Limerick Cricket Club completed a clean sweep of the Limerick derbies when they defeated Limerick City in their Premier League encounter at their home ground of Adare on Sunday.
Following the victory, Limerick Cricket Club are within just three points of second place and right back in contention for a high finish.
It was Limerick who again won the toss and captain Sarfraz Ramay put Limerick City into bat after a rain delayed start. The away side who got off to the better start however, former Limerick player M Aziz trapping Azeem Khan for LBW.
Limerick CC were able to bounce back strongly when the reliable Usman Khan came in at three and settled the ship for the home side.
With dangerman Arslan Anwar unsurprisingly holding his wicket at the other end, Limerick CC were able to construct a damaging partnership.
Usman would eventually fall for a well-made 41, just nine short of another half century for the man who is beginning to cement the number three role.
Limerick city would continue to take wickets but could not manage to get rid of Arslan Anwar from the crease.
Swaroop Burra came in at seven for Limerick CC and he was able to anchor a much needed partnership as Anwar continued to score big at the other end.
Burra’s much-needed 27 proved vital to the Limerick cause as Anwar was able to make his second century in as many games at the turn of the 46th over, an achievement which hasn’t been done by an LCC player since that of Shane Burke in 2013.
Anwar is certainly the man in form for the club at the moment, he eventually hot out on 102 to follow up his 108* against Railway Union two weeks ago.
Limerick CC finished on an eventual score of 255 all out setting the opposition a big target to chase.
It was a case of history repeating itself for Limerick’s opening bowlers in their opening spells; playing in his 11th season for the club, Asif Shahab struck early for the home side again.
He caught the edge of A Khalid before trapping other Limerick City opener A Giduthuri for just 0 and 2 runs respectively.
Sayed Ahmed continued to back his buddy Asif up from the other end, it wasn’t long before he put H Sultan’s stint of 10 runs to a close sending the ball crashing into middle stump.
Centurion Anwar was given the ball and he took the wicket of Zia Khan to leave Limerick City in deep trouble at 76-5 after just 12 overs.
However Limerick City would be able to stage some sort of a comeback with a decent middle order partnership, some decent scores in their middle order giving them a fighting chance of making an unlikely comeback.
Azeem Khan came on with the ball in the latter stages of the innings to take the sting out of the away side’s momentum, he would finish on tremendous figures of 4-26 off just 7.2 overs.
He ended the Limerick City innings on 227 to leave them 28 runs shy of their target, Limerick CC running out winners in a tight affair. Celebrations were had by Limerick after as they got their premier league campaign back on track.
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