THE crowds that thronged the Hills on Monday have showed there is a real appetite for the new RSA Inter-Provincial Series.
With the ‘Leinster' brand acquiring new status in recent years thanks to the rugby team, the cricketers led by Kevin O'Brien have a great chance to build their image. And if they serve up thrillers like the opening fixture then the sky's the limit.
O'Brien specialises in pulling games out of the fire, and just as he did against England in Bangalore, he hauled his side over the line through sheer power and guts.
It was the skipper's first representative 100 on home soil, all his previous centuries for Ireland having come in foreign lands.
The Lightning are back in action next week when they play the first ever three-day competitive game ever seen in Ireland at College Park.
The North-West Warriors have lost players to the Northern Knights, but bring in local professionals Pakistani all-rounder Kamran Sajid and South African batsman Romano Ramoo.
IRELAND'S women had a blistering start to their first summer in Division Two of the English Championship. Wins over Devon and Wales looked easy on paper, but Isobel Joyce says the opponents were a lot tougher than they've faced in previous years.
"They had 11 good players in their team, but we won because we just played really well", says the veteran who is in her 15th international summer although she's still in her 20s.
Joyce caught her brother's ‘nervous nineties' habit with an unbeaten 98 on Sunday, and followed it with an unbeaten 75.
"It was great to start with two big wins", she said last night. "We were pretty sharp after having a good winter training programme."
The team were delighted that the budget stretched to hotels the night before games this year, after a couple of 4am journeys to the airport on matchdays in 2012.
THERE'S nothing like a bit of sun to get the runs flowing, and there's already been a deluge in Leinster this season. Nine centuries have come in the top two divisions, with two by Terenure's new acquisitions Tom Fisher and Ehtesham Ahmed.
‘Shammy', as he is universally known, had a long wait for his first senior ton, coming nine years after his debut at YMCA. But opportunities have shrunk as YM have strengthened and a move closer to home in Harold's Cross has already paid off.
"They're a great bunch of lads in Terenure", he told the Star this week. "I'm really enjoying my cricket again and I'm better opportunities too."
Ahmed, who played for Karachi Under 19s in his native Pakistan, would also like to captain the former CYM and fulfilled another dream last week when he played for MCC in Leeds.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: Patrick Collins scored a century and took seven wickets for Railway against Phoenix on Saturday. It's the first time that double has been seen in a senior game since 1954, when it was achieved by the legendary Gerry Duffy.
Statsguru Gerry Byrne tells me it's only the fifth time that has been ever done, and the first since limited overs came in.
TWEET OF THE WEEK: Eoin Morgan (@Eoin16) has a puzzling hashtag on this effort from India "Settling in for the night with some room service and @MiddlesexCCC on the box. Looking forward to watching @stirlo90 bat!! #Pingpangpongo"
FRIDAY is the last day to get your early-bird priced tickets for the RSA Challenge ODIs against Pakistan at Clontarf. Tickets for the two games, on 23 and 26 May, are selling briskly.