A two hundred run opening partnership between Stephen Doheny [128] and Jack Carty [93] laid the foundation for an emphatic 181 run victory over Malahide in the Premier League.
Despite the wet over night conditions, the game at Anglesea Road started on time. Merrion batted first and made a steady start in which Doheny played the dominant role. Runs soon began to accumulate more quickly on an excellent batting strip and mid-innings a fearsome onslaught commenced with Jack Cary hitting 24 off one over, including three massive sixes in a row.
Quick cameos from from Swapnil Modgill [19], Sam Harbinson [27], John Anderson 22] and Max Sorensen [27] ensured the momentum was maintained and at one time it looked like a total of close to 400 runs would be possible. In the end the the innings fell away with Merrion all out for 346 with an over to spare.
At this point a Malahide victory would have required a performance of record breaking proportions. It was not to be and a strong all round bowling performance [Tom Stanton 3/23, Hugh Kennedy 2/29 and Harbinson 2/35] saw Merrion home to a full point victory
The partnership between Doheny and Carty of 231 was the higher opening partnership in the history of Merrion Senior Cricket, the fourth highest overall and the second highest ever at Anglesea Road.
| Year | Players | Wicket | Against | Venue | Partnership |
| 2001 | B Spanner & C Torrisi | 3rd | The Hills | Anglesea Rd | 280 |
| 2019 | D Joyce and J Anderson | 2nd | Leinster | Rathmines | 277 |
| 2000 | B Spanner & C Torrisi | 3rd | Pembroke | Sydney Parade | 269* |
| 2023 | S Doheny & Jack Carty | 1st | Malahide | Anglesea Rd | 235 |
| 1999 | B Spanner & G Joyce | 2nd | Rush | Kenure | 229 |
| 2002 | B Spanner & G Joyce | 2nd | Clontarf | Castle Ave | 207 |
| 2000 | B Spanner & C Torrisi | 3rd | Railway U | Park Ave | 203 |
At the start of the day Malahide were at the top of the Premier League. In what are proving tight contests at both the top and the bottom of the table, a points spread of 18 separates the first three teams and of 38 the four teams seeking to avoid the play-off spot. Railway did not play yesterday so are somewhat adrift at the foot of the table but a win in the refixed match could see them only a few points adrift of the 7th [Play-Off] position. With three rounds of the league to play five teams remain in danger of relegation and there are four in with a realistic tilt of the title.
The provisional table and an account of all the Premier and Championship games can be found at https://www.cricketleinster.ie/news/ibi-corporate-finance-premier-league-championship-round-up-19-08-2023
There are also a full array of Photo thanks to Cricket Leinster’s Matthew Smith at https://cricketleinsterphotography.pixieset.com/