Leinster unable to stay with Pembroke pace in frustrating campaign

Leinster showed enough in the opening stages of the season to suggest they could mount a serious challenge, but ultimately they were unable to keep pace with the Pembroke juggernaut as injuries and availability issues took their toll.

The Rathmines side had quality throughout their squad and, at their best, looked capable of troubling anyone. Yet the consistency required to sustain a title push was missing, and as Pembroke gathered momentum Leinster began to lose ground.

Monil Patel led the batting effort with 763 runs at an average of 36.33, including eight half-centuries and a highest score of 84. His reliability was one of the major positives in a campaign where continuity was often difficult to find.

Younas Ahmadzai also enjoyed a strong season, scoring 618 runs and registering three centuries, while Thomas Johnson added 416 and Thomas O’Connor 345. Luke Horgan’s unbeaten 126 and Gareth Delany’s 118 were further reminders of the batting talent available when the side was at full strength.

The bowling unit was headed by Bilal Azhar, who claimed 40 wickets at 21.23, with Mark Tonge taking 33 and Saqib Bahadur 26. Joey Carroll added 24, while Jai Moondra’s 23 wickets came at an excellent average of 15.26.

Moondra’s progress was one of the standout stories of the season. The left-armer became the latest player to emerge from Rathmines onto the international stage, impressing against India and adding another name to Leinster’s long tradition of producing players capable of stepping up to higher honours.

For all the individual quality, though, Leinster were never quite able to sustain their early momentum.

Injuries, changing availability and an inability to field their strongest XI often enough proved costly, particularly once the title race tightened.

There were still plenty of positives, and the squad clearly retains enough talent to challenge again. But 2026 ultimately became another season in which Leinster threatened rather than delivered, while Pembroke set a standard the rest of the competition struggled to match.

Top 10 Leinster batters

1. Monil Patel – 763 runs, average 36.33, highest score 84, 8 fifties, 77 fours, 17 sixes.
2. Younas Ahmadzai – 618 runs, average 32.53, highest score 123, 3 hundreds, 59 fours, 30 sixes.
3. Thomas Johnson – 416 runs, average 26.00, highest score 82*, 1 fifty, 51 fours, 12 sixes.
4. Thomas O’Connor – 345 runs, average 28.75, highest score 79, 2 fifties, 29 fours, 11 sixes.
5. Saqib Bahadur – 336 runs, average 25.85, highest score 55, 1 fifty, 35 fours, 2 sixes.
6. Luke Horgan – 302 runs, average 27.45, highest score 126*, 1 fifty, 1 hundred, 30 fours, 9 sixes.
7. Bilal Azhar – 234 runs, average 21.27, highest score 102, 1 hundred, 23 fours, 5 sixes.
8. Joey Carroll – 230 runs, average 17.69, highest score 48*, 23 fours, 4 sixes.
9. Gareth Delany – 220 runs, average 55.00, highest score 118, 1 fifty, 1 hundred, 16 fours, 7 sixes.
10. Mark Tonge – 219 runs, average 24.33, highest score 55, 1 fifty, 20 fours, 8 sixes.

Top 10 Leinster bowlers

1. Bilal Azhar – 40 wickets, average 21.23, economy 5.67, strike rate 22.5, best 4-46, 5 maidens.
2. Mark Tonge – 33 wickets, average 21.88, economy 5.12, strike rate 25.6, best 3-12, 11 maidens.
3. Saqib Bahadur – 26 wickets, average 27.96, economy 4.57, strike rate 36.7, best 3-21, 17 maidens.
4. Joey Carroll – 24 wickets, average 21.58, economy 4.81, strike rate 26.9, best 4-37, 9 maidens.
5. Jai Moondra – 23 wickets, average 15.26, economy 4.79, strike rate 19.1, best 3-4, 6 maidens.
6. Kaustubh Apsunde – 10 wickets, average 23.80, economy 4.76, strike rate 30.0, best 3-37, 2 maidens.
7. Thomas Johnson – 9 wickets, average 29.67, economy 5.74, strike rate 31.0, best 2-24.
8. Thomas O’Connor – 9 wickets, average 38.33, economy 6.27, strike rate 36.7, best 2-24, 4 maidens.
9. Monil Patel – 5 wickets, average 27.80, economy 4.44, strike rate 37.6, best 3-35, 1 maiden.
10. Luke Horgan – 2 wickets, average 27.50, economy 5.69, strike rate 29.0, best 1-4, 1 maiden.