Division 14
2014 Champion - Wicklow County 2 (Predicted to "not set the division alight"!)
2014 Champion predicted - Clontarf 6 (finished 7th)
2011-14 Top run scorer: Adam Gilbride (Clontarf, 2011-14) 839 @ 24.68
2011-14 Top wicket taker: Tomas Mount (Mullingar, 2011-14) 64 @ 11.09
After a less than stellar set of predictions last year (see above - champions Wicklow County 2 were predicted to struggle, and Clontarf 6, who had a pretty miserable season were predicted to be champions), it is probably best not to read too much into the thousand or so words below.
League re-organisation makes everything complicated. Wicklow County 2 may well be the Division 14 champions of 2014, but on paper they are the third weakest team in the 2015 version of Division 14, and that means they will have to play out of their skin to retain their status. Previous matches against this year's opponents have been few and far between. They have shared two matches against both Leinster 7 and Castleknock 3, and won three of the four games they have played against Mullingar 3. We think 2015 could be a tough year for Wicklow County 2, and they will do well to better their 112th position of 2014. 113th seems possible - which is 8th place.
Mullingar 3 are in a similar boat. A decent season last year, saw them finish runners-up. But that makes them the second weakest link in the new Division 14, giving them an uphill task. The team have been remarkably consistent in recent seasons, finishing between 110th and 113th every year since 2011. 111th is our prediction, 7th place.
Leinster 7 are the third team that has survived from the old version of Division 14. The 1999 Junior C champions have traditionally been a division or two higher than Division 14, and their looks the possibility that they could compete well. They have a winning record against many of the contenders - Knockharley 3, Castleknock 3 and Sandyford 3, and the only team that they have played (no matches against Bagenalstown 2 or Adamstown 4) and not won is Mullingar 3. So on paper they look good. In reality, it is difficult to see them improving by 10 places on their 2014 finishing spot, but 3rd place could be possible.
Bagenalstown 2 have slowly slipped down the leagues over the last couple of years. They were as high as 85th in 2011 (equivalent to a mid table spot in Division 11 now), before a four year slide to this year's Division 14. But there is a feeling that they may have bottomed out, and be on the way back up. A good coaching set up, along with the entry of a third team this year bodes well. Wherever they finish in 2015 will be below their 2014 final position, so there seems to be no real reason why that final spot shouldn't be quite high. We'll plump for runner-up spot and a return to the higher ranks.
The other four teams were all mid-table in Division 13 last year. Knockharley 3 were the highest of those in fourth place. Although they have not won a league title in their history, they look one of the better bets for this one. They have finished between 105th and 108th in each of the last four seasons, and with the Champions finishing in 105th, it would seem about right to predict a Meath victory - which would be the second of the three divisions, after we predicted Ashbourne to win Division 16.
A top two position would be Castleknock 3's best ever finish. The complications bought about by that re-organisation of the leagues is emphasised by the fact that Castleknock won Division 14 in 2013 - but that would be bettered by a top two finish this year. Whether they have the strength for that is open to question, and a losing record against both Leinster 7 and Knockharley 3 shows that they may fail to beat the top teams. We reckon 4th.
We can repeat the same bland lines for each of Adamstown's teams. Not long in existence; promising; could go far; unknown. Adamstown 4 finished 108th in their debut season last year, but there are some decent teams in the league, and they may fail to do so, whilst being too strong to struggle. Perhaps 5th?
That just leaves a Sandyford 3 team who have been gentling rolling down the slope that characterises league cricket. The 2008 Junior B champions have gone from 95th in 2011 to 109th last year, and need to be 5th or better to prevent another drop. They will be there or there abouts, but their record against the other teams in not particularly inspiring (a winning record against Bagenalstown, and four losing records against assorted others). 6th spot is the only position left unallocated, so that is where Sandyford will be.
The first match is on April 18th, when Castleknock 3 travel to McGrath Park to take on Bagenalstown 3.