Review of the season - RSA Division 1

How the league was won - There have been 13 seasons since Leinster last lifted the Division 1 title, and since 1998, to be  honest they have not even come close. The Rathmines side made up for it in 2013 by romping to the title, losing only one game in the process. 

Only three sides passed 200 against Leinster - North County, YMCA and Clontarf, as the strength of their bowling attack became apparent (see below). 

Once the other teams started losing matches as well, it meant that no one ever threatened Leinster's position

How dreams turned to nightmares -  Whilst there was only one team in the race for the title, there were many who could have been relegated at one stage or the other.

Six victories proved to be the point at which a team was guarenteed to be safe, and going into the last game of the season, only YMCA and Leinster had passed that point. The other teams may have had mathematical chances of relegation, but in reality the one relegation place was between. North County, Clontarf and Merrion.

The fact that there was only one place to be won (or lost perhaps) was down to the disappointment opf Terenure's first season back in the big time. They lost their first six games, and despite wins over The Hills and Clontarf, it was all too late.

The final relegation spot was down to a two-horse race as North County quickly dispatched The Hills on that warm September afternoon. It meant that the losers of the Merrion vs Clontarf match would be relegated, and as is detailed below, it was not to be Clontarf's day.

Heroes with the willow - Twenty five players passed 200 runs, with an elite group of nine passing 300. Much has been penned regarding the performances of those playing at the top level of their game, so there is perhaps no need to dwell. 

Bill Coghlan of Clontarf reigned supreme, with 392 runs at 39.2, closely followed by Reinhardt Strydom (YMCA- 378 at 37.8)  and Pat Collins (Railway Union - 369 at 36.9).

Two players deserve a special mention, as they were the only two to pass 200 runs at an average of over 40. Mike Baumgart of The Hills, scored 307 runs at 43.86 - that average helped no doubt by his 139* against Clontarf. And just to prove that quality always rises to the top - one player averaged over 50. Kevin O'Brien found time to play for Railway Union five times, scoring 15, 20, 28, ,103 and 47* for 213 runs at 53.25 (and with a strike rate of 102.4)

Hell for leather - Leinster may not have figured very highly in the batting averages, but they dominated the bowling, showing the main reason why they won the league. Four of the top bowlers were from Observatory Lane - Tim Law with 26 at 15.19, Joel Leacock (3rd place with 24 at 13.79), Anton Scholtz (4th with 24 at 13.25), and Stephen Moreton (7th with 19 at 16.37)

In the midst of those were two North County players (Eddie Richardson and Ian Bertram) and Mo Tariq of Railway Union.

Days to remember -  There was no better time to produce a season defining performance. Fail, and your club could be relegated. Succeed and you are a hero. Ben Ackland took to the crease in early September, having had a lean season with the bat - 18, 7, 14, 9, 0. 78*, 12, 9 and 15. It could be said that you had to get him early - or else.

Opening the batting in the last game of the season for Merrion against Clontarf, he survived a testing opening burst from Joe Morrissey and only gave one chance early on. After this point though, he toyed with the Clontarf attack, scoring 170 from 165 balls, as the rest of the Merrion order batted around him to give Clontarf a testing target of 292 to win.

A stunning catch by Ackland to remove Clontarf danger man Bill Coghlan got Merrion off to the perfect start, and Ackland's preformance confirmed Merrion's Division 1 status for 2013.

Stat you may have missed - In a similar vein to Division 2 - no number 11 scored more than 8!


Batting (Qualification - 100 runs)

Bowling (Qualification - 10 wkts)