The Split

For most of its history the Leinster Cricket Union, as it was then known, controlled who counted as a Senior Club and was thus entitled to compete in the Leinster Senior League. This changed in 1993 when the league was split in two with promotion and relegation between the two sections. Merrion came bottom of Section B the following  year and had to apply for re-admission to the senior ranks for the 1995 season.

The years spent by different clubs in the top division is a good indicator of their overall strength over the past 33 years. See Featured Image

In 2025, Cricket Leinster decided to introduce a new 12 team structure, divided mid-season between the top and bottom six teams. The former competed for the Premier League and the latter for the Championship. It was a decision that also split cricketing opinion. For many years the number of senior teams had stood at 16, with no effective relegation from the Championship as the next division down was mainly made up of 2^nd XIs of the main clubs.

The mid-season divide introduced in 2025 provided a clearer route for junior clubs [to use their old title] to enter the senior ranks, but by reducing the overall number of teams in the two senior divisions they left the remaining teams in a sort of limbo that is now called the First Team League [FTL].

Before 2025, promotions and relegation between what was originally Section A and Section B of the Leinster Senior League was a regular occurrence.  But relegation often led to the rebuilding of a team, making them better equipped to compete in the top division. Indeed several teams, including Pembroke, Clontarf and Balbriggan, went on to win the league in the year they got promotion. Relegation today is a much steeper fall that can lead to the loss of players to other clubs.

Ultimately the success of the decision on the current competition format will rest on whether the third division, the  FTL, becomes a competitive league with a full complement of teams who are capable of competing at a higher level. It is not there yet.

Other concerns about the existing structure, the increase in the number of one-sided matches and the danger that in the final stages of the competition that there will be too many games that are in effect ‘dead rubbers’, can perhaps be accepted if there was a clear improvement in the next tier of 1^st XI teams.

All of this is a long preface to a congratulations to the 1^st XI and to captain of Sean Stanton in making the top half of the draw in third position. The mid-season table  is set out below.

The remaining fixtures for Merrion 1^st XI this season are:

16^th Aug                Leinster v Merrion                          Rathmines

22^nd Aug               Merrion v Pembroke                     Anglesea Road

29^th Aug                Balbriggan v Merrion                    Jack Harper Ground

6^th Sept                 Merrion v Railway U                      Anglesea Road

12^th Sept              Merrion v Malahide                       Anglesea Road