CRICKET: To say that there will be no shortage of highly competitive cricket this weekend is to be guilty of understatement. The women's World champions New Zealand play their last one-day international against Ireland at College Park today before leaving for their Tri-Series ODI against England and India at Jersey and Durham.

Also today come the semi-finals of the Leinster Senior Conqueror Cup, with Merrion and CYM at home to North County and YMCA, respectively.

Tomorrow brings the final of the Leinster Senior 50 Overs League - sponsored by Lewis Traub - in which close southside neighbours Pembroke and Railway Union will battle it out at the atmospheric northside venue of Malahide.

Both sides have been in good form of late, and Railway should be fired up after their thrilling defeat of Merrion in last Tuesday's semi-final, though they also have to play a Whitney Moore & Keller League game against Leinster today.

Hardly surprisingly, tomorrow Railway will field the same side which defeated Merrion.

Similarly, Pembroke's captain Trevor Dagg had no surprise announcements to make when he revealed the team for tomorrow's final.

Pembroke have kept faith with the side which defeated the holders North County by six wickets in the first Lewis Traub semi-final at Balrothery last Sunday week, when Malcolm Stuurman top-scored with an unbeaten 53, Johnny Byrne made 52 and Dagg contributed an unbeaten 23.

All told, this should be a hard-fought final between two clubs who have shown admirable resolve this season so far.

Today, CYM will have home advantage at Terenure when they take on the Conqueror Cup holders, YMCA, but as club stalwart Michael Dalton has pointed out this is not always the advantage it's made out to be.

In the other semi-final, Merrion have brought in Duncan Smythe and Joey Morrissey instead of Damian Joyce and Justin Manville, Morrissey having been ruled out of action with a hand injury recently.