It is unusual to be able to confidently (ish) predict the semi finalists of a competition so far in advance, but this year's YMCA Salver throws up four (or maybe five) teams who look to be far stronger than the rest.
Twenty two teams are in the draw for the third tier T20 competition. Those twenty two teams are spread over four league divisions, there are a massive 35 places between the top team (Clontarf 3) and the bottom (YMCA 4) in the final league places of 2013. It means those in Division 5 should (and there is a word that I will emphasise when these predictions are found to be way off the mark!) be odds on to lift the trophy.
Four teams stand out, and we will start out with how they fair in the draw. North County 3 were the YM Salver runners up last year. and have a kindly draw, with only one other Division 5 side (Malahide 3) in their quarter of the draw. They will face North Kildare 2 in the first round, who lost to North County in 2011. The winners of that match will travel to play The Hills 3 - who themselves have played North County 3 times in the YM Salver and who have lost them all.
Clontarf 3 didn't get to play in the YM Salver last year as they were in Division 4, but were losing finalists in 2012 and losing semi finalists in 2011. They will play Rush 2 in the first round, who haven't won a T20 match in the last three years. The winners will face Laois 2 - something of a dark horse this year. They were the 2011 winners, and losing semi-finalists in 2012, but have now moved down to Division 7.
In the bottom half of the draw (which is regionalised into "north" and "south"), there is a relatively open quarter and a quarter with two strong teams. There are five teams who would fancy their chances in the kinder quarter of the draw. Adamstown 1 pulled off surprises in 2013, and they will be looking to do something similar in 2014. After reaching the semi final last year, they will be home to Terenure 2, before the winners face Leinster 3 - a side that hasn't won in the competition in the last three years, but maybe due a T20 cup run.
Wicklow County 1 host Dundrum 2, with the winners facing Pembroke 4. All three teams again would fancy progressing to the quarter final, where they are likely to face Railway 3 or Greystones 1
Railway Union 3 are looking a good bet to progress from the bottom quarter of the draw. They face YMCA 4 in the first round - the lowest ranked team in the draw. Railway 3 beat YMCA 3 last year, so should have no problems with YMCA 4. The winners will play Merrion 4 - before a potential quarter final against Greystones 1. Greystones 1 beat their first round opponents, Sandyford 1 in 2013, and should they repeat the feat, will be looking to advance to the semi final, as they did in 2013.
The beauty of T20 cricket is that upsets are likley, and hence the teams will probably pay scant attention to my predictions, and someone outside of the fancied teams could advance.
Malahide 3 host Phoenix 3, before the winners play Castleknock 1. Of those three, only Phoenix have won a T20 match in the last three years. The bottom game in the "North" half of the draw sees Civil Service 2 host Balbriggan 2. Balbriggan 2 got to a T20 semi final in 2012, but that was the lower Whelan Cup. They have a chance of beating Civil Service 2 though, who are a league lower.
Matches are played on Tuesday nights, with the final in Civil Service on Sunday 27th July