The Intermediate Cup is the venerable old man of Leinster cricket, with the trophy first presented in 1895. There was one familiar name in those early years, as Clontarf 1sts won three of the first twelve cups. The unfamiliar names are also worth reading - Athy won in 1895 and 1896, Land Commission won three titles at the very end of the 19th century, Beaumont completed a three in a row from 1902-1904 and Richmond Asylum put their name on the trophy in 1901.
That era may have long gone, but defined periods are still the norm in the Inter Cup. Between 1993 and 2001, the competition was dominated by 1st XI's with victories for Wexford Wanderers (1993 & 1996), Mullingar (1997), Laois (1998), North Wicklow (1999 & 2000) and Halverstown (2001). Since then however, the 4th XI's have taken over with wins for YMCA (2002 & 2014), Clontarf (2004), Malahide (2007), Pembroke (2008) and Phoenix (2010, 2011 & 2013).
It looks as if 2015 will provide a win for either camp - we're just not sure which! We'll start at the bottom of the draw, for reasons that will become apparent later.
North County 4 get the short straw, playing every match away from home. Their first encounter won't require too much travelling, as they go to Milverton to taken on The Hills 3 in an intriguing game.
The recent history of the two sides is illustrated by where they were in 2000. North County won the Minor Cup that year, whilst The Hills 3 won the Middle 2 Cup - it is North County who are on the up. The Hills 3 have only played North County in T20 matches - in fact they have played them every year - and lost every year. In addition to this North County 4 have played The Hills 4 once, and they won that as well. But this will be the first encounter between these two sides, and the two Division 9 teams should be well matched. Time to flip a coin.
Leinster's pedigree in the lower cups has been well documented, and their 5ths are no different. Three times winners of the Minor Cup (1958, 1961, 1962!), three times winners of the Junior Cup (1973, 1991 and 1995), but more importantly, Inter Cup winners in 2005. Their recent form has been good as well, being semi finalists in this competition in each of the last two years. Terenure's wait for a cup goes back to 1958 when they won the Junior Cup. They were unlucky last year, losing in a first round bowl out, and should not be discounted in this match. They beat Leinster 5 last time out, but that came after a run of three losses to their Dublin 6 neighbours. Leinster should squeak home, but it could be a tight one.
Adamstown's rapid growth means their match against Malahide 4 is a tough one to call. Malahide's win in the Inter Cup in 2007 is becoming a distant memory, but they should be one of the stronger sides in the draw. However, their cup form has been poor - their last cup win was in June 2011 in the Middle 2 Cup. They dropped down to the Inter Cup last year, but lost in the first round. Their last two matches against Adamstown have resulted in losses, but they were both against Adamstown 1. Adamstown 2 make their first appearance in the Inter Cup, and have a chance if they play at the top of their game.
Swords 1 have an excellent record in the Inter Cup, and look to be strong favourites against a Dundalk side who are still looking for a Cup win after four years of trying. Dundalk have spent the last two years in the higher Middle 2 Cup though, and will have more of a chance this season. The two teams haven't met previously. and although it may be a bit closer than Swords's superior cup record would suggest, the Dublin team should still come out on top. Whoever wins will struggle against the winners of the Adamstown/Malahide game - we're tipping the winners of that one to get to the semi final.
The final of this year's competition will be held in Ringcommons' fine ground, and Ringcommons have a tough route if they are going to get the chance to play on their home patch in the final. They travel to take on Mullingar 2, and the Westmeath side were convincing winners by 9 wickets when the sides met last season. Mullingar 2 are Inter Cup stalwarts, but have only one win since 2011 to show for it, a 2012 win over Dundalk 1. They should make it two wins come June 13.
The winners of that one will be away to either Sandyford 2 or Longford 2. Longford will travel to Marlay Park hoping to build on their debut season last year. The Division 10 side lost to AIB in last year's Minor Cup and will find the step up in class tough. Sandyford 2 are useful performers at this level, and were losing quarter finalists in 2012 and 2013. They will advance to the quarter finals in 2015, and should make it their best season by getting to the semi finals.
Finally, to the top quarter of the draw. And we've left it to last because quite simply, any of the these sides could go ahead and win the competition. Railway Union 5 are amazingly the only Dublin 4 team in the draw (Pembroke, Merrion and YMCA are all absent from this one). After years in the Minor Cup, they stepped up to the Inter Cup in 2013, and have found the going hard, failing to win a game in the last two seasons. They travel to Kilcormac to take on Slieve Bloom, who are sounding confident even in midwinter. The Bloom won their first six cup matches in Leinster cricket, taking in the 2013 Minor Cup, and another cup run in last year's Inter Cup, before losing to Greystones 2 in the semi final. They will get through the first round, but then face a titanic battle in the quarter final.
Greystones 2 are at the top of the draw, and if the new ground is ready, will play three successive matches at the new ground of Greystones - Druids Glen. In three years of cup cricket, they have already reached two finals, losing the 2013 Junior Cup final to Slieve Bloom and last year's Inter Cup final to YMCA 4. Against nearly all the other sides in the draw, they would be strong favourites, but face a Phoenix 4 side who ooze the Inter Cup from every pore. Since 2011, Phoenix 4 have a 9-2 record in the Inter Cup, champions in 2011 and 2013 (as well as 2010). They were only losing quarter finalists last year, and will be determined to get "their" crown back. They played Greystones 2 twice last year, and the spoils were shared. Either team could win this one, and anyone from these two and Slieve Bloom could win the quarter final.
So our final tips. The semi finalists will be Greystones 2/Phoenix 4/Slieve Bloom 1, Sandyford 2, Adamstown 2, Leinster 5, with Adamstown 2 losing to one of the top quarter triumvirate in the final. Bring on June 13!