OCD1: It is really quite simple. After 56 matches it comes down to just one. YMCA take on The Hills in a re-fix on Tuesday night. Provided that YMCA win they are the champions for 2014 and The Hills are relegated. If they don’t win then Merrion take the title and Railway are relegated.
OCD2: With Malahide and Cork County both promoted and Merrion II and Pembroke II relegated the only thing left to be decided is the title. The mixed fortunes for the two clubs yesterday means that it will require a 25 point swing in favour of Cork County just to bring them level with Malahide. Malahide can put the champagne on ice.
OCD3: With a match in hand on the following two teams, YMCA II have a lead of 16 points over second placed Clontarf II and a further two points over The Hills II. There is still a lot of cricket to play in this league [up to five matches in some cases] so anything is still possible. The two bottom teams [Leinster II and Civil Service] are just outside of a single win to catch Laois and North County II, but have a match in hand. As matters stand were the bottom team to get full points in its remaining four matches it could overtake the top team were it to lose all its matches.
Three games are being played today with YMCA sitting it out. Opportunity for Clontarf [v North Kildare] and The Hills [v Leinster] to make up ground on the leaders and for all others to try to find their way to mid-table safety.
OCD4: Phoenix II have all but won this league and have a comfortable 100 point gap on the chasing pack. Merrion lost a couple of mid-week re-fixes so are only just holding on to the 2nd spot [promotion is not possible anyway due to Merrion II coming down from D2]. Mullingar and Pembroke IIIs are detached at the bottom of league. Mathematical permutations means that we cannot call the result yet. Couple of matches today including YMCA III and Pembroke III which provides pretty much the last opportunity for Pembroke to escape the drop.
OCD5: Malahide are league winners and will be joined in D4 next year by Greystones when scorecards are sent in to record wins against third placed Leinster III and Clontarf III. North County III and Clontarf III have all but run out of time to avoid relegation. Railway’s win against Leinster III yesterday means that they are close to safety. The only other team in the mix is Merrion IV. While they are comfortably positioned on 40% at the moment they have games to play and could drop if they had a bad run of results.
OCD6: Another win for leaders Phoenix III yesterday but they still have to play Knockharley in what will probably be the league decider next Saturday. Still tight enough at the bottom with quite a few matches still to be played. Castleknock will do well to stay up but after that it could be any of Sandyford, Railway IV or Longford.
OCD7: Leaders before the weekend, Clontarf IV had a set back yesterday in Wexford. There are a number of games to be played and nothing much to choose between them and Laois II and Adamstown. Balbriggan II look to be all but mathematically doomed while Trinity II are also well adrift of Pembroke IV.
OCD8: Leinster IV well out in front and it would required a series of unlikely results to enable Knockharley II to catch them. Civil Service II and YMCA played yesterday [no result in] and the winners of that have a chance of catching Knockharley for the second promotion spot. Dundalk have only won one match this season and are destined for relegation and are likely to be joined by The Hills III who have only a few matches left to bridge the 11% point gap with Malahide IV.
OCD9: Another Phoenix [IV] side doing well and will surely go up with leaders North County IV. Greystones II are a long way back but do have games in hand so it is not impossible. With Swords losing yesterday there is very little left of a safety net for them and they look likely to join Ringcommons in D10 next year [subject always to final confirmation by the OCC].
OCD10: Merrion VI suffered a big set back yesterday when that lost by 130 runs to Slieve Bloom. With second placed [before the weekend] Railway V also in action [but no result] it is between these three for the title and promotion. The two bottom teams, Clontarf V and Pembroke V are in action today but with Civil Service [7th] winning their last fixture of the year yesterday it is difficult to see how either can survive on their own. It will require a bad run of form from one of the teams above them – Rush III or YMCA V to give them even a slender chance.
OCD11: Lucan and Longford II are battling it out for the title. Adamstown II [3rd] took full points yesterday and might challenge for one of the promotion spots but it is difficult to see the title not going to one of the two front runners. Both are in action today. At the other end of the table Leinster VI have a couple of matches in hand but are well adrift and will likely be relegated along with North County V.
OCD12: Merrion VII have a comfortable lead but with still some matches to play [though they seem to have a loss from June away to Swords still without a scorecard]. Adamstown III are the main challenger and have a few games in hand to improve their %. Bagenalstown have only won one game and will likely go down along with Pembroke VI. There are a number of scorecards missing [and no results even to the Match Centre on the day] so it is difficult to get a full picture.
OCD13: A lot of missing information in D13 as well. The leaders Laois III have a defeat unrecorded but their win yesterday over Dundalk II will have helped their cause. Dundrum III are chasing them and have a win not confirmed. Pretty much neck and neck between these two for the title and promotion though North Kildare [3rd] would appear also to have a couple of results not included [no scorecards] which could bring them into contention. Confirmation of relegation for Rush IV will surely come when all the results are in. The second relegation spot is between Dundalk II and Sandyford III. The latter have a couple of games in hand to get above their immediate rivals.
OCD14 Wicklow II confirmed as winners of D14. There looked like being a battle for second place between Mullingar III and Leinster VII. But Mullingar received a walkover yesterday from opponents Balbriggan III. And it would also appear that Mullingar are to receive a second WO of the weekend – this time against Leinster VII. Very disappointing for Mullingar to have two home games abandoned like this. The only consolation [and probably pretty scant at that] is that it probably cements their position as runner up.