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Big Scores in Merrion

Last weekend saw the 1st XI put up a massive total of 419/4 in the Irish Senior Cup. This is the highest score recorded in the competition and the third time that 400 runs have been scored in an innings at Anglesea Road in a 50 over game.

High scoring this year, with multiple totals over 300 across Leinster, prompted a look at the records for high scoring games in different competitions.

Irish Senior Cup

Cricket Europe have helpfully provided a top 20 highest totals from 2003 – 2022. The updated list below has been expanded to 25 to include five new additions over the past two seasons.  Merrion figures five times in the Table, the most of any club, with three of these at Anglesea Road. Merrion now top the list with the two highest scores in the competition and the first over 400. Three of the top four highest scores recorded took place in 2024.

1 Merrion 9/6/2024 The Hills Anglesea Road 419/6
2 Merrion 20/05/2023 Cork Harlequins Turners Cross 395/3
3 Pembroke 18/05/2024 Coleraine Sydney Parade 394/7
4 Phoenix 09/06/2024 Railway Union Phoenix park 385/9
5 Phoenix 02-Jun-19 Eglinton Phoenix Park 382/5
6 Rush 17-May-08 Lisburn Kenure 381/7
7 Phoenix 18/5/2024 Bready Magheramason 374/5
8 Lisburn 05-Jun-09 Coleraine Coleraine 366/5
9 Glendermott 12-Jun-10 Civil Service North The Rectory 365/6
10 North County 06-Jun-15 Bready Inch 358 /3
11 Waringstown 06-Jun-15 Co Galway The Lawn, Waringstown 358 /5
12 Waringstown 22-Jul-18 Pembroke Sydney Parade 358 /2
13 Phoenix 19-Jun-22 North Down Phoenix Park 355 /6
14 North County 29-May-16 Malahide Inch 352 /10
15 Limavady 15-May-05 Bangor John Hunter Grounds 348 /2
16 Railway Union 11-Jun-11 Eglinton Park Avenue 348 /5
17 Donemana 15-Jul-12 Railway Union The Holm 348 /9
18 Pembroke 17-Jun-18 North Down The Green, Comber 347 /5
19 Leinster 22-May-04 Carrickfergus Middle Road, Carrickferg 346 /6
20 Rush 24-Apr-10 Lurgan Kenure 345 /6
21 Merrion 06-Jun-15 YMCA Anglesea Road 345 /8
22 North County 21-Jun-03 Bangor Upritchard Park, Bangor 344 /6
23 Civil Service North 12-Jun-10 Glendermott The Rectory 341 /10
24 Merrion 21-May-22 Coleraine Anglesea Road 341 /5
25 Merrion 22-Jul-18 Leinster Rathmines 335 /8

Leinster Senior Cup / Senior League

Competition records for Leinster are complete back to 1919. In all there have been 23 scores over 400 and 70 over 350.  Home advantage has mattered, with 15 of the 22 and 50 of the 70 on home soil. The highest ever score was made by Leinster in 1950 in a timeless Senior Cup game against Dublin University. At 537/7 in Rathmines even Leinster had had enough. DU replied with 336 all out. Leinster also achieved the only other 500 plus score when they made 506/9 against Phoenix in a two innings game.

In the modern era of limited over games there have been seven scores over 400, two in the Senior Cup, four in the Championship and one in the Senior League/Cup.

Senior Cup Clontarf 05/06/2016 Rush Kenure 443/6
Championship Malahide 09/06/2018 terenure Terenure 432/7
Senior Cup Merrion 21/05/2016 Malahide Anglesea road 415/8
Championship Pembroke 05/06/2012 Rush Kenure 412/6
Championship Merrion 15/07/2017 Rush Anglesea Road 403/6
Senior L/C Clontarf 12/05/2019 Rush Kenure 402/5
Championship Railway U 13/08/2006 Munster Reds Park Avenue 400/3

In the Premier League there have been three scores over 350.

Premier Merrion 09/06/2019 Leinster Rathmines 384/7
Premier YMCA 15/08/2021 Phoenix Phoenix Park 374/2
Premier Merrion 05/07/2015 Railway U Anglesea Road 353/4

Over the last 25 years Merrion has clearly demonstrated their strong batting credentials, occupying the top spot in the Irish Senior Cup and the Premier League.  Anglesea Road and Kenure are the highest socring grounds in Leinster.

In terms of highest chasing scores, there have been 22 occasions in the ‘limited overs’ era when team have scored more than 300 runs in the second innings to win the match. Merrion, however, does not figure in any of these. Perhaps suggesting that it is not such a good team batting second.

But Merrion did make 252/3 chasing down a YMCA total of 248/9 at Anglesea Road in 2023 in the ISC.

So pity the poor bowlers at Anglesea Road. Perhaps a little more help from the grounds staff.

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