. Ravi Kumar, Mohit Sane and Timcy Khanduja all bowled excellent spells last weekend, whilst their mainstay of last season Andrew Sheridan was as miserly as ever in his spell, ultimately proving crucial to the outcome of the game.

With the bat, there was a big positive in Khanduja’s opening round 60, however a cause for concern will no doubt remain as they suffered three run outs in their first four wickets, they will be hoping that this was a mere hiccup to begin the season. Those run outs meant there was little impact from the men who they will be expecting to contribute the bulk of their runs this season in Robbie Foulkes, Adam Doyle and Cormac McLoughlin-Gavin, and with Jeremy Martins’ fitness currently an unknown, they cannot afford another slip where these players are dismissed without the chance to contribute to the innings. Sheridan, Mohit Sane and Aaron Doyle will be the men aiming to provide some impetus later in the innings, which could prove crucial particularly if they are batting first.

The impact the return of Stephen Doheny is likely to have on Merrion is almost unquantifiable, so many times in recent seasons he has proved to be a match winner, never moreso than in this fixture, where his last four scores read 1, 128, 76* & 108*, seemingly the key for Malahide will be to not allow him to get to 2! The man they may look to in this regard could well be the skipper James Newland, with his ability to move the new ball potentially made yet more dangerous by the introduction of a ball from each end this season.

KEY BATTLE: Stephen Doheny vs James Newland

BALBRIGGAN VS LEINSTER

These two sides took part in contrasting fixtures last time around, as Leinster’s game saw them successful in the fixture with the fewest runs, whilst Balbriggan lost out by 113 runs in spite of playing in the highest scoring game of the opening round.

Balbriggan enter this weekend’s fixtures no doubt delighted by the return of Chris de Freitas, another who’s availability last weekend was affected by the ‘Wolves’ tour, not alone does he return but he does so in fine form too, having starred for the side in spite of their mixed results. He adds depth to a side which found itself relying on Cameron Rowe and the improved batting prowess of Dylan Lues for the bulk of the runs last weekend. With the ball, the Hollard brothers of Matthew with the new ball and Jordan’s off-spin are the pair which Leinster will likely need to guard against most carefully, as both have shown last weekend to be extremely feisty competitors even in the toughest scenarios. Sam Willemse’s new-ball threat is another aspect of this bowling attack which Leinster will need to be wary of, whilst Kashif Ali showed some decent control at times. The absence of Sebastian D’Oliveira is a continued frustration for the ‘Brigg, as he is among a number of overseas players who are yet to receive their documents to enter the country.

Leinster meanwhile will be fully aware of the threats Balbriggan pose to any level of complacency that may exist after their victory last weekend. Their left-arm seamers did all the damage in that game, as the skipper Bilal Azhar took 5 wickets, supported by Jai Moondra who also snared 4 victims. This attack will be furthered strengthened when Ben Mitchell enters the team, however he didn’t appear last weekend. Joey Carroll and Mark Tonge lead the way of the right-arm seamers, whilst the other area of real strength in their bowling attack is the left-arm spin of Tom Johnson, alongside the right-arm offies of Saqib Bahadur. With the bat, Monil Patel and Tristen de Beer were the players who got to try find a bit of form last week, and they will likely prove important alongside Carroll & Younas Ahmadzai, in another area where the addition of the hard-hitting Mitchell will be much anticipated.

The class act with the bat in this Leinster side is doubtless Monil Patel, and the visitors this weekend will be hoping to see him in top form once again this weekend, he will likely do battle with Balbriggan’s leading seamer Sam Willemse early in the Leinster innings, and if ‘Brig’s left armer can dismiss Patel, it will cause Leinster some serious issues.

KEY BATTLE: Sam Willemse vs Monil Patel

CLONTARF VS THE HILLS

‘Tarf were indebted to their new boys last week as ‘Moose’ & ‘Paddy’ delivered a brace of debuts to remember in their first appearances in the Bullring, they and The Hills both put their unbeaten records on the line in week two, with their hosts having come out on top in a typically hard-fought derby against near-neighbours Rush.

The home side will be hoping for more fireworks from Séamus Lynch after his immediate impact last time out, whilst alongside him Mitchell Thompson’s breezy opening showed a glance of what he could offer up top. Eoghan Delany and Patrick Xie did exactly what was needed and appear to be the perfect foil for one another, whilst John McNally and David Delany round off an excellent top 6. Andrew Delany comes into the side this week and he’s the man who will need to be on guard should the team suffer a middle order wobble. With the ball, McNally makes his return to the bowling crease this weekend, and will offer support to David Delany and Reuben Wilson who will likely share the new ball once again. Yash Bala and Cillian McDonnell were the two frontline spinners heading in to last weekend, however Xie has also emerged as an excellent option, should Delany wish to turn to him once again.

The Hills’ manager Barry Grimes was kind enough to offer some insight on their side heading in to this weekend, and they do see a couple of changes from the team which was victorious last time around.

“Tomás is unavailable, so Yaseen Sherzad comes in as a direct replacement.

Kuwait International Edson Silva comes into the side after his 58 ball century in the 2nd XI Premier last week.

Andy Kavanagh takes over as captain.”

The batting will be led by the likes of Brandon Kruger alongside the aforementioned pair of Silva and Kavanagh, whilst Ollie Horlock is another man they will be hoping to see to the forefront of things. Whilst The Hills have made no secret that they are hoping for big things from the likes of Matthew Weldon and Cian Nulty with bat in hand this term.

Grimes was fully aware of the need for the batters to kick on this time around, but was quick to praise the efforts of the bowling unit;

“4 of our top 6 got good starts, but no one went on to score big, which is something we’ll be hoping for.

9 of the 10 wickets we took were bowled or lbw, which means we bowled good areas at times, despite the extras column. We know there’s better discipline required.”

That’s the gauntlet thrown down for the bowling unit, led by Sean McNicholl & Weldon, to keep building on what on the face of it is an excellent effort last weekend. However the man they will be hoping to see produce some brilliance is doubtless Febin Manoj, with his mystery spin one of the trickier tasks that the home side will face this season.

Doubtless The Hills will be most concerned with seeing the back of ‘Tarf’s new opener Séamus Lynch this weekend, particularly considering his knock last week which has gotten his season off to the perfect start. Sean McNicholl was excellent in their bowling effort, and he will be the man The Hills will hope can get the better of the ‘Moose’.

KEY BATTLE: Séamus Lynch vs Sean McNicholl

RUSH VS NORTH COUNTY

It doesn’t get any easier for the Kenure men, having been beaten by The Hills last weekend they will be hoping to make home advantage pay as they face off against a North County side which will be massively buoyed by their victory over last season’s league champions Pembroke, in spite of a mid-innings wobble. They were indebted to their middle order that day, when Niall McGovern and Alan Joseph Mathew were the men who saw them to victory with a tremendous unbeaten century stand. This weekend they will be hoping to find themselves under slightly less pressure, with the likes of Brian Dunphy, John Devane, Hunter Kindley and Suliman Safi all hoping to produce some strong efforts. The brothers Abdul, Ghaffar and Sattar are the pair who will need to add the impetus later in the innings. It’s that pair who are likely to be key with the ball as well, alongside Usman Azhar who produced a fine return performance last weekend, alongside Sean Sludds who was his typically controlled self. The spin comes from their pair of all-rounders, with Mathew and Safi both offering very different varieties of off-spin, which have proven to be equally threatening wicket-taking options at times across the last number of seasons.

Rush meanwhile were a case of so near but so far, as in spite of their own top-order faltering badly, they saw an excellent effort from their new-man Abidullah Taniwal carry them close to what would have been a most unlikely victory. They will be hoping to see a return for Prasanth Viswanath this weekend, after Sadaat Gull filled his position last weekend, whilst it will be interesting to see if Nasir Totakhil continues at the top of the order. Nathan McGuire is set to be their key wicket once again, and with the McGee brothers Jack & Finn, alongside Hashir Sultan will be the men in the middle order they need to produce some decent efforts. Jarred Barnes and Allan Eastwood are proving to be almost ageless in their continued efforts with the new ball, and along with Asher Abbasi, Taniwal and Alex Neary, the side is full of excellent seam-bowling options. Their main destroyers however are also their spinners, as McGuire and Totakhil have proved to be economical and wicket-takers already this season, sharing 20 overs and taking combined figures of 5-63 last time out.

There’s no doubt that Suliman Safi is a key batter for North County, and he’s going to need to work his way through a testing opening spell from Allan Eastwood if he is to lead the away side to a strong batting effort this weekend.

KEY BATTLE: Allan Eastwood vs Suliman Safi

PEMBROKE VS RAILWAY UNION

Pembroke will be another side hoping that their return to home soil will see a change in fortunes this weekend, as they host a derby of their own. Railway will no doubt have felt enough went their way last weekend to win, and come into this game confident that they could bounce back, they will aim to do this with the return of Kevin O’Brien, with the coach set to appear in the middle order this weekend. The side is captained by Rob O’Brien, who will bat at three, with their usual opening pair of Ashil Prakash and Hedayat Khogiani remaining unchanged, whilst Liam McCarthy also returns to the middle order, along with Peter le Roux who takes the gloves.

O’Brien is looking forward to getting on the field this weekend, in an effort to atone for last week’s loss;

“Nothing like a local derby to get the juices flowing . It’s Another test for our young squad, to see where we stand as a group.

Disappointed to be on the wrong end of a close game last week, but knowing what  we needed to work on during the week has the group looking forward to this challenge.”

Pembroke meanwhile are also on a recovery mission this weekend, however they will do so mob-handed, as there are returns for Andy Balbirnie, Gavin Hoey and Barry McCarthy, adding huge depth with both bat and ball. Balbirnie will likely see himself alongside Tim Tector, JJ Garth and Sydney man Blake MacDonald in the top four, with Harry Tector continuing in the middle order. Greg Hollins continues behind the stumps, with the bulk of the batting rounded out by Jack Tector. With the ball, McCarthy and Byron McDonough are the two main seamers, and will be supported by a host of spinners, including Hoey, the skipper Paul Lawson, Garth’s leggies and rounded off by Harry Tector’s off-breaks.

It will be interesting to see what is likely to be a preview of next Wednesday’s opening battle between Tim Tector and Liam McCarthy here. Tector started last season in Sydney Parade like a house on fire and will be aiming to do the same again this time around.

KEY BATTLE: Tim Tector vs Liam McCarthy

CORK COUNTY VS PHOENIX

Cork County are traditionally extremely tough to beat at home, and this week will doubtless be hoping to put round one behind them as they return to The Mardyke. Phoenix meanwhile got off to the perfect start last week and will be aiming to head in to round three unbeaten with plenty of positives to take in their favour, not least Eknoor Singh’s debut which saw success for him, whilst there was a glimpse of the hard-hitting form that Shane Getkate can have at the top of the order, and Tyrone Kane produced what was on paper at least the most fluent of those who took to the crease. It was with the ball however where they had the stand out performers, and their spinners will no doubt once again have a massive role to play in The Mardyke, where Cork themselves are often so strong in that area of the game. Ben White and Amish Sidhu offer an extremely high standard of leg-spin and left-arm off-spin respectively, and both are set to be vital once again. Theo Dempsey’s spell last weekend will have pushed him back to the forefront of the bowling attack, however the seamers leading the way will be Raghav Grover and Kane, and both will be aiming to have a better impact than their opening spells last time out.

Cork County meanwhile will be boosted by the addition of Mark Andrianatos, who has arrived this week, and will be hoping that he can add hugely with both bat and ball. In the bowling attack, he joins medium pace pair Darsh Shetty and Zubair Khan which bolsters that aspect of their team massively. Their spinners however are also their main trump card, Nabeel Anjum’s leggies have year-on-year been relentlessly improving and causing major issues to oppositions, whilst the off-spin of Bakhtyar Nabi is sure to relish his home debut, finally the skipper Diarmuid Carey’s left-arm orthodox has been a staple of the side for a number of years, and doubtless he will be aiming to have a big impact in this fixture.

Whilst Cork’s bowling will be vital in this game, there’s no escaping the fact that their batting fell desperately short last weekend, the return of Mark Andrianatos will go a long way to fixing this, and it will be interesting to see how he gets on in the face of some high-quality spin bowling, with Amish Sidhu the man he’ll need to conquer initially to get his side into the game.

KEY BATTLE: Mark Andrianatos vs Amish Sidhu

IBI CORPORATE FINANCE PREMIER LEAGUE

Round 2 – May 3^rd, All 12 Noon Starts

At Anglesea Road, Merrion vs Malahide (FEATURED GAME)

At Jack Harper Park, Balbriggan vs Leinster

At Castle Avenue, Clontarf vs The Hills

At Kenure, Rush vs North County

At Sydney Parade, Pembroke vs Railway Union

At The Mardyke, Cork County vs Phoenix