| Administrator(s) | Leinster Cricket Union |
|---|---|
| Cricket format | 50 Over |
| Tournament format(s) | Group stage |
| Champions | Pembroke Cricket Club |
| Participants | 12 |
| Official website | www.cricketleinster.ie |
The Leinster Senior League is the provincial cricket league within the Leinster jurisdiction in Ireland, which covers the province of Leinster in the Republic of Ireland. The league was formed in 1919,[1][2] the nine founding members being Phoenix, Leinster, Pembroke, Dublin University, Railway Union, Civil Service, U.C.D., County Kildare and the Royal Hibernian Military School.[3] The league is currently divided into twenty one divisions, the top two (senior) divisions are designated as the Premier League and the Championship.[4] It includes two member clubs from the Munster province: Cork County and Cork Harlequins.
Teams play each other twice per season, once at home and once away, with league positions determined on the basis of percentage of points gained out of possible total points.[5] 20 points awarded for a win, 12.5 for a tie, no points are awarded for “no result”, and up to five bonus points are awarded, depending on the margin of victory.[6] Matches consist of one innings per side, with a maximum of fifty, and a minimum of twenty overs bowled per innings.[7]
In 2025, the Premier League will consist of 12 teams. These top 12 teams will play each other once in 2025 and then split into a top-half and bottom-half. The Top-half will play each other again for the Premier League Trophy whilst the bottom-half will play each other again for Championship Trophy.[8]
The new First Team league is intended to comprise the next first teams. Each team in the new First Team League will play each other three times in 2025 (rather than twice as is the usual convention) totalling 12 league fixtures.[8]
The Top team in the First Team League at the end of 2025 will be promoted to the Premier League for 2026 replacing the bottom team in the Premier League (subject to accreditation standards and OCC determination on final composition). The bottom team in the First Team League at end 2025 will be relegated and replaced by the top first team at the next level.[8]