Division 12
2014 Champion - Phoenix 5 (Finished 6th)
2014 Champion predicted - Adamstown 3 (predicted "bottom half")
2011-14 Top run scorer: Trevor Wardrop (Halverstown, 2013-14) 629 @ 39.31
2011-14 Top wicket taker: Graham Mooney (Phoenix, 2012-14) 46 @ 17.35
Five teams in Division 12 are from the lower end of their clubs. In all honesty, it will not make too much difference to the long history of these clubs if their team runs off with a victorious league title. For the other three teams involved, it would mean much, much more.
The problems that Cabinteely have experienced this winter have been well documented, and the outpuring of sympathy that the club received from around the province showed that Cabinteely 1 will receive a great welcome where ever they play this year. It looks as if the club will be able to play its home games in St Andrews College, providing a temporary home until something more permanent can be found. It could be a good year on the pitch though. Cabinteely are the highest ranked team in Division 12, and have good records against all the other teams they have played against (their bogey team is The Hills 4 who have won three of the four encounters). Cabinteely have finished 82nd in the Leinster ladder in each of the last two seasons, and a similar finish would mean they were Champions. There are a few strong opponents though, and although the title is a possibility, we are going for 3rd place.
Malahide 5 should be around the same level as Cabinteely. They finished 90th last year, but previously had been solidly finising 10 places higher. This season will be the 10th anniversary of Malahide 5th's last league title - that season's Junior B, and they have a decent chance. We're predicting runners up.
The Hills 4 have had a slow slide in recent years. They won Junior A back in 2008, and then finished 79th in 2011, before slipping to 92nd in 2014. But they have a good record against several of their opponents - they are 3-1 against Cabinteely 1, 4-2 versus North County 5 and 2-0 against Leinster 6. Their form won't be good enough to lift them into the upper reaches of the final table, but they should be good for 4th place.
North County 5 present an interesting problem for the aspiring tipster. Recent form predicts they will finish no further down the table than 4th. However, closer inspection of their record reveals a few problems. They have poor records against the three teams we have already mentioned - but that is ok, as we think those three teams will finish in the top half. However, they are "only" 1-1 against Merrion 7, and 0-1 against Leinster 6. That just leaves Adamstown 3 and Halverstown 1, and we think they may both do ok. So in summary, it is difficult to see where North County will get the wins to propel them to the top half of the table, and hence we are going to predict an under-whelming 7th. Sorry Foram!
Leinster 6th's last title was a lofty Division 10 gong in 2012, but they've slipped a bit since then. Like North County, they have a poor record against the top 3 teams. But not to put too finer point on it, we think Leinster will beat North County 5 (and one other team), and climb up to 6th place.
Adamstown, Adamstown (to paraphrase 42nd Street). Last year, I just couldn't see them doing well. But yet they romped to the Division 12 title. Surely they can't follow it up with another one? Well, for several years Adamstown have not had to take their selection policies too seriously (this is what it looks like to the outsider anyway). They have enough excellent players in the club, that where ever they play, their various teams would win most matches. But now with five teams, more application is needed. And I can't think of any reason why that improvement won't bring a second successive league title for Adamstown 3.
It doesn't look quite so rosy for Merrion 7 (and this should come with the normal warning that Merrion are the best 7th team in the province by far). Their best ever season was 91st in the league. Last year they came 95th. Should they finish in the same position as last year, they will be relegated. They don't have a winning record against any of the other teams in the division. And for those reasons, we think they may come 8th.
Which just leaves Halverstown 1, home of the division's leading run scorer, Trevor Wardrop and some wily campaigners such as Stuart Gallagher. In 2006 they won Inter A, and although they have a lost a few players since then, they are still something of a force. They have winning records over Malahide, Leinster and Merrion and could be good enough for 5th.
The long march to the title begins on April 19th, when Leinster 6 go to Ballsbridge to play Merrion 7