CRICKET/Weekend previews: Those figures within Leinster cricket who have the knives out for Dublin University CC will be quietly chuckling to themselves and rubbing their hands this weekend. The students have granted North County a walk-over in the first round of the Conqueror Senior Cup, claiming they are unable to make up a team.
With eight players unavailable, it is true they could not have much of a side but then, they have been fielding three teams this season and could surely have summoned 11 bodies from somewhere. That said, with the frustration that some members of the club are feeling these days, it can be no surprise that the towel was thrown in.
The shambles that led to a sizeable section of their historic and normally pristine ground being turned into something resembling a weed-infested cabbage patch was not of the cricket club's making, but it will add fuel the argument of those who wish to banish DUCC from the senior ranks after 170 years at the forefront of Irish cricket.
But clubs like Trinity have always operated in clearly defined waves and it is just in a trough at present. And lest we forget, it is not long since they were one of the top sides in Leinster with the likes of Ed Joyce and Toby Cohen to the fore. It would surely be premature and short-sighted to write them off as a senior club just yet.
Anyway, the other five ties in the cup go ahead today as planned with perhaps the pick of the games taking place in Kenure as Rush take on Phoenix.
Rush is a club very much on a high at the moment. Having made it through to their first final in this competition last year and then winning promotion to Section A of the WMK League, they will be keen to build on that success.
Teenager Fintan McAllister has been showing why he is a great prospect - his century against Derriaghy in the Irish Cup last weekend underlined his class. And in Naseer Shoukat, Shahid Iqbal and Sadat Gull, Rush have a triumvirate of Pakistan-born players worthy of many Quaid-e-Azam Cup teams, let alone the Leinster version.
Phoenix may have lost Jeremy Bray, Jason Molins and Chris Torissi among others, but they are also in a bit of form of late, beating the 2004 Irish Cup finalists Strabane last week. Writing off Thinus Fourie, David Langford-Smith and Eric Godward is a perilous practice, as many of us commentators now realise.
Elsewhere, Leinster welcome Old Belvedere to Rathmines, Clontarf take on Railway Union in Park Avenue, Pembroke host CYM and The Hills will be hoping to get past YMCA in Milverton. All matches begin at 11am.
On Sunday, the WMK League gets under way as well as a couple of remaining fixtures in the 45 Overs League, one of which, Pembroke v Munster, will give us our remaining team for the semi-finals, which takes place next Saturday.
FIXTURES: Saturday: Irish Senior Cup (first round, 11am) Rush v Phoenix, The Hills v YMCA, Leinster v Old Belvedere, Railway Union v Clontarf, Pembroke v CYM (byes: Merrion, Malahide). Sunday: 45 Over Cup (12.30pm) Pembroke v Munster Reds, YMCA v Phoenix. Leinster League (12.30pm) Section A: Clontarf v Malahide, Rush v North County.
With the first Test against England at Lord's just six days away, three wickets from Anwar Hossain saw Bangladesh rebuild their shattered confidence against Northamptonshire at the County Ground.
After suffering an innings and 226-run defeat against Sussex last week, Hossain ensured there would be no repeat of the disaster in the tourist's final warm-up game.
The 21-year-old claimed the wickets of Tom Huggins, Tim Roberts and Riki Wessels as Northants were reduced to 149 for five at stumps on the first day.
The Bangladesh bowlers dominated in helpful conditions, with Hossain the pick - finishing with figures of three for 67 off his 13.1 overs.
