Thirteen teams will compete for the 2017 Minor Cup, with three of them having better credentials than the others. When the final is played at the end of August in North Kildare, we expect Bagenalstown 2, Clontarf 6 or AIB 1 to be lifting the cup!
The entrants to this year's Minor Cup are split between six teams from Division 13 and seven teams from Division 14, and although it would be normal to assume that the Division 13 teams had the advantage, we think that may not be the case.
At the top of the draw, Clontarf 6 of Division 14 take on Malahide 5 of Division 13, but it is the lower side who hold all the aces in cup cricket in recent years. Neither side has won a cup since the 1990's, but Tarf's recent form has been excellent, reaching the final of this competition in 2015 and winning the Minor 2 Cup last year. By comparison Malahide have only won one cup game in the last three years. The winners will meet Laois 3 in the quarter final, a team that won this competition in successive years in 2007 and 2008, although their last good season in this competition was getting to the semi final in 2014.
The defending champions of the Minor Cup are Bagenalstown 2, who overcame North Kildare 3 in last year's final. They meet a Wicklow County 2 team who has lost to Bagenalstown in their last two meetings, and whose cup pedigree isn't great either. Both teams stand next to each other in Division 13, but it is hard to look beyond Bagenalstown.
The final match in the top half of the draw is Greystones 3 at home to Railway Union 5. League position would suggest Railway progressing, but in truth neither has had much success in cups in recent years (Railway's last won a trophy in this competition in 1994). A tough one to call, but Railway may edge it.
Pembroke 5 will have a bye in to the quarter final, where they will play the winners of AIB 1 and Castleknock 3. Castlekock have only won one of their last four cup matches, and it is difficult to look past AIB who have developed into giants of the game at this level. They were runners up in the Minor Cup in 2014, semi finalists in 2015 before dropping down a cup in 2016 and winning the Minor 2 Cup (perhaps not surprisingly!). They will be confident of advancing at least to the semi finals.
Halverstown 1 have also been given a bye to the quarter finals, and 2017 may give them an opportunity to add to their last title back in the 2001 Intermediate Cup. They will meet the winner of new team Gorey 1 and Adamstown 4, and who wins out of that one is anyone's guess. Adamstown's recent form isn't too great, but it may take Gorey a year or two to get going.
It could be Halverstown who join the big three of Bagenalstown, AIB and Clontarf in the semis, and AIB going on to win the Minor Cup.