Limerick fall short in run-chase to concede defeat to Kerry in Premier League clash
Limerick fell 31 runs shy of consecutive wins in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon with defeat to Kerry in Tralee
LIMERICK fell 31 runs shy of consecutive wins in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon with defeat to County Kerry in Tralee. The picturesque setting of the Oyster Oval was the venue for an encounter which brought a number of twists and turns.
Bogavelly lost the toss and was put into field where his side came second best in the first twenty overs or so. Hegde’s dismissal of Taj in the fourth over was a rare shining light with the new ball as Kerry pressed on with a 100-run partnership for the second wicket, finding themselves 120-1 at the drinks break and somewhat cruising.
There must have been something in the water bottles at the interval for the Shannonsiders, who came out a different side for the second half of their innings. The wickets of Iqbal and Morshed broke down key partnerships with a procession of wickets to follow.
Bogavelly lead from the front, taking three wickets from his spell, and was backed up by Borghare from the other end, also taking three. 125-4 became 171 all out in twenty overs or so, with Hegde and Venkatesh also getting in on the act as the visitors bowled exceptionally well to limit a score which at once point looked to be surpassing the 200-run mark with ease.
The home side had very little to shout about with the ball early on, with Kumar and Dahima setting solid foundations with a 50-run partnership for the first wicket. Kumar departed for 31 but soon found his partner back in the pavilion with Dahima’s start of 29 from 78 looked to be something of an example which could be followed. Kerry followed up with two more wickets before Limerick reached the 100-run mark for the loss of four batsmen, as the game held itself on a knife edge.
Limerick couldn’t get over the line in the end, with too many starts not being able to be converted into significant scores, ending a disappointing second game. Bogavelly’s side will look to take the positives into a crucial period of the season now as the 1st XI have now a significant break before their next fixture.
Limerick’s 2nd XI picked up their first win of the season which saw a great team performance with the bat secure a high total which proved too much to chase down for the opposition.
Having won the toss, Mehmood opted to bat first and the opening pair of Teke and Srivastava justified this decision, negotiating the threat of the new ball in the first ten overs well. Srivastava was out soon after, Aziz followed after having being adjudged LBW off the bowling of Kamran, but Ullah continued his fine run of form as himself and Teke got Limerick on the move.
Teke earned his first 50 of the campaign which included 5x4s and 2x6s, with Ullah falling just two runs short for a well-made 48 from 47. The middle order tagged on much-needed runs with Venkatesh and Kumar making 30 and 29 respectively to see their side past the 200-run mark as the hosts finished on 245.
Despite reaching 40 without loss, Kerry were not able to withstand the strong bowling attack of Limerick, with Sarfraz Ramay and Waqas Mehmood chipping in with a number of dismissals.
Ramay in particular was unplayable, conceding just 10 runs for the loss of four wickets from his spell. The tail was finished off by the younger Ramay, Yousuf, who secured his first wickets at junior level, with Asif Hussein and Tanveer putting an end to proceedings to secure full bonus points for the hosts.
Limerick’s 3rd XI were unable to continue their run of form against Cork County on Sunday with a low-scoring total not enough to topple their opponents in Adare.
Making just 81 runs with the bat, the hosts struggled to get any partnerships off the mark with just one batsman making it into double digits. County saw off the total comfortably, with skipper Sathya Prabu taking the only wicket for the Shannonsiders, as his delivery to Ravichandran found the safe hands of Aziz in the third over.
Ramji Lakshamanan captained his 4th XI side on Saturday, whose fixture away to Nenagh fell foul of the weather with persistent rain before and during the day’s play proving the winner.
It was a positive start with the bat for Limerick however, with Totad and Chandrashekharaiah batting well for the visitors in the powerplay. It was Skandan Lakshmanan and Ghufran Chaudhry, making his senior debut, at the crease when the heavens opened.
An unfortunate end to an innings which had a promising 22 overs remaining for the youth of LCC, who will look to go once again in search of their first league victory.
Limerick will field two teams next weekend with the 3rd and 4th XIs in action on Saturday afternoon. Prabu and co. will make the trip to Farmer’s Cross to face Cork Harlequins in Division Two whilst the 4ths will welcome the Waterford Vikings to the Manor Fields in Division Five.
Meanwhile, Limerick’s women’s side will have a double-header on Sunday when they face Lismore and County Galway at the Manor Fields in the Women’s Super League.