Division 3
2014 Champion - YMCA 2 (predicted 2nd)
2014 Champion predicted - Clontarf 2 (2nd)
2011-14 Top run scorer: Vijay Gopal (Clontarf, 2011-14), 1453 @ 40.36
2011-14 Top wicket taker: Mark Collier (Clontarf, 2011-14), 57 @ 14.35
Clontarf's mid-winter decision to decline the chance of promotion has left something of an odd feeling to this year's Division 3. The champions from last year stay still, but with little to prove, whilst with only one team coming down from Division 2, there isn't the normal intrigue as to what may happen.
A cursory glance at the teams involved leads us to make one very simple observation. 2015's Division 3 will be very much a division of two halves. Four teams are going to be fighting tooth and nail to get away from the trapdoor, whereas, the other four will be gunning for glory. That's what we think anyway, and that is the basis for this preview!
So on to the bottom four first. The Hills 2 have been flirting with the bottom end of Division 3 for the last few years, and this looks like being no different. They have been 21st or 22nd in each season since 2012, which would suggest 5th or 6th. In a theme that will be revisited later in this article, starrings will be crucial in Division 3 this year. The one permitted player coming down from the 1st team can make a huge difference. Tomas Rooney Murphy did that job last year, and another all round performance from him should enable The Hills to reach safety.
Nearly everything has been going in the right direction in Phoenix for the last couple of years, but Phoenix 2 are going to have to have a cracker of a season to keep it so. They have a winning record against Leinster 2; haven't played The Hills 2 or Pembroke 2 and are at parity or worse with the others. They have only won two of the last seven meetings against North Kildare 1. All that adds up to a side that may struggle, and they need to improve on last year's finishing spot by three clear places just to avoid relegation. We think they may just do it, and will predict 6th.
After a period dominating Division 3 (or Senior 2 as it then was) and then spending two seasons in Division 2, 2014 saw Leinster 2's worst year for a long time. They scraped enough points to avoid relegation, but it is difficult to see them doing the same again this year. Last year, they managed to sneak an extra 1st team player into their second team without the OCC spotting it, and it made all the difference. It's difficult to see the same thing happening again this year, so we'll go with 7th spot in 2014.
That just leaves Laois 1 who having been hovering around the bottom of Division 3 since 2013 - taking into account the changing league numbers their finishing spots equated to 5th and 7th last year. A few untimely player departures has seen the playing squad depleted a little bit, and with fractions making the difference at the bottom, it could be enough to consign Laois 1 to bottom spot.
With the bottom sorted, let's have a look at who we think will make up the top four. North Kildare 1 surprised many by finishing 4th last year, and the squad has been strengthened with the addition of Clint and Matt Auret, and Louis Hofmyer from Laois, and Clontarf 1st team veteran Paul Ryan. There is some expolosive power in the batting, and they could really scare some teams this year. Whether they can go all the way depends on player availability, and obviously on how the other three teams get on. We'll predict another 4th place, but it could be an exciting year in The Maws.
Merrion 2 have been the top 2nd team in the province for longer than many care to remember. Some years they have not done as well as others, but for continued quality, they have been tough to match. That hasn't really changed this year, and after a couple of seasons playing high quality cricket in Division 2, they should find the drop in a division to their liking. Where they come in the top three will just depend on star quality, and who can turn the close matches when it is most needed. Merrion may just be missing those major players, and hence we're predicting 3rd. It could easily be another Division 3 title though.
As mentioned above Clontarf 2 should be in Division 2 this year, but opted for the easier pickings in Division 3. They should therefore romp to the title, and with the new signings in their first team, the seconds will reap the rewards. The only thing that prevents us from predicting another Division 3 title is that the other top teams are pretty strong as well. However there is absolute quality from 1 to 11, and the addition of Sameer Dutt to the 2nd XI squad will make an already strong batting line up, immense. It will probably be a title winning squad, but we'll stick out neck out , as say they'll have to be content with the runners up spot.
So that must mean that Pembroke 2 will grab the title. There isn't much to say that that will happen. Pembroke 2 have not won a league title since 1966, and if that is a long wait for our Anglo-Saxon buddies, then it is even longer for Pembroke. But there are a few clues. In the last seven matches against Clontarf 2, Pembroke have won five (although they have a bad record against Merrion). And liek Clontarf, new players have boosted their chances. It's a bit of a long shot, but we'll tip Pembroke 2 to be the surprise winners of Division 3 this year (and we've already predicted Clontarf 3rds to win their league).
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