2018 Junior Cup preview - Clontarf 5 will be tough to beat

With little information apart from previous year's cup performances, it is too easy to nominate the 2017 champions as the most likely to repeat the feat in 2018. The beauty of knock out cup competitions is that one off day can lead to those dreams crashing to earth. But with two cup winners from last season in the draw, it looks there could well be a few sleepless nights for the other twelve teams in the draw.

The Junior Cup action starts on June 30th, with seven first round ties. Merrion 6 will welcome Civil Service 3 to either Anglesea Road or Bird Avenue, and the home side will be slight favourites. Service have lost their last three cup matches, with Merrion not being much better - winning one from four. But in the head to head, Merrion lead 4-2, and although this is an all Division 11 tie, Merrion should prevail.

Halverstown 1 and YMCA 4 have only played once in the last seven seasons, way back in 2011. It is safe to assume that not too many players from that match will be taking the field this time around, so we can safely discount the result of that game (for the record, it was won by Halverstown). YMCA have developed into a pretty decent cup team in the last few years, winning the Intermediate Cup in 2014, and being runners-up in last year's (higher) Middle 2 Cup. A step down this year means that YM will be one of the stronger sides, and should advance.

In the bottom half of the draw, Sandyford will travel to McGrath Park to take on a rejuvenated Bagenalstown 2. Not too long ago, Bagenalstown 2 were bottom of the heap, but they won the Minor Cup in 2016, and very nearly repeated the achievement last year. Sandyford will be returning home empty handed in the first recorded match between the sides.

Division 11 sides The Hills 4 and Clontarf 5 meet in Milverton, and Clontarf's record means it is hard to back The Hills. Tarf are the reigning Junior Cup champions, have only lost one of the last nine cup matches, and have beaten their opponents in four of the last seven. The Hills can't be completely written off - they are a decent side in their own right. But Clontarf losing in the first round would be a major shock.

Lucan 2 make their debut in Cricket Leinster competitions this year, and have been thrown into the deep part of the shallow end - competing in the Junior Cup and Division 12. The only modicum of comfort they may take from their cup opponents is that Rush 3 have lost in the first round in each of the last three years. In fact the last cup game they won was the Junior Cup final of 2014, in which they beat Castleknock 2 on fewer wickets lost. Lucan 1 have beaten Rush 3 in four of the last six times they have played but such a task should be beyond the Lucan second string.

The final first round match is an intriguing one. Two Division 12 sides, North County 4 and AIB 1 play, in a game that could go either way. AIB are looking for a three in a row after winning the Minor 2 Cup in 2016 and the Minor Cup in 2017. Stepping up again will be tough, and North County looked good last year in advancing to the semi finals of the Junior Cup. AIB may well nick this one, but it could go either way.

One tie remains, between the two lucky sides who were given byes and find themselves already in the quarter finals. Swords 2 will travel to Rathmines to play Leinster 5. Swords won the Minor Cup in 2015, and have a much better cup record than Leinster. Against that Leinster lead the head to head between the sides, 5-2. That indicates a home win.

We'll predict a last four of Leinster 5, Merrion 6, Clontarf 5 and Rush 3, with Clontarf beating Merrion in the final in Rush on September 9th.