Division 16 stats
Leading all time run scorer (2011-2018) - Terry Bruton (Ashbourne) - 702 runs @ 43.88
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 - Oak Park - 7 June 2015
Leading all time wicket taker (2011-2018) - Stephen Hadley (Bagenalstown) - 44 wkts @ 13.66
Most wickets in a Division 16 season - Aj Malhan (North Kildare) - 33 wkts (2015)
Best bowling - Mat Baker (Bagenalstown) - 8-21 - Bagenalstown 3 vs Ashbourne 2 - McGrath Park - 17 June 2017
Highest team score - 440-6 - Carlow 1 vs Bagenalstown 3 - Carlow RFC - 7 June 2015
Lowest team score - 32 all out - Civil Service 4 v Ringcommons 2 - Ringcommons - 25 August 2018
Most Matches in Division 16 (2011-2018) - Andrew Robertson (Ashbourne) - 34 (2015-2018)
The calendar may have flipped over into November, but finally Cricket Leinster can start the league reviews of the Open Competition's 2018 season - starting with Division 16.
Each team has a bowling rating and a batting rating. This is the team's runs per wicket for and runs per wicket against when compared to the average across that league. An "average team" would have ratings of 100 for bowling and batting. We have also included the run rate across each division, and the run rate scored and conceded by each team.
Cricket Leinster's new website will be launching in the spring, but until then all player stats for the last eight seasons can be found at https://www2.cricketstatz.com/ss/web.aspx?mode=104&club=4530&team=.
We also have the return of our Team of the Year, based on the top five bowlers (on average, 10 wickets and five matches minimum), the wicketkeeper with the most dismissals, and then the top batsmen to fill the eleven (on average, 200 runs and 5 innings minimum, although this run qualification may be reduced if not enough batsmen qualify). Details are included of those players who have previously been named in Teams of the Year.
Team of the Year (listed in the order, five batsmen/one wicketkeeper/five bowlers):
Batsmen: Pankaj Kumar (Leinster), Asad Khan (Ringcommons)Ahmad Khalid (Civil Service), Tayyeb Hassan (Balbriggan) (Div 15, 2015; Div 16, 2017), Avtar Singh (Leinster)
Keeper: Jose O Carroll (Balbriggan, wicketkeeper)
Bowlers: Abul Shapon (Clondalkin) (Div 10, 2017; Div 14, 2014), Eoin Birch (Balbriggan), Andrew Robertson (Ashbourne), Rory Moore (Ringcommons), Sidharth Muthu (Adamstown)
Review
Runs per wicket for all teams - 18.44 Runs per over for all teams - 4.71
Ringcommons 2 - Champions - (Pos in league - 122 (2017 - 116)) - Batting Rating 131 - Bowling Rating 121 - RpO for 5.40 - RpO against 4.49
A first ever league title for Ringcommons 2 in their second season in the league (although it was also their lowest league position after relegation in 2017!). Home losses to Ashbourne and Balbriggan in May left them in a precarious position of 2-2, but from then on, the champions put on an unbeaten run of seven wins on the pitch, with six of those wins being in chases. The 21 man squad was strong in all aspects of the game - Malik Shahzad Ahmad Awan (249 runs at 27.67) and Asad Khan (283 runs at 70.75) scored the bulk of the runs, whilst the leading wicket takers were Daryl Clarke (11 at 22), the wile of Rafael Evans (15 at 12.2) and the youth of Rory Moore (16 at 10.13). Khan and the 14 year old Moore were the team's representatives in the Division 16 Team if the Year.
Ashbourne 2 - Runners up - (Pos in league - 123 (2017 - 123)) - Batting Rating 124 - Bowling Rating 91 - RpO for 4.69 - RpO against 4.74
After the August Bank Holiday, Ashbourne 2 were struggling, having lost four of their seven league matches to that point. However, a run of seven wins (four of them on the pitch) propelled them up the table, and enabled Ashbourne to match their league position of 123rd. That phrase of "on the pitch" is a recurring phrase throughout the Division 16 review. eight of the 56 scheduled matches ended with one side or other not being able to take the field, a less than satisfactory outcome. However, that is not to detract from Ashbourne at all - we rank them as the second best team in the division for their displays on the pitch. The bowling attack was weaker than the batting, with only Anoop Bolledla (18 wickets at 17.78) and Andrew Robertson (14 at 9.50) standing out. Robertson's distinctly useful return saw him named in the Team of the Year. Bolledla was very much the star of the team, passing 200 runs with 317 at 31.70. Unfortunately neither of the strings on Bolledla's bow were of sufficient quality to add to his 2017 Division 16 Team of the Year. Terry Bruton extended his record as the all time highest run scorer in Division 16, and Andrew Robertson has now played more Division 16 matches than anyone else.
Clondalkin 2 - 3rd - (Pos in league - 124 (2017 - 119)) - Batting Rating 100 - Bowling Rating 110 - RpO for 5.08 - RpO against 4.35
There are going to be many teams across this series of articles that may think they have been dealt with harshly - and Clondalkin 2 may be one of them. There is a feeling (and nothing more than that), that Clondalkin should have been promoted. Their 1st team is the 33rd best 1st team in the province, whilst their 2nds are only 35th (out of 35). But it is such a thin line - if Clondalkin had won their end of season match against Swords 3 (who only won three leagues games all year), they would have come second and been promoted. "Mr Clondalkin", Abul Shapon was the star of the show, leading the bowling attack with 22 wickets at 8, and his third Team of the Year award (after being in the Division 10 team last season). Alamgir Hossain took 12 wickets at 24.5, Abdur Bhuiyan 11 at 13.82 and Munir Khan 11 wickets at 20.36. Wicketkeeper Wahed Firdous led the batting with 233 at 33.29, but it was where the side fell short. Of the fourteen totals in Division 16 over 200, Clondalkin only scored two of them. Fine for a mid table side, but one that is challenging for the title needs more runs.
Civil Service 4 - 4th - (Pos in league - 125 (2017 - 122)) - Batting Rating 96 - Bowling Rating 90 - RpO for 5.12 - RpO against 4.81
A real curates egg of a season for Civil Service 4. No team lost more wickets, and none conceded as many runs. It was the lowest league position that the team have finished since our records began in 2011. However they were the only team to play all fourteen matches, and only Ringcommons won more matches meaning Civil Service 4 remain the 13th best 4th team in the province. The season started promisingly, with Service being 4-1 at the start of July, before losing five of the next seven. Ahmad Khalid led the team with the bat (making the Team of the Year) with 334 runs at 47.71. Back up came from Nabeel Andrabi (230 at 19.17) - the only ther player to pass 200 runs. Only two bowlers excelled - Forhad Hossain with 16 wickets at 13.63 and Abdul Sammad with 17 at 19.94. And one final lowlight - the team broke the record for the lowest score in Division 16, when they were bowled out for 32 against Ringcommons in August.
Balbriggan 4 - 5th - (Pos in league - 126 (2017 - 121)) - Batting Rating 89 - Bowling Rating 102 - RpO for 4.87 - RpO against 5.12
On July 8th, Balbriggan 4 would have been expecting a good run in to the end of the season, turning their 4-4 record into perhaps a 10-4 record that would have been good enough to win the league. Unfortunately only one of the last six matches was won, and coupled with a walkover given to Ashbourne,they tumbled down the table. Bowling was the team's strong point, with four bowlers passing the 10 wicket mark that signifies a decent season. Eoin Birch was the leading wicket taker with 14 wickets at 10.13 (earning a place in the Team of the Year), Mick McDonnell took 14 at 13.71, Iftikar Sabir 11 at 12.36 and Rana Zamir 10 at 11.60. But the batting struggled - the team were bowled out under 150 four times. Tayyeb Hassan made a Team of the Year for the third successive year with 215 runs at 35.83 (incuding 141* against Ashbourne in June), but no one else passed 200 runs. Jose O Carroll became the third Balbriggan player on our Team of the Year (and the second Balbriggan youth player) as he was the wicket keeper with the most dismissals in the division.
Leinster 7 - 6th (Pos in league - 127 (2017 - N/A)) - Batting Rating 116 - Bowling Rating 98 - RpO for 5.01 - RpO against 4.84
Leinster 7 returned to league action in 2018 after a year off in 2017. Expectations were much lower than last time, and the Rathmines 7th string finished 121 places lower in the league than at their last attempt. Whether that is good or bad is probably only known in Leinster, but it continues the gradual decline in league position of the lower teams in big clubs. On paper, we ranked Leinster 7 as the third best team in the division, but the giving of a walkover and a match that the OCC awarded against Leinster cemented their lowly position. That strength on the pitch is reflected in their two nominees to the Team of the Year. Pankaj Kumar made 215 runs at 71.67 and Avtar Singh scored 428 runs at 35.67. The bowling wasn't as strong. Avtar Singh was also the leading bowler, with 16 wickets at 15.56, and he was supported by the evergreen Niall Carroll with 14 at 11.93 and Muhammad Ishaq who took 10 wickets at 22.5.
Adamstown 6 - 7th (Pos in league - 122 (2017 - N/A)) - Batting Rating 77 - Bowling Rating 84 - RpO for 3.79 - RpO against 5.00
Adamstown the club goes from strength to strength, but as with all clubs, adding a new team can be tough. The highlights of the season were undoubtedly the twin victories over Balbriggan 4, but apart from that, the side struggled. Runs were a major problem - not so much in the scores that were posted, but in the contributions of players. All teams need that rock that a season can be built around, but no one scored more than 200 runs (best was Ramji Narasimhan's 144 at 20.57.) The bowling was a bit better, as Sidarth Muthu made the Team of the Year with 13 wickets at 11.23, and Ganapathy Manian took 11 at 19.45. So not the best of seasons, but things will improve, and expect the fourth best 6th team in the province to soon catch those immediately above them - Clontarf and Leinster.
Swords 3 - 8th (Pos in league - 128 (2017 - N/A)) - Batting Rating 82 - Bowling Rating 112 - RpO for 3.69 - RpO against 4.35
Much of what can be said of Adamstown can be repeated with Swords 3. The Fingal club entered a third string for the first time in 2018, and life wasn't easy. On the field things weren't too bad, as we ranked them as the 6th best team in the division. But unfortunately there were a handful of walkovers given as the club struggled to get players on the pitch, and only nine games were played. Not surprisingly, points, runs and wickets were hard to come by. Top run scorer was Prijin Joy Kurian's 97 from two matches and the best bowler was Shibu Joseph's 9 wickets at 13. They will be back stronger next year.
here, whilst the bowling averages are here