Round 3 of the Premier Division saw some intriguing contests with a full set of fixtures completed in near perfect cricketing conditions across the province. The two Cork sides are setting the early pace in the Premier Division with both recording 3 wins from their 3 opening rounds of fixtures.
County Kerry chalked up their first victory of the Premier Division campaign with a 6 wicket victory over County Galway who have now lost 3 on the bounce. The Kerrymen will be aiming to make it 2 wins in a row but face a tough trip to the Mardyke to take on Cork County.
Cork Harlequins had an impressive victory over new boys Limerick City as they chased down 259 at Farmers Cross. The visitors posted a competitive target of 259 thanks to an unbeaten century from their star man Murtaza Sidiqi. In reply, Harlequins got off to a shaky start and were 66-5 before a fabulous 150 run partnership between Senan Jones & Kieran O’Reilly guided them home to a fine victory.
Champions Cork County were on the road once again with a trip to Adare to take on Limerick. Winning the toss, the visitors opted to bat and ended up on 229 thanks to a blistering finish from Jose George (69 off 36 balls). In response, Limerick never really got going thanks to a relentless County bowling attack which saw the home side dismissed for 102. Star men with the ball were Jose George 5-30 and young Daniel Kennedy 3-43.
In Division 1, the early pace setters are Midleton 1 who chalked up their third victory of the campaign to maintain a 100% start to the season following a 7 wicket victory over Limerick Blasters. County Kerry 2 and Cork Harlequins 2 both have one win to their name while Cork County 2 are yet to play a game. Both Limerick sides are still awaiting their first wins of the season.
Division 2 looks like it could be a closely fought league this summer with all sides dropping points so far with no real front runner yet. Cork Harlequins 3 are top of the pile right now and closely followed by Midleton 2 while the rest of the pack all sit on the similar points totals. With a long way to go, the Division 2 title chase could be one to watch out for.
Waterford District top Division 3 with a 100% record thanks to an emphatic 9 wicket victory over Cork Harlequins 4 at Farmers Cross in Round 4. Limerick 4 have recorded two wins so far and will be aiming to keep pace with Waterford while Lismore 2 are also in the mix.
