After an extraordinary previous weekend which saw Limerick reach the Quarter-Finals of the National Cup for the first time in five years, there was no rest for the wicket (literally!) as the club saw all four of its teams straight back into action. Although the 3rd XI missed out on victory narrowly to the hands of Cork Harlequins on Sunday afternoon, there were wins for the 1st and 2nds whilst the 4ths game at Farmer’s cross was abandoned before a ball was bowled.

A winless start to the Premier League campaign piled the pressure on Limerick to get off the foot of the table, a daunting away fixture in Tralee was the setting where the Treaty faced Kerry on Sunday afternoon and returned back to 50-over action. Having had a couple of successful run chases recently under the belt, it was no surprise to see skipper Arslan Anwar electing to bowl first after winning the toss.

After the early blow of Iqbal, Kerry were able to consolidate a second-wicket partnership of 50 runs which was then followed by a 77-run stand for the third wicket. Limerick however were able to keep the score relatively intact at 155-4 after 30 overs. The bowlers stuck to their task, but just as Limerick looked to get on top, the home side were able to accelerate the run rate in the final ten or so overs. It was a mixed day for Mirhamza Ahmedzai, the young Afghani was once again in the wickets but was subject to some heavy runs in his final spell as Kerry finished their innings on 295-7, setting a target of 296.

Limerick 1st team vs County Kerry: (Back row, l-r) Mirhamza Ahmedzai, Asif Hussein, Arslan Anwar (Capt.), Nishant Kumar (wk), Prasad Hegde. (Front row, l-r) Abdul Baqi Khan, Tim Smithies, Sarfraz Ramay, Yousaf Ramay, Manoj Sharma, Ayan Ullah.

A big target to chase for Limerick whose highest score to date was only in the mid 200s, Anwar instructed his openers to be aggressive from the off. A promotion up the order for Shani Alam saw him with open with regular no. 3 Tim Smithies, and the two complimented each other well in the opening exchanges, Alam playing on the front foot looking for boundaries while Smithies looked to anchor from the other end. Shani eventually departed for a well-made 71 from just 45 deliveries as the 100-run mark came up for the visitors around the 14th over.

Next was the battle-hardened partnership of Arslan Anwar and Tim Smithies, two in-form players with a great understanding of each other needed to get Limerick within touching distance. Both players slowed the pace of the game down to set a platform for the latter stages. A brilliant 95-run partnership ensued, and when Anwar was out for 51 during the 37th over, it was time for Limerick’s tail to shine.

Contributions along the way from Manoj Sharma (19) and Sarfraz Ramay (18) came in a timely manner, but it was the late surge from Asif Hussein with 26 off just 12 balls, which included three 6’s, which got the job for Limerick who ran out eventual winners by three wickets, chasing their target of 296 down with four balls to spare.

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The 2nd XI stretched their unbeaten streak to eight games with a thumping win over Cork Harlequins in Division One on Saturday. Electing to bat, Quins were under serious pressure from get go, the familiar faces of Ramoji Alla and Prasad Hegde doing the business with the new ball once again. Despite leaking a total of 39 extras, Limerick continued to take wickets as no meaningful partnership materialised for the visitors. On his 100th game for the club, Ajay Hari got the crucial wicket of Quins opener Jaitley in his opening spell before picking up two further dismissals to set up a very reachable target of 120 in 45 overs.

Limerick 2nd XI vs Cork Harlequins: (Back row, l-r) Prasad Hegde, Waqas Shinwari, Mirhamza Ahmedzai, Sumukh Venkatesh (Capt. + wk), Karthik Karur. (Front row, l-r) Navroop Johnson, Ramoji Alla, Ajay Hari, Mosawar Sidiqi, Yogesh Borghare, Nishant Kumar.

With bonus points in mind, Limerick were careful in their approach, with openers Nishant Kumar and Navroop Johnson rotating the strike nicely and tormenting the opposition bowlers. Despite Johnsons departure on 17, Kumar was able to navigate his way to a half-century as victory neared. The target was attained with nine wickets remaining as Kumar (56*) and Karur (18*) finished the job at hand. The margin of victory means Limerick will take full bonus points from the game and leapfrog up to first place in the table.

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Last but not least, the 3rd XI had two victories and one loss heading into their home game on Sunday, knowing a win would put them right back up towards the top of the table. A brilliant bowling performance from the Limerick attack limited the visitors to just 141 in the first innings, Afghani leg-spinner Shaoib Zazai getting some magnificent turn to grab four wickets, including one caught and bowled.

The Limerick 3rd XI vs Cork Harlequins: (Back row, l-r) Olid Mia, Moshtaq Safi, Sayed Anwari, Ashokkumar Jayaranam (Capt. + wk), Shaoib Zazai, Karthik Karur, Sathya Prabhu, Kumar Divyesh. (Front row, l-r) Christian Matthew, Waqas Mehmood, Irfan Solozai, James Spencer.

The hosts struggled to get off the mark and as wickets fell, the away side grew into the game and after Limerick lost their fifth on 72-5, a procession ensued for the tail with all the momentum swinging hugely towards the bowling side. The tail fell short as Limerick finished on 122 all out, 19 runs shy of victory.

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The National Cup takes precedent once again this weekend as the Treaty must make the long trek up to Belfast to face Derriaghy on Sunday, a start time of 1pm is expected for that tie. The 2nds will be aiming to make it 9 from 9 when they take on Limerick Blasters in Adare on Saturday. On the same day, the 4ths will play Clonmel in Division Three with the 3rds playing against County Kerry the following day down in Tralee.