Division 3
A total of 14 matches have been completed [and a couple of No Results] in OCD3. Leinster IIs with two completed games are the only team undefeated. But it is clear already that this is going to be a very competitive league and unlikely to be dominated by one club.
Three teams [The Hills II, Merrion II and Pembroke II] have two wins out of three and Malahide, who have already completed 50% of their fixtures are on 3/7. YMCA II are currently someway adrift at the bottom of the table without a win from three.
Looking at the league as a whole, Merrion’s strong batting is reflected in having three players in the top ten of the batting averages, which are headed by Andrew Vincent of Clontarf. Reflecting the greater number of matches played [but still with a very healthy average of 59.50], Nick Turner [Malahide] has the most runs with 238 in four innings.
In a very similar manner to the batting, Pembroke have three players in the top ten of the bowling averages [min 10 overs] which are headed by Rashid Mehraj [The Hills] with 8 wickets at an average of 8.88. The top wicket taker is again from Malahide - David O’Halloran with 13 at 15.23.
Division 4
OCD4 is an interesting league with four 1st XI and two 2nd and two 3rd XI teams. Merrion are perhaps the surprise early leaders with 2/2, as this is a level that they have struggled at over the past two seasons. But it is very early days with only ten matches completed overall. Dundrum are the only team still to win a match - but have only played once.
Reflecting their success so far - Merrion have two players in the top three of both batting and bowling averages.
[Beant Bhathal [93] leads the batting and Tariq Iqbal [6.33] the bowling with six wickets. The highest run scorer is Nilesh Joshi [Civil Service] on 141 and the top wicket taker is Anup Dambal [Knockharley] with eight wickets.
Division 5
With 19 matches played, there is a better sense of the shape of OCD5. Although they do not top the table, Longford’s six wins out of six puts them in a dominant position. Pembroke III have a higher percentage after two games but Longford have the wins in the bag. Balbriggan II and Greystones are well back in 3rd and 4th position with 3/6 each. YMCA III and Leinster II are still waiting their first wins.
There has been some very heavy individual scoring with two players topping 300 runs, Sheraz Tariq [Longford] with 329 and Syed Mehdi [Balbriggan] with 306. But it is Conor Fletcher, also of Balbriggan, who has scored the most runs [427] and tops the averages on 106.75. From a team perspective, and reflecting their position at the top of the table, Pembroke have three players in the top ten of the batting averages.
It is in mainly in their bowling attack that Longford’s success is based. They have three players in the top ten, including Umar Sarfraz who heads the averages with six wickets for 9.67. The player with the most wickets is Tariq Faheen [Balbriggan] with 17 at 11.47.
Division 6
In OCD6, following the early engagements Rush II and Castleknock are pulling away from the rest. Both have percentage points in the 70s, with the next best Malahide III on 56%. With only 12 matches played in the league and the other six teams on no more than one win a piece [although Sandyford and Merrion V did play out the only tie in the open competitions so far this year] it is too early to say how the battle for survival is shaping up.
Players from Rush II are dominating the batting averages, occupying four of the top ten places. Jack McGee is topping the averages [84] and Niall Mullen [200] has most runs, both from Rush. In an interesting contrast of strengths, Castleknock [who have no player in the top ten in the batting] have four players in the bowling led by Muhammed Haris [9 at 6.78] and Muhammed Boda, the highest wicket taker with 10. A difference between the two leading teams is that Rush also have three players in the top ten of the bowling.
To get full details on all the statistics form OC leagues 3 - 6 go to the Data Centre.