The Whelan Cup has always been a fiercely fought competition, and with half of the twenty two teams having an excellent chance of progression to the last eight, the 2014 edition looks like being another cracker.
Those twenty two teams are spread across three divisions (9, 10 and 11), and the cup represents the fourth tier of T20 competition in Leinster cricket.
Enough of the clunky intro, and on to our thoughts about who may win, and who will look at the final with envy. Swords 1 look to be a strong bet for a home quarter final. They were the 2013 runners-up in this competition, and face a preliminary match against Malahide 5 who lost in last year's preliminary round. The winner of that match will face Mullingar 2 in the first round proper, and as the Westmeath side don't have a recent T20 record to help us, it is looking good for Swords to embark on another cup run.
The Hills 4 have had first round losses in each of the last two seasons, and have another tough first encounter against Castleknock 2. The Porterstown side lost their first Whelan Cup match last year, but are a division above The Hills in the league, and would start as favourites. The winners will host Civil Service 3 in the last 16, in a match that promises to be a cracker. However, Service will have to improve on their recent T20 form - the last match they won was on June 27th 2011.
Clontarf 5 and Rush 3 both received byes to the first round proper, and Clontarf wil be confident of advancing to the quarter finals. Rush 3 have lost every match since 2011, and may struggle again against a side that lost to Swords 1 in the 2013 quarter final.
The last bracket in the northern half of the draw is the most competitive. North County 4 won the Whelan Cup in 2011, although many of that team left the club to reform Ringcommons. The two neighbours are drawn together, and anything is possible. The winners wil then face the rapidly improving Phoenix 4, who were losing semi finalists in 2013. It is the toughest of draws, and any of those three could progress to the last eight.
The southern half of the draw is just as tough. Another local derby sees Lucan 1 host Adamstown 2, with Adamstown 2 the team with greater pedigree. Whichever of those two Division 11 teams wins will then travel to play Railway Union 5 of Division 10. Railway lost to eventual winners Leinster 5 last year, and we're going to plump for more Railway disappointment, as Adamstown look best equipped to make the last eight.
Leinster 5 are the reigning holders, and on paper, they are the strongest team in the draw once again. They have an 8-1 Whelan Cup record over the last three years, and face Division 10 opposition in the preliminary round (Merrion 6), with the winners facing Cabinteely 1 of Division 11 in the 1st round. Merrion 6 have played Leinster 5 in the past two seasons, losing by 94 runs in 2012 and by 1 run in 2013 - so they may be due a win.
Pembroke 5 and Greystones 2 both have byes to the first round, and the Wicklow team looks far stronger. Greystones lost to Leinster 5 in last year's semi-final, whilst Pembroke's only recent win was against Cabinteely 1, in a match that was Cabinteely's first ever competitive match.
The final group of matches has Sandyford 2 play YMCA 5. YMCA may be a little out of their depth at this level, having a 1-2 record in the Russell Court Trophy. However the club as a whole is improving rapidly, and an upset would not be that unlikely. Sandyford 2 present formidable opposition though, being quarter finalists in 2011 and semi finalists in 2012. The winners will travel to play Terenure 3, who themselves lost to Sandyford 2 in 2013.
The final will be in Railway Union on Sunday 13th July, and we'll put our neck on the line and say it will be a Phoenix 4 vs Greystones 2 final