Division 16 stats
Leading all time run scorer (2011-2015) - Sunil Kant Trikha (Carlow) - 528 runs @ 75.43
Most runs in a Division 16 season - Sunil Kant Trikha (Carlow) - 528 runs (2015)
Highest score - Sunil Kant Trikha (Carlow) - 156 - Carlow 1 vs Bagenalstown 3 - Carlow RFC - 7 June 2015
Leading all time wicket taker (2011-2015) - Aj Malhan (North Kildare) - 33 wkts @ 8.52
Most wickets in a Division 16 season - Aj Malhan (North Kildare) - 33 wkts (2015)
Best bowling - Luqman Ali (Ashbourne) - 6-21 - Ashbourne 1 vs North Kildare 4 - Clongowes - 27 June 2015
Highest team score - 440-6 - Carlow 1 vs Bagenalstown 3 - Carlow RFC - 7 June 2015
Lowest team score - 35 all out - Bagenalstown 3 vs Civil Service 5 - Civil Service - 24 May 2015
The first of our Open Competitions league previews looks at the bottom rung of the league ladder, with the prospects of the eight teams in Division 16 being mulled over.
The one irrefutable truth is that whoever wins Division 16 will be experiencing a new emotion - none of the octet have previously won a league title at any level.That doesn't make a prediction any easier, nor does the news that two of the teams are playing their first season of league cricket, and a further four only have last year's Division 16 season to draw upon. It is a league that is callow in many senses.
Let us start our epic trail through the impending fortunes of the 130 teams who have entered the leagues this season, but looking at two who will be playing their first ever league matches.
Balbriggan have entered a fourth team for the first time, encouraging signs from a club that is growing rapidly. Sometimes, a team's league position is irrelevant, and this could be once such occurrence. Balbriggan 3 had a triumphant season to gain promotion from Diviison 15 last year, so whilst there are possibilities for the new Balbriggan 4, it is likley that they will towards the bottom - first seasons can be notoriously hard. But that is fine - new players getting the experience of league cricket is what this first season is all about.
Ashbourne 2 also enter this new world, and it is equally difficult to work out how they will do. Ashbourne 1 impressed last year, and have been promoted to Division 13 after finishing as runners up in this division. How the club responds to having a second team will in their second season will be fascinating, but already they are guaranteed to be the 32nd best 2nd team in the province. The big games may well be the ones against fellow newcomer Balbriggan 4, and whoever comes out on top in those will avoid bottom place.
Civil Service 5 finished 7th last year, and with two new teams coming into the league, they will be looking to move a little bit further up. Their final position looks to be entwined with that of Bagenalstown 3 (see below), with the two teams scrapping for a mid to lower position finish. At this early stage in the evolution of the Cricket Leinster rumour mill, it is difficult to work out the relative strengths of clubs based on new members, but Civil Service have lost a few players to Clondalkin, and it may be that means they finish in 6th place.
At the start of 2015, this preview predicted that Bagenalstown 3 would have a tough year, but saw the massive positives in Bagenalstown growing as a club. That was exactly as the season panned out, with the Carlow club finishing rock bottom. But everyone has to start somewhere, and the team will be looking to build on that initial foray, and any position above bottom will be a success, and we'll hazard a guess that they will get as high as 5th.
THat just leaves us with the top four teams, and we'll be honest enough to say that there is no point in predicting anything other than that they will finish in the same order as they did last year. Greystones 4 had winning records against Civil Service 5 and Bagenalstown 3, shared the two games against Adamstown 5, and lost their one match against AIB 1. Similar results look to be possible this year, and a top half finish looks likely. This time, Greystones will be playing a full season in the new ground of Greystones - Druids Glen (at the beginning of last season they were still waiting on the new ground to be built), and that could lead to an improved performance. We'll predict 4th.
Adamstown 5 finished 125th in the overall league ladder in 2015, and an equivalent finish this year would be 3rd in Division 16. Player numbers in Adamstown look strong, and there is no reason why the team shouldn't be competing for promotion. They may just miss out though with that third place.
AIB 1 started their life in the leagues well last year, but in the end were thwarted by the strengths of Carlow 1, Ashbourne 1 and North Kildare 4. There doesn't look to be the same strength in the league this year, so AIB may well get the chance to go all the way. A decent squad of 35 players shows that numbers are not a problem. They shared the two games with Adamstown last year, and beat Greystones in the only match between the sides. Second place looks likely.
That just leaves our predicted champions, Merrion 8. Relegated from Division 15, at the end of last season, it would be a surprise if they didn't bounce back. Two years ago they finished in mid table in Division 15, and that looks to be their level. They have no previous form with any of their prospective opposition this year, with the exception of three games against Civil Service 5 in the last few years - of which Merrion won all three. With so little data to form a judgement from, we could be hopelessly wrong, but Merrion 8 are our tip for the Division 16 title.
The first game is on April 24, when Bagenalstown 3 travel across the Wicklow mountains to play Greystones 4 in Druids Glen.