The suffering didn’t last too long on Sunday afternoon for Limerick who endured a tough battle against NCU opponents Derriaghy in a game embedded in controversial circumstances. Limerick’s seven wicket loss ultimately meant there would be no semi-final on the horizon and focus would turn back to the Premier league and the forthcoming MCU Senior Cup.

Nonetheless, despite the fixture reading ‘Limerick 1st XI’, the away team’s lineup was anything but. Given the geo-political complexities surrounding entry into Northern Ireland for non-Irish citizens, a number of regular starters found themselves restricted from traveling to the game. With limited intervention from the authoritative bodies and a refusal to move the game to a neutral venue from Derriaghy, Limerick were left with no choice, other than a forfeit, to fulfill the fixture with a deficient squad.

Sarfraz Ramay leaves one outside his off-stump in the first over

The outcome was nothing short of expected in these circumstances. Batting first, Limerick could only muster a mere 82 runs with the bat with just two players getting into double digits. It was a real struggle for the 23 overs batted with wickets tumbling, and in sincere terms, Derriaghy had the game wrapped up in an hour.

The Treaty can be proud of their resilience with the ball however, which produced some memorable moments and something to take home, including a brilliant run out from the edge of the circle from Shaoib Zazai, whose direct hit picked up Limerick’s second wicket after James Spencer caught the top of leg stump early on to dismiss one of the openers. A few hiccups along the way were only a minor tint in a strong batting performance from Derriaghy who only needed the ten overs to chase down the target of 83 runs, who were overpowering in all aspects from start to finish.

RESULT| National Cup Quarter Final.

We lost to Derriaghy by 7 wickets yesterday.

Limerick: 82 all out off 23.5 overs

Sarfraz Ramay 30

Tim Smithies 27*

Derriaghy: 83-3 off 10 overs

James Spencer 1-17

Sarfraz Ramay 1-26

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With the weather determining all three of the remaining adult fixtures for the weekend, it was Limerick’s 2nd XI who were the only other outfit in action on Saturday. Their rain-affected game against Limerick Blasters only lasted one innings before torrential rain in the late afternoon called a halt to play.

Waqas Shinwari’s great form with the ball continued as he finished with figures of 3-60 from his nine overs, really cementing his place in the 2nd XI. Some other significant performances came in the form of Prasad Hegde (2-27) and Shaoib Zazai (2-34) whose impact on the game was crucial to limiting the target to 217. The ‘No Result’ is the second of the campaign which means the team’s unbeaten run stretches to nine games and counting, a superb start to the season with a mouthwatering Junior Cup tie against Midleton now not too far away.

RESULT| MCU Division One

Match abandoned- no result

Limerick Blasters 1: 216 all out off 43.3 overs

Waqas Shinwari 3-60

Prasad Hegde 2-28

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The success story of the weekend for the club most definitely came down at the Mardyke in Cork where the U11 World Cup Blitz took centre stage. With representation from England, Ireland, South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand, India, Bangladesh and Australia, both male and female players battled it out to be crowned ‘World Champions’, a Pakistan-India final was settled with a Pakistan victory but nonetheless, a great spectacle held where a plethora of youth players showcased their skills.

The various teams from around the world gather before the start of play

The Limerick players who played were Yousaf Ramay, Behroz Khan and Ayesha Khan (Pakistan), Hadi Alam and Arham Ullah (England), Nina Van de Bergh (South Africa) and Sheena & Henry Van de Munckhof (New Zealand).

Your winners: Pakistan!

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Next weekend sees the opening round of the Senior T20 League where Limerick’s 1st XI will be at home to Midleton and Cork County in a double-header on Sunday afternoon. The Minor Cup’s opening round will also take centre stage on Sunday with Limerick’s 3rd XI facing a tricky tie away to Midleton. An important few games for the club are rounded off with the 4th XI who will take on Limerick Blasters in Adare on Saturday.