Division 10 stats
Leading all time run scorer (2011-2015) - Anto Coates (Ringcommons) - 871 runs @ 48.39
Most runs in a Division 10 season - Anto Coates (Ringcommons) - 600 runs (2013)
Highest score - Peter Auret - 184 - Slieve Bloom 1 vs Terenure 3 - Terenure - 16 May 2015
Leading all time wicket taker (2011-2015) - Nick Jagoe (Railway Union) - 55 wkts @ 13.25
Most wickets in a Division 10 season - Anto Coates (Ringcommons) - 29 wkts (2013)
Best bowling - Sandeep Sood - 9-15 - Civil Service 3 vs Malahide 5 - Civil Service - 3 July 2011
Most matches - Sean Smith (Pembroke) - 37 - (2011-2014)
Highest team score - 355-3 - YMCA 4 vs North Kildare 3 - Claremont Road - 27 Aug 2011
Lowest team score - 38 all out - Pembroke 5 vs Railway Union 5 - Sydney Parade - 4 Aug 2013
There is so much excitement and intrigue in Division 10 this year, that I'm not quite sure where to start. It is the cricket league equivalent of a confluence of tides, with the River Senior crashing from above into the rising River junior from below. Of the 28 rivalries in Division 10 this year, only nine teams have met in the last five seasons. So we have no real idea as to how two thirds of the league will go, but let us have a go anyway!
One more thing with the octet making up this league. There is a good case to predict relegation for five of the eight teams. And as that isn't going to happen, at least three teams are going to end up with seasons beyond their wildest dreams.
Castleknock 2 had a rapid rise up the ranks of Leinster cricket, rising three divisions in their first three years. However, 2015 saw their first stutter, as they fell from 80th in 2014 to 82nd last year. They are the only team in the league not to have lifted a league title in their history, and it has to be said that it doesn't look like the duck will be broken this year. They can look to their record against Slieve Bloom for some consolation (two wins from four matches), but their three losses in four matches against YMCA 5 may be more realistic. They need to improve on their best ever finish by two places to avoid relegation, and that may be two places too much.
Which YMCA 5 will take the field this year? Is it the one who (as mentioned above) has beaten Castleknock 2 three times in four meetings? Or the one who has lost their only match against both Railway Union 4 and Adamstown 3, and who has finished at 81st in each of the last two years? That 81st should not be scoffed at - they are tussling with Leinster 5 to be the second best 5th team in the province. But 81st is not good enough to stay up, and we'll predict relegation, with the same finish as in 2014 and 2015.
Apart from Castleknock's failure to win a league title, it is Leinster 5th's long gap back to 1996 that is the longest wait for a league title amongst these eight teams. Since that high point, Leinster 5 have been a pretty middling team, and like many other lower teams of big clubs have slipped down the league ladder in the last five years. Of the teams who could also be in the bottom half of the league, Leinster have no recent form, so there needs to be a bit of guess work. If Leinster can arrest that decline, they will be mid table. If they fall another two places on last year's finish, they will be relegated. But there are other teams who look worse off than Leinster 5, and although Leinster may drop again, we'll predict it will be by only one place, and they will finish safe in 6th.
Longford 2 are yet another team that could be seen as relegation candidates. They have only played Slieve Bloom (1-1) and Leinster 5 (1-1) before, so not much to go on there. They won Division 11 in their first year, and then improved by seven places in their second year in 2015. So they need to keep that improvement going, and it looks as if they will. Safely mid table, and 5th place.
Adamstown 3 aren't quite sleeping giants, but need to be progressing up the leagues in order to fulfil the potential that the club has. They are already the 11th highest ranked 3rd team in Leinster, but have a long way to go to catch The Hills 3 in 9th place - twelve places. Again, past history is not the most helpful - they have played the sum total of one match against their seven opponents, beating YMCA 5 in that match. 111th in their first ever season, followed by finishes of 94th and 89th, they need to improve by another eleven places to avoid relegation. But that should be possible, and we think they may do better than that, with a 4th place spot.
On to the Bloom. Slieve Bloom 1 have been quietly going about their business; quietly improving their ground, Meadowlands, quietly moving up in the world. Their first year saw a 77th place finish, which was improved to 75th last year. It has to be said that they have a hopeless record against many of the other teams - a losing record to Leinster 5, and 50/50 records against Longford, YMCA and Castleknock. But the same finish as last year would be 3rd, and there is no reason why that shouldn't happen.
Mullingar 2 come into this season as the most consistent team in the division. They may have been relegated last year, but they have to bear the brunt of being a "Sunderland" team. Too bad to stay up, but too good to stay down. Every year sees a promotion or a relegation. So this year is a promotion year, and nothing in the tea leaves disagrees. Whether they win the league or not depends very much on the last team on our preview.
Railway Union 4 come to Division 10 after a slight reorganisation within the club. In 2011 and 2012 they were the quivalent of a Division 11 club. Then the club exploded, and suddenly the 4ths were one of the best around, winning Divsion 6 in 2013. There were some very small falls in the following years, but they were still a Division 6 team last year. They have now taken the place that Railway Union 5 held in 2015, and they are nearly back to where they were in 2012. SO it's diifuclt to predict exactly where they will finish, but surely they will be good enough to romp to the Division 10 title?
Well, we will start to find out pretty soon, as Division 10 has the honour of starting the 2016 season in Leinster. Castleknock 2 will host Mullingar 2 tomorrow (April 9), starting nearly six months of brilliant cricketing action!