🏏 Weekend Review – History Made in the Irish Senior Cup!

It was another weekend of mixed weather, grit, and glory for Balbriggan CC. While rain interrupted several games and some results went against us.

Sunday will be remembered as a landmark day as the 1st XI booked their place in the Irish Senior Cup semi-final for the first time in the club’s history!

🔹 Women’s 2nd XI vs Merrion W3

Merrion 135/3 | Balbriggan 75/8

Our young development side put in a brilliant effort in the field, using an incredible 10 bowlers to share the load. Anna Vezhakattu and Mia Keenan took one wicket each in what was a strong team performance.

With the bat, the team never quite got going, but credit to the girls for batting out all 20 overs. Indie Harper top scored with 17.

🌧️ Women’s 1st XI vs Rush – Rain-Affected

Unfortunately, rain had the final say at Kenure. Rush had reached 129/2 in 16 overs, powered by Ocean Bartlett’s 66 (52 balls, 10 fours) and Ellie McGee’s 29.

Lara Maritz and Tess Maritz took a wicket apiece (1/31 and 1/21 respectively) before the match was washed out.

🔹 Men’s 1st XI vs Railway Union – Saturday

Railway Union 270 all out | Balbriggan 148 all out

Chasing a tall target, Balbriggan fell short at Park Avenue. Connor Fletcher (40) and Dylan Lues (36) led the resistance, but the standout performance came from Railway’s Muhammad Sinan, who took five wickets.

Earlier, Seb De Oliveira claimed 4 wickets (4/70), while Kashif Ali (2/22) and Jordan Hollard (2/41) were also among the wickets.

With eyes set on Sunday’s big quarter-final, the team looked to quickly regroup.

🔹 Men’s 3rd XI vs Mullingar 2

Mullingar 98 all out | Balbriggan 99/5

A disciplined bowling performance saw Aadi Wankhade take 4 wickets, Druhan Knight 3, Rana 2, and Hamza Anjum 1 to bundle out Mullingar for 98.

With the bat, Karthick RC made a steady 22, and the chase was coolly finished by Punit Kapoor and Rana to seal a 5-wicket win.

🏆 Irish Senior Cup Quarter-Final – A Historic Day!

Donemana 220/9 (50 overs) | Balbriggan 224/4 (43.1 overs)

Balbriggan made history on Sunday by reaching the Irish Senior Cup semi-finals for the first time ever, defeating Donemana by six wickets in a brilliant all-round performance at Jack Harper Park.

Still, they posted 220 thanks to Anuj Jotin’s 61, Jamie Huey’s 33, and Andy McBrine’s 21. The Hollard brothers were outstanding again – Jordan and Matthew Hollard shared 5 wickets to keep Donemana in check.

The reply was tense early on, with wickets falling quickly. But then came a match-defining 4th wicket stand of 99 between Cameron Rowe (78) and Chris De Freitas (71*), followed by a composed partnership with Farooq Nasr (37*) to chase down the total in 43.1 overs.

Rowe’s knock included 9 fours and 3 sixes, while De Freitas showed his class with an unbeaten 71 to guide the team home.

We want to take a moment to really thank the Donemana supporters for travelling in their numbers. Their loud roars and fun made the atmosphere electric in the JHMCG.

This is a momentous step forward for the club – one win away from an All-Ireland Final.