Division 7 stats
Leading all time run scorer (2011-2017) - Bernard O'Mara (Bagenalstown) - 1223 runs @ 28.44
Most runs in a Division 7 season - Declan Moore (Ringcommons) - 589 runs (2017)
Highest score - Sanjay Saharan - 196 - Merrion 5 vs Malahide 4 - Bird Avenue - 6 June 2011
Leading all time wicket taker (2011-2017) - Alan Murphy (Wexford Wanderers) - 87 wkts @ 15.49
Most wickets in a Division 7 season - Susheel Kumar (Leinster) - 27 wkts (2012)
Best bowling - Sidharth Kumar - 7-15 - Sandyford 1 vs Pembroke 4 - Sydney Parade 1 - 17 July 2016
Most matches - Alan Murphy (Wexford Wanderers) - 72 - (2011-2017)
Highest team score - 425-3 - Greystones 1 vs Balbriggan 2 - Marlay Park - 14 Sept 2013
Lowest team score - 37 all out - Wexford Wanderers 1 vs Castleknock 1 - Wexford RFC - 29 Aug 2015
Team of the Year (in batting order) - Declan Moore (Ringcommons) (Division 10, 2015), Binson Thambi (Dundrum), Marcel Bruns (Bagenalstown) (Division 7, 2016), Brendan Moore (Ringcommons) (Divison 10, 2016), Manpreet (Monty) Singh (North Kildare), Muhammed Samran (YMCA) (Division 8, 2017), Andrew Moore (Ringcommons), Nithin Padmaprabhu (Wexford Wanderers), Haq Nawaz (Wexford Wanderers), Sunny Charles (Bagenalstown), Foram Mehta (North County, wicketkeeper) (Division 12, 2015; Division 8, 2016)
Review
Runs per wicket for all teams - 20.96 Runs per over for all teams - 4.41
Bagenalstown 1 - Champions - (Predicted 3rd) - Batting Rating 135 - Bowling Rating 112 - RpO for 4.18 - RpO against 3.95
In the end it couldn't have been tighter, as Bagenalstown 1 pipped Wexford Wanderers 1 to the Division title by 1 point. Each played twelve matches on the field; each won eight and lost four. With such a small margin, every match can be looked at with pride, every point fought for being crucial. It means Bagenalstown 1 have broken into the top 50 of teams in the province, which is their highest ranking in the last seven years. It's fair to say that there were five Bagenalstown players who put in a really, really strong season. That only two of them made the Team of the Year is mainly down to Division 7 being stacked full of quality players. The two who did make it were Marcel Bruns and Sunny Charles. Bruns had his best season in Leinster cricket in his third season. He had 99* against Ringcommons (the only score of 99* in the province this year), and then got to three figures against Dundrum 2. He clocked up 380 runs at 63.33. Sunny Charles had his best ever league season for the 1sts, with 21 wickets at 11.67, including 6-41 at home to Ringcommons. He wasn't the leading wicket taker though, with Shane O'Neill having 22 wickets at 18.45 to go with 208 runs at 23.11 - a fine all round season. Anees Shah was another to deliver with bat and ball - 12 wickets at 22.83 and 126 runs at 21, with a third all rounder - Nadun Srimal Jasinghe having a quiet season by his standards with 276 runs at 30.67 and 10 wickets at 20.90. The role of honour is completed by Simon Hawkins, who hit 112 at 22.40. A big year ahead of the team in 2018!
Wexford Wanderers 1 - Runners up - (Predicted 8th) - Batting Rating 98 - Bowling Rating 106 - RpO for 4.39 - RpO against 3.95
What to make of Wexford Wanderers 1 in 2017? Do we look at the team who came within a point of taking the title, who beat champions Bagenalstown at home and away, and who haven't finished higher in the league (51st) in the last seven seasons? Or is is the team that we ranked as 5th best in the league and that conceded the highest total in Division 7 this year (312-2 away to Ringcommons)? Even after some detailed analysis of the season, we're still not sure. Arguably there were three crucial matches that elevated Wexford from mid table - the late season home and away wins over Bagenalstown, and the home win against Ringcommons. In all three matches one player was the difference between the two sides, and that player was Nithin Padmaprabhu. He burst on to the scene at the end of last year, taking 8 wickets in the last two matches of the season, and carried on in that vein in 2017. He scored 208 (often crucial) runs at 41.60 and took 21 wicket ay 9.90. Haq Nawaz takes his position in the representative team as well, although unlike Padmaprabhu who was an ever present, Nawaz only played six games, amassing 250 runs at 41.67. Umar Sufian Tarar was another who joined the club in late 2016, and he had nearly as dramatic season as Padmaprabhu with 17 wickets at 16.71 and 320 run at 29.09, and finally to Tony Murray who added another 15 wickets (at 15.93) to add to his career bowling record, as well as 163 runs at 27.17. And a last word to Alan Murphy who extended his Division 7 wicket taking record to 87 and his matches played to 72. With Wexford presumably in Division 6 next year, he won't have an opportunity to add to it in 2018. The team performance is completed by several more batsmen who reached 100 runs - Ibrar Ullah Jan (209 at 20.9), Adeel Mohammed (132 at 16.5) and Sami Jan (100 at 14.29)
North Kildare 2 - 3rd - (Predicted 5th) - Batting Rating 113 - Bowling Rating 89 - RpO for 4.79 - RpO against 4.64
In this topsy-turvy division, North Kildare were probably more over the place than anyone else. We've already looked at how Wexford could have been described as a good or bad team, and it isn't too much different with North Kildare. They stormed to the top of the league, winning their first five games, although each of them was chasing with a winning margin of five wickets or less. However, they they won only two of their last six to miss out on promotion. There were some glorious highlights, such as the fantastic trio of beating Wexford Wanderers, Bagenalstown and Ringcommons away, but yet they managed to lose to North County not once but twice, the only games that the bottom team lost all year. There is a fairly simple explanation though - like most other clubs North Kildare 2 struggled when their 1st team were playing on the same day, and both the North County losses saw their 1sts in action at the same time. The story of Sean Dalton reads as a parable for the battle between 1st teams, and lower teams in clubs, and as an example of starrings at work. A brilliant start to the season saw Dalton score 164 runs in four Division 7 innings; North Kildare winning all their matches before the 1st team called, and Dalton's Division 7 season was over. North Kildare 2 stuttered, Bagenalstown 1 and Wexford Wanderers 1 found it easier, and they went on to be promoted. That explains the season of two parts, but there were plenty of others who helped North Kildare reach the same position as in 2016. Manpreet Singh led the 304 runs at 43.43, earning a place on the Team of the Year. Tehseen Hashmin passed 200 runs with 269 at 33.62 and another five passed 100 - Aj Malhan (187 at 23.28), Gulab Singh (162 at 18), Sumit Solanki (157 at 39.25), Shahid Khan (125 at 17.86) and Daire O'Neill (120 at 20). The bowling struggled in comparison, with only ex Old Belvedere star Gulab Singh (17 at 18.35) and Malhan (13 at 26.69) having extra special seasons.
Ringcommons 1 - 4th - (Predicted 2nd) - Batting Rating 119 - Bowling Rating 95 - RpO for 4.90 - RpO against 4.93
How any team containing the combined talents of Anto Coates, the three Moores (Declan, Andrew and Brendan) and Ciaran Murtagh could lost a match in Division 7 is a wonder. How they managed to lose five matches is staggering. Of course there is a simple answer - there are lots of other good cricketers in Division 7, and in these five games, Ringcommons were simply not good enough. The playing stats are quite impressive though, and three of the quintet make our Team of the Year. Declan Moore broke Nathan Beuck's 2013 record for most runs in a Division 7 season, with 589 runs at 73.62. For the record, his 12 innings were 166*, 59, 44, 58, 73, 49, 36, 5*, 2, 44*, 19 and 34. Brendan Moore made the Division 10 Team of the Year last year, and made the three division promotion look easy, with 269 runs at 33.62 as well as 15 wickets at 17.13. Andrew Moore led the bowling stats with 20 wicket at 13.25, although that was only the fourth highest of all players in Division 7. Anto Coates failed to get his fourth Team of the Year award, but was still distinctly useful with 253 runs at 25.3 and 15 wickets at 25.4 and Ciaran Murtagh hit 168 at 15.27 and took 18 wickets at 17.94. Perhaps the only criticism is that only one other player is worthy of mention - Daryl White with 121 runs at 20.17
Dundrum 2 - 5th - (Predicted 7th) - Batting Rating 100 - Bowling Rating 107 - RpO for 4.44 - RpO against 4.07
There were dire predictions from us about Dundrum 2's season, but they coped with their nomadic nature well, finished only two places below their best ever placing in 2015, and look well placed to improve in 2017. The season wasn't massively inspiring, but they were solid enough, with a run of four wins on the bounce across the middle of the summer. Jinto Mathew has been the cornerstone of the team of years, and whilst 2017 wasn't one of his best seasons, he was one of only two players to pass 100 runs and 10 wickets - with 186 at 18.60 and 13 wickets at 20.62. The other allrounder to achieve the double, also made our Team of the Year - Binson Thambi, with a strong 171 runs at 24.43 and 11 wickets at 13.82. There were plenty of other performers as well (six bowlers took three wickets or more in an innings and none players hit 50s). Deepu Jose was leading wicket taker with 18 wickets at 15.33, and Gopi Cherukumalli had 11 wickets at 17.64. A further five passed 100 runs - Vinu Varghese Jacob (262 at 26.2), Srikkanth Boddu (164 at 54.67), Symam Mohan (135 at 13.5), Muhammad J Javed (116 at 116) and Sivaraman Sundaram (104 at 17.33).
YMCA 4 - 6th (Predicted 6th) - Batting Rating 98 - Bowling Rating 115 - RpO for 4.65 - RpO against 4.18
YMCA 4 were another example of how league tables don't always tell the truth. YMCA 4 may have been 6th, but they matched their (2016) highest ever league finish, and are still the second best 4th team in the province. Their first six matches were all at home (winning only two), before the rest of the season was on the road (with three more wins). YM won't be massively happy with their one member of the Team of the Year - youth player Mohammed Samran, who scored 146 at 29.2, took 12 wickets at 12.83, and then upped sticks to join Clontarf. Another youth player (there is a pattern developing) was leading wicket taker, Cillian McDonnell with 15 wickets at 13.93, and Muhammad Noman took 10 at 14.3. The batting role call is a series of players with cricketing futures ahead of them - Cameron Ruttle (162 at 27), Mitchell Thompson (135 at 27), Tim Tector (130 at 26), Harry Deacon (123 at 17.57), Elliot Johns (122 at 20.33), Sivan Mangat (111 at 22.2) and Andrew Jackson (101 at 16.83). Crucially none of those batsmen passed 200 runs.
Laois 2 - 7th (Predicted 4th) - Batting Rating 69 - Bowling Rating 97 - RpO for 3.75 - RpO against 4.54
A mini-exodus before the season started left many in Laois fearing the worst, and although they ended up with their worst league position since our records began, it was only one place worse than in 2015 (56th). The bowling was pretty much as expected - solid, and only just below the average Division 7 bowling. The batting was a different story though. After passing 200 in the first two matches, they failed to pass 144 in the next nine matches. They won those first two matches, and then lost seven of the next nine. The bowlers can't do much if there are no runs to play with! Usama Raees was top with 237 at 21.55, Paul Croke next with 128 at 21.33 and then William Blackley with 123 at 13.67. No one else got more than 96. Raees completed an excellent all round season with 13 wickets at 28.85, Chinmay Venu Madhav took 12 at 21.75 and Muhammad Akram had 10 at 14.70.
North County 3 - 8th (Predicted 1st) - Batting Rating 87 - Bowling Rating 85 - RpO for 4.15 - RpO against 5.02
Each year there is one team with which we manage to get our predictions drastically wrong. North County 3 were tipped for the top (after all even if they won the league, they would have finished lower than they had before), but plummeted to the bottom. They won only two matches all season, and as noted above, they were against a North Kildare 2 team who also had their first team playing. On the surface, the stats look ok. Six players passed 100 runs, and four took at least 10 wickets. Where has it all gone wrong? If go back to the 2015 team, six players formed the spine of the team. Two have gone to other clubs, two haven't played since 2015, one is now playing on North County 2nds, and only Zahid Imran still plays on the team. That problem to lots of teams, but it seems as if North County 3 have not been able to replace them. Zahid did his best (with 225 runs at 20.45 and 14 wickets at 17.64), but there was not enough "quality"; not enough people averaging over 20 with the bat, or under 20 with the ball. Cole Gaddy had 185 at 18.5; Yasir Mir 179 at 16.27 and 12 wickets at 24.58; Zia Mohyuddin 142 at 15.78 and 11 at 21; Joe Murphy 154 at 38.5 (he only played four matches) and Irfam Arshad 123 runs at 17.57. The one bright spot was Foram Mehta being the wicket keeper with most Division 7 dismissals.
The full Division 7 batting averages can be found here, whilst the bowling averages are here.