Limerick’s 2nd XI set out on Saturday afternoon to overcome their first challenge in the Junior Cup as the Shannonsiders looked to retain this trophy from last year. Nenagh arrived in the Manor Fields on the back of some good league form, lost the toss and were put into field by opposition skipper Waqas Mehmood.
Momentum shifted over and back in the first innings, Limerick opener Nishant Kumar showed his experience as he got his side up and running with 35 from just 26 deliveries, but his dismissal after 9 overs saw the score at 49-3. Ayan Ullah was stumped for 18 from 55 with Ali Taj departing in quick succession, the hosts needed a rebuild in the middle order. Nenagh struck with a number of quick wickets after drinks to turn the innings as 83-5 became 100-8 with just under 17 overs remaining. The tail for Limerick gave some breathing space and consolidated two crucial partnerships, with Mohit Malik engineering both with an unbeaten 48 to bring the score up to 190-9 after 45 overs, leaving the visitors with the task of chasing 191.
Strong resistance from Vimal, proved a constant thorne in the Limerick bowling attack. Three wickets were lost in the first 20 overs which left a similar picture to the first innings as the game hung in the balance. Vimal departed for 66 off a wonderball from Sarfraz Ramay which had flight, bounce and turn as Varickatharappel entered the fray with 80 runs or so needed.
Nenagh managed this partnership well, profiting from some loose fielding and deliveries which brought them nearer to their target as extras and even penalty runs allowed the away side to push on comfortably. A consolation wicket in the 38th over saw a bizarre run-out situation, with Varickatharappel making his ground but not grounding his bat and resulting in a dismissal. Nonetheless, it was all academic as the final partnership secured the winning runs to give Nenagh a five-wicket victory and knock the holders out in the opening round.
RESULT| MCU Junior Cup.
We lost Nenagh by 5 wickets today.
Limerick 2: 190-9 off 45 overs.
Mohit Malik 48*
Nishant Kumar 35
Nenagh 1: 191-5 off 40.2 overs.
Mohit Malik 1-14
Asif Hussein 1-27
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Limerick’s 1st XI suffered another heavy loss in the Premier League as they fell to a 153-run loss against Cork County on Sunday afternoon in the Mardyke. A rain-affected game meant Limerick’s innings was reduced to 45 overs but a steep target of 289 was too much to chase down for the Shannonsiders.
With County getting the better of the opening exchanges, Limerick’s first and second change bowlers rallied well to fight back, most notably Ajay Hari, whose figures of 2-40 were respectable in the overall picture. His counterpart spinner, Anvesh Bogavelly, concluded with 0-42 from 10 overs but some harsh overs ensued thereafter as County’s sixth wicket partnership of 119 runs saw them go from 166-4 to 285-5 and eventually finishing on 298-6.
Karthik Karur at the crease for Limerick vs Cork County
The challenge of Limerick’s response was short- lived as the loss of Teke, Hari, Hegde and Waqar early on resulted in a scoreline of 4-37. Sharma and Karur battled in the middle overs with starts made from both which could not be consolidated to bigger scores. So too was the situation for Ullah, who made 29 from 27 deliveries in a late vein to salvage some pride, his dismissal ended a forgettable day as the visitors finished their innings on 134 all out.
RESULT| MCU Premier League.
We lost to Cork County by 153 runs today (DLS).
Cork County 1: 298-6 off 50 overs.
Ajay Hari 2-40
Sumukh Venkatesh 1-39
Limerick 1: 134 all out off 39.2 overs.
Karthik Karur 34
Ayan Ullah 29
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The only positive result of the weekend came from the club’s women’s side as they defeated County Galway in Adare on Sunday afternoon by a comfortable 6-wicket margin. With the second game against Cork County abandoned due to rain, the Shanonsiders were unlucky not to make it two from the two for the day but were more than happy to pick up their first win of the season.
Limerick W XI vs Cork County/County Galway: (Back row, l-r) Snighda Sibi, Katy Hewison, Saadia Mahmood (wk), Holly Westmoreland (Capt.), Maria Van De Munchkof. (Front row, l-r) Sana George, Sheena Van De Munckhof, Sindhusha Chandu, Apurva Thorat.
Having won the toss, Limerick skipper Holly Westmoreland opted to bowl against Galway, fancying her side’s chances of chasing in the second innings. Opening bowler Snighda Sibi got the opening wicket as her full length delivery was missed by Garuge and castled the stumps at 15-1. She was followed up by Sana George from the other end, who in the following over dismissed Maxfield as her shot was caught by Hewison. Limerick continued to crucially break partnerships early, as Mahmood took the wicket of Kadam in the ninth over leaving the score at 50-3. The hosts kept it tight for the remaining five overs or so with Galway finishing on 76-4 to give Limerick a target of 77 to win.
Despite the loss of opener Maria Van De Munckhof in the second over, a responsible knock from Sana George, batting at 3, all but secured her side’s run chase. George manufactured a 53-run partnership in 8 overs with Hewison to get their side from 7-1 to 60-1, with contributions of 37 and 11 respectively. Westmoreland entered the crease and with just 17 remaining, herself and George ensured their side’s run chase with just over three overs to spare. George finished on a match-winning 37* which included 3x4s and 2x6s.
RESULT| MCU T15 Women's Superleague.
We defeated County Galway by 6 wickets today.
County Galway W: 76-4 off 15 overs.
Sana George 1-9
Saadia Mehmood 1-11
Snighda Sibi 1-14
Limerick W: 77-2 off 11.5 overs.
Sana George 37*
Katy Hewison 11*
RESULT| MCU T15 Women's Superleague.
Match abandoned- No Result.
Cork County W: 39-1 off 7 overs.
Saadia Mehmood 1-13
Sana George 0-2
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Three teams will be in action this weekend with no youth or women’s games to be played, Limerick’s 2nd, 3rd and 4th XIs will compete in league action. On Saturday, Limerick’s 2nd XI will travel to Curraheen where they take on an in-form UCC in Division One whilst in Division Three, the 4th XI will welcome the challenge of Midleton to Adare. The final game on Sunday sees Limerick’s 3rd XI host Cork County at the Manor Fields with an 11am start in Division Two.
