RSA Division 2
2012 Champion - Pembroke 1
2011-12 Top run scorer: S Iqbal (Rush) 1031 runs at 51.55
2011-12 Top wicket taker: J Govan (Malahide) 41 wkts at 11.20
Previews of Division 1 and 2 can get down to the nitty gritty. Who has joined? Who has left? Purely and simply, what players does the club have?
There's little doubt that this year there is more interest in Division 2 than there has been for a while. Clontarf's first appearance in the second tier since 2003 has been the main ingredient behind the interest, but shrewd signings by Balbriggan and Terenure, along with a refreshed looking Malahide, mean that there is an element of wonder in Divison 2 at last.
Clontarf are surely the team to beat. The team is stacked full of Leinster Lightning players, with Alex Cusack, Andrew Poynter and Bill Coghlan all listed on the current starrings. With "other" players such as Andre Botha, Zander Van Der Merwe, Joe Morrissey and Eoghan Delany they have strength in depth. National and Provincial call-ups may test that depth, but they are clear favourites at this stage.
Terenure will be highly fancied to chase Clontarf, and return to Division 1. Tom Fisher is a massive addition to the squad, and along with Richie Lawrence they have made sure they won't miss Andre Botha too much. Kenny MacDonald continues to score runs, but apart from those three there is little proven run-scoring ability for Terenure in the last couple of seasons. Similarly the bowling will not match Clontarf - John Hoey is the number two wicket taker for Terenure in the league over the last couple of years. Anything less than promotion will be a disappointment.
Malahide will be there and there abouts as well. That may sound like faint praise. They have the league's top wicket taker since 2011 - the indominatable Jimmy Govan. They have the most exciting pace bowler in the country, Peter Chase, as well as the returning Fintan McAllister. Pete Saville remains one of the tightest bowlers in the country. Calum Riches will plunder runs and wickets. All that points to a good season - definitely better than the disappointing 2012. But can they make the top two?
It will be a big season in Balbriggan. Their first in Divison 2 will be opened tomorrow (April 20th) with the renaming of the ground as the Jack Harper Memorial Ground - no finer start for the club in such a historic year. And the squad looks one that could go all the way. Azhar Shaffique has plundered runs in the North West for years. Steffan Jones will provide hustle and bustle. Adrian, Dwayne and Albert Harper are three players that all the other Division 2 teams would love to have. Barry Archer is still one of the best batsmen in Leinster, and Sarfraz Anwar has done it before in Division 2.
With the squad listed like that, it starts to look like Balbriggan have a chance for promotion as much as the others. It promises to be an exciting few months at the top of Division 2.
Dublin University could possible join that quartet. Conor Hoey remains one of the best five spinners in the province, and there are several promising students - Dhruv Kapoor, Eoin Conway, Richard Forrest. Although depth isn't as big an issue for Trinity, only needing to get the players out for seven games, they may well lack enough to break into the Top 4.
All is quiet in Rush. There have been no rumours, or gossip - and I'm sure that is the way they like it. Shahid Iqbal is the Division's top run scorer over the last couple of years, and Lionel Jansen is just behind. Those two alone will win matches, but the difficulty will be the days when that pairing don't perform.
Finally, the two second teams, Leinster 2 and Merrion 2. Leinster did well to stay up last year, and will be all the stronger for the experience. Both clubs will find the bonuses that come from second string players getting to play against the Clontarfs, Malahides and Terenures umeasurable. But will that be enough? They will both be looking to win five games to stay up - making the games between them crucial.
It all starts this Saturday, when Dublin University tavel to Castle Avenue to take on Clontarf