The Shannonsiders were in Malahide on Friday afternoon to compete in an All-Ireland finals days for the second, consecutive year running with Yousaf Ramay once again, captaining the club’s U13 side to face Leinster champions Pheonix Cricket Club. After last year’s semi-final against Instonians, Limerick had the uphill task of overcoming a Phoenix side filled with inter-provincial players for a spot in the final. Ramay lost the pre-match toss and was put into field for the first innings of the T20 encounter. 

Limerick lined out with a number of players competing in only their second or third hardball match, nonetheless the power play was an even contest with Arham Ullah and Leon George giving their side a good start. Ramay was first change with Behroz Khan, a leg-spinner, coming in from the other end as Ramay dismissed Shankar in his second over, clean bowling the Phoenix opener. He was placed perfectly in the following over where Khan’s loopish delivery was spooned to Ramay for his side’s second wicket. The third came in the following over, this time a run-out completed by the sharp work of Noah Abraham which left the score at 68-3 at the halfway point.

From that point, one-way traffic ensued with Phoenix’s power in the middle overs giving them a foothold which allowed for acceleration in the latter stages. Kulwant Singh’s four-over spell was a shining light for Limerick with his figures of 0-22 keeping the opposition’s momentum to a minimum. By the 20th over, Phoenix had put up a score 142-3 meaning Limerick needed to engineer a run-rate of seven runs per over in their run chase. 

Limerick’s top order couldn’t get moving with Ullah, Khan and Ramay all being dismissed before hitting double digits. With a lack of experience coming through the middle order, Phoenix were able to capitalise as 21-3 soon became 59-8 as the finish line became one of pride rather than victory. Limerick continued to bat right to the death and salvaged a respectable 67 runs but were still 75 runs short in the end. A tough day at the office for Ramay and co., but a huge number of learning points to take forward to next season and plenty of positives accrued from the campaign overall.

RESULT| All-Ireland U13 Semi-final.

We lost to Phoenix by 75 runs today. 

Phoenix U13: 142-3 off 20 overs.

Behroz Khan 1-20

Yousaf Ramay 1-25

Limerick U13: 67-8 off 20 overs.

Oisin Abraham 9*

Findlay Mayo 8

The only other game from the weekend saw Limerick’s U17 side welcome Cork County to the Manor Fields on Monday afternoon in their penultimate game of their league. Having lost their opening two games of the competition, County were looking to bounce back and add some respect to their league position whilst Limerick had All-Ireland hopes in their sights. 

A damp, but drying outfield informed the decision of captain Ayan Ullah to bowl first as he won the toss of the coin flipped by umpire Declan Earley. There were two changes to the side from their last game against Cork Harlequins, with Leon George and Vishnu Rao coming in for Chinmay Shinde, who was carrying a small knock, and Eshan Tanveer, currently away on Ireland U15 duties.

County started the brighter as their openers accelerated to 27-0 after three overs, converting loose deliveries into boundaries and beating the infield to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Ramay forced Noori into a shot which went sky-high and was safely held by Shayan Malik, running backwards from extra cover,to leave the score at 27-1. Ullah introduced himself in the eighth over and found the edge of Aherne’s bat, comfortably pouched by Lakshmanan, for 50-2. The visitor’s innings then somewhat tailed off, much to the credit of the Limerick bowlers, who through Arham Ullah, Abubakar Aziz and Riyan Shah were able to frustrate the middle order and force wickets and break partnerships. Leon George added to the opposition’s pain, dismissing Usman and becoming the youngest wicket-taker in an U17 game for the club, at just 10 years of age. County made 97 at the end of their innings with Limerick confident at the break with a chasable total.

The promotion of Riyan Shah didn’t work out for the hosts whose attempted to pull shot didn’t connect as he had to depart early. Nonetheless, a captain’s knock from Ullah was well supported by opener Abubakar Aziz as the two put together 62 runs to put their side within touching distance. As Ullah found boundaries off loose deliveries, Aziz ensured to rotate the strike and maintain a decent run-rate. Ullah’s retirement on 50 allowed Ramay and Lakshmanan to knock off the winning runs in securing a 7-wicket victory and putting them just one win behind league leaders Cork Harlequins with one game remaining.

RESULT| MCU U17 League.

We defeated Cork County by 7 wickets today. 

Cork County U17: 97-7 off 20 overs.

Leon George 1-5

Riyan Shah 1-13

Limerick U17: 98-3 off 13.3 overs.

Ayan Ullah 50*

Abubakar Aziz 19                                

   * * *

The final league game will be the return fixture as the Limerick U17 side will travel to Cork with a win putting them in a firm position to secure top spot in the league. With that being the probable final youth fixture of the season for both clubs, you can expect a good contest between the sides when they face off in Curraheen Road at 1pm on Wednesday. 

Looking at the weekend, three of the club’s four sides will be back in action as Saturday sees both the 2nd and 3rd XIs face the Limerick Blasters in their respective divisions. The 4th XI make the trip to Midleton on Sunday to wrap up the weekend’s entertainment, with Ramji Lakshmanan’s side looking to build on some recent form and avenge their sides’ recent one-run loss when they welcomed Midleton to Adare in July.