A fine all-round display by Leinster ensured a 94-run win at home to North County. Tom O'Connor top-scored with 79 (7 fours, 2 sixes), while Monil Patil made an even time 61 (9 fours), while there were runs too for Saqib Bahadur (35) and Mark Tonge (31) in a score of 312. Abdul Gahffar took four wickets, bringing the innings to a hasty end as he claimed a hat-trick. The County reply was all about Lochie Hardy who hit 16 fours and 5 sixes in a 114-ball 134. However, support was lacking as they were bowled out for 218 - three wickets for the impressive Tonge and two eacg for Bahadur, Bilal Azhar, and Jai Moondra.

Irish Cup holders Balbriggan flexed their batting muscles to power their way to a 164-run win over Civil Service. Cameron Rowe set the tone with a rapid 54-ball 73 (12 fours), adding 112 for the second wicket with Ghanim Dara (33). There were runs too for Seb De Olivieria who hit an even time 55 (4 fours, 2 sixes) as he put on 76 for the 6th wicket with Farooq Nasr (36) in an imposing total of 314. Civil Service never threatened in the chase as they were bowled out for 150 - three wickets for Dylan Lues, and two each for Jordan Hollard, Ruan Strauss, and De Oliveria.

Pembroke's Galacticos once again showed their quality and depth as they fielded no fewer than six internationals and an overseas player as they brushed aside the challenge of Merrion at Sydney Parade. In truth they didn't have to get out of second gear as they restricted the visitors to 224 for 9. Skipper Sean Stanton made 55 (5 fours, 4 sixes) and Jamie Forbes 43 in a sixth wicket stand of 82 after they were wobbling at 71 for 5. The wickets were shared with two apiece for Addison Sherriff, Paul Lawson and Barry McCarthy. Tim Tector broke the back of the chase as he clubbed 13 fours and 2 sixes in an 86-ball 96, sharing a third wicket stand of 78 with brother Harry, who also added an unbroken 79 for the fourth with Lorcan Tucker (35*). Harry's unbeaten 61 came at better than a run-a-ball with five fours and one maximum.

Half centuries from Seamus Lynch and Andrew Delany propelled Clontarf to a hard-fought 53-run win over Railway Union at Castle Avenue. Lynch thumped 10 fours in a top score of 54, but from 99 for 1, the hosts lost their way and looked in trouble at 156 for 8 in the 29th over. Delany though battled to an unbeaten 52 (7 fours) sharing an unbroken 9th wicket stand of 64 with Liam Gilhooly (23*) as they staged a recovery to post 240 for 8. The Railway chase never really got going, but they still looked in with a life as top scorer Abhay Tipnis (71) and the dangerous Liam McCarthy (25) added 41 for the 6th wicket to give them a shout at 113 for 5. Fionn Hand bowled McCarthy to break the stand and with two wickets apiece for Cillian McDonnell, Nawaz Khan and Liam Gilhooly, the chase petered out, ending on 187 all out.

A fine all-round display by Jeremy Martins led Malahide to a convincing six-wicket win over Leinster. Skipper Martins and Mike Frost took three wickets apiece and Kelvin Donnelly two as Leinster were skittled for 132 - captain Bilal Azhar making 39 of those. The chase was a routine one with Martins (48*) and Frost (30) again to the fore as they cruised to victory in the 23rd over.

Balbriggan got their season up and running with a big win over a Phoenix side that are struggling in early season. Amish Sidhu (41) and Levon Shields (34) laid the platform for a big total as they added 60 for the second wicket, but Ruan Strauss (3-17) waltzed his way through the middle order to leave them on an under par 189 all out - two wickets apiece for Jordan and Matthew Hollard as well as Seb De Oliveria. Connor Fletcher made a breezy 23, but he became one of two victims for Sean McNicholl. The match defining third wicket stand of 110 in 18 overs then came from Chris De Freitas and Ghanim Dara. CDF hit 6 fours and 3 sixes in his 59, while Dara - who was contemplating a move northwards - will be glad he stayed, making 51 (4 fours, 1 six). Aaron McGeehan (25*) finished things off quickly hitting five boundaries as the six-wicket win was sealed in the 34th over.

There's a new sheriff in town - the name's Addison - with the Australian overseas player showed why he's so highly rated by New South Wales. Of course it helps when you stride to the wicket at 151 for 3 with 25 overs still left thanks to Pembroke's star-studded line-up full of internationals. One of those Harry Tector made a run-a-ball 61 (8 fours, 1 six), while JJ Garth also impressed with 53 and Lorcan Tucker a rapid 42. Sheriff found the small confines of Kenure very much to his liking as he thumped 9 fours and 5 sixes in a 64-ball 106. Gavin Hoey continued the carnage as he smote five maximums in a 19-ball 41. A final total of 383 for 8 )38 fours, 14 sixes) meant not many of the Rush attack were checking their figures at the break. The chase was never on, with only Abidullah Taniwal's quickfire 44-ball 64 (5 fours, 5 sixes) the highlight of their modest final total of 185. The wickets were shared with two apiece for Byron Mcdonough 2-23, Addison Sherriff 2-28, Harry Tector 2-33, Gavin Hoey 2-48, and Luke Murray 2-51. What's even more frightening is that Pembroke were without three of their internationals - Barry McCarthy, Josh Little and Andrew Balbirnie!

Swapnil Modgill was the highest scorer of the day making 140 to lead Merrion to a thumping 208-run win over Civil Service at Anglesea Road. His 130-ball innings included 12 fours and 5 sixes, sharing stands of 124 for the first wicket with Stephen Doheny (41) and 111 for the second with Irish Under 19 international Seb Dijkstra (62). The slaughter continued as John Anderson raced to a 32-ball 60 (8 fours, 1 six), while Corne Botha peppered the adjacent apartments with a 15-ball unbeaten 45 (2 fours, 5 sixes). A final total of 380 for 5 meant CS were only playing for respectability as their introduction to top flight cricket continues to be a harsh one. Deepak Jayachandran (50) was the best of their 172 all out - three wickets for Andrew Doheny.

Eddie Richardson starred as North County got the better of Cork County at The Mardyke in a low scoring game. He top-scored with 51 as the Balrothery side battled to 153 - three wickets for William Shields and skipper Diarmuid Carey. Richardson and Alan Mathew then took three wickets apiece as the Munster side were rolled over for 76.

Champions Pembroke got the defence of their crown off to a winning start with an eight wicket win at Railway Union. The hosts posted 181 with Abhey Tipnis top scoring with 38, while there were runs too for Conor Walden (31), Bob Carr (22) and Ryan Smith (21). Addison Sherriff impressed on debut with three wickets, while there were two apiece for Irish internationals Harry Tector and Gavin Hoey. The chase was a straightforward one thanks to a century stand between openers Tim Tector and JJ Garth, both of whom scored 70s. The pair batted sensibly, putting away the bad balls in their partnership of 146. Tim Tector was the more aggressive of the two, hitting six fours and two sixes in his 74 from 76 balls, before being bowled by Liam McCarthy. Like London buses, McCarthy then castled Harry Tector first ball. There were no further alarms as JJ Garth finished unbeaten on 74 (7 fours), while overseas professional Sherriff made an unbeaten 16 as the win was sealed in the 38th over. On this showing the holders will take some stopping.

Leinster gave the home support plenty to cheer as they chased down 228 to beat Balbriggan at Rathmimes. Balbriggan's Chris De Freitas top-scored with 78 from just 69 balls (11 fours, 1 six) as he and Conor Fletcher (44) shared a third wicket stand of 107. There were late fireworks too for Jordan Hollard who clubbed three sixes in a 22-ball 31. Bilal Azhar took four wickets, while there were three for Jai Moondra and a brace for Mark Tonge. The momentum of the match swung one way then the other, but Younas Ahmadzai (34) and Joey Carroll (29) added 61 for the fourth wicket at a vital time. Tom O'Connor was the bedrock of the later stages, with his unbeaten 46 getting Leinster over the line with support from Mark Tonge (19) and that man again, Bilal Azhar (22*) who seems to thrive on pressure situations.

Cork County produced the result of the day and then some with an eight-wicket demolition of Phoenix. Wickets for Bakhtyar Nabi, Thorne Prophet, skipper Diarmuid Carey, and William Shields had the home side in diffs at 87 for 5, but they rallied with half centuries from Tyrone Kane (65) and Raghav Grover (55) in a sixth wicket stand of 83. Rory MacColl (26) added late runs and a final total of 253 looked defendable. However, Raj Undre and debutant Josh Hartill had other ideas. They were helped by Tyrone Kane losing his radar as a flurry of wides and no balls saw him unable to complete his second over. Undre went on to hit 15 fours and 5 sixes in his 136 from 122 balls, adding exactly 200 with overseas professional Hartnill, whose unbeaten 76 included 10 fours and a maximum. Cork's win will certainly give them cause for optimism in the rest of the season.

Merrion recovered from a disastrous start to clinch a 44-run win over Malahide. Stephen Doheny, Daniel Forkin and Swapnil Modgill were all back in the pavilion at 5-3 in the 4th over. Jamie Forbes top-scored with 64 (6 fours, 1 six) staging a recovery with Seb Dijkstra (38) as they added 92 for the fourth wicket. Sean Stanton (41) added a further 55 with Forbes, while Mikey O'Reilly tonked three sixes in a late unbeaten 35 to take them to 203 - two wickets each for Kumar, Frost and skipper Jeremy Martins. It was Martins who carried most of Malahide's hopes with an excellent half century, but wickets for Oisin Bhoja, Mikey O'Reilly and Andrew Doheny sealed the win for the visitors.

Sam Morgan starred as Clontarf brushed aside the challenge of a Civil Service side making their top flight return after an 82 year absence. The Australian overseas professional hit 12 fours and cleared the ropes twice in a 74-ball unbeaten 96 as he and Eoghan Delany (48*) added an unbroken 148 in 21 overs for the third wicket to make light of a 216 run target. Seamus Lynch (32) had set the tone for the chase, hitting six fours in a rapid 32. Earlier, new Clontarf skipper Fionn Hand struck with the first ball of the game on his way to 3-27 as CS slipped to 76 for 5. Zaman Safi clubbed 6 fours and 2 sixes in a 43-ball 52 as they rallied to 215. It looked competitive but wasn't. There were two wickets too for spinners Yash Bala and Cillian McDonnell in an impressive all-round effort by the Castle Avenue side.

It was a day for the North County debutants as Lochie Hardy and Husnain Maroof stole the show to give the Balrothery side bragging rights against Rush. Australian youth international Hardy thumped 12 fours and 5 sixes in an 87-ball 105 as the hosts posted 215. He was well supported by Alan Mathew (31) as the pair shared a fifth wicket stand of 70 in just ten overs. The tail certainly didn't wag though as the last five wickets added just 23, with Nathan McGuire talking four-34 and Gary Smith taking a brace. Another debutant Isaac Bird showed a glimpse of the form that saw him make 1000 runs in the NW, top-scoring with an even time 66 (9 fours, 2 sixes), but there was little else to cheer about in a disappointing Rush batting effort. Husnain Maroof claimed 4-15, while Hardy (3-29) and Mathew (2-16) completed fine all-round efforts in a 76-run win.