Division 9 review - Part 2

Division 9 stats

Leading all time run scorer (2011-2015) - Eoin Lenehan (Greystones) - 1071 runs @ 44.62
Most runs in a Division 9 season - Eoin Lenehan (Greystones) - 545 runs (2015)
Highest score - Danny Hogan - 151* - Terenure 2 vs North County 4 - Inch - 14 Sept 2014
Leading all time wicket taker (2011-2015) - Patrick Mount (Mullingar) - 52 wkts @ 15.62
Most wickets in a Division 9 season - Patrick Mount (Mullingar) - 29 wkts (2013)
Best bowling - John Andrews - 7-16 - North County 4 vs Ringcommons 1 - Inch - 7 Sept 2014
Most matches - Mick Cotter (Terenure) - 46 - 2011-2014

Highest team score - 326-6 - Adamstown 1 vs North County 4 - Inch - 15 Sept 2012
Lowest team score - 32 all out - Terenure 3 vs Dundalk 1 - Dromiskin - 25 Aug 2012

Review

North County 4 - Champions - (Predicted 5th) - Batting Rating 127 - Bowling Rating 86 - Overall Rating 213

It would be churlish to point out that North County 4 won less games than two other sides in the league (although I just have!). Seven wins and three losses was just about enough to pinch the title from Adamstown 2, with four games falling victim to the weather. Closer inspection reveals that County would probably have done a lot better if it weren't for the weather - the four games called off were all against bottom half sides - Mullingar, Sandyford (two matches) and The Hills. Signs of a North County resurgence are in the air, and the 4ths added to that feeling, finishing in their highest league spot since 2010. Their batting was the best in the division, although the emphasis was definitely on experience! Michael Murphy topped the lists with 389 runs at 64.83, Joe Murphy scored 318 at 39.75 and John Andrews 270 runs at 30.00. Not too many Division 9 teams can call upon the services of a trio of former interprovincial players! The bowling was a different story - the second weakest in the division. Anthony Mooney was best with 13 at 18.31, but the others with ten wickets averaged well over 20. On the career front, Joe Murphy clocked up one of the less remarkable feats of his career. On top of a maiden century (108* vs Greystones in April), he also clocked up 1000 runs for North County 4 (since 2010). It wasn't passed in the most glorious fashion - starting the match against Malahide 4 on August 16, Joe was on 999 runs; scored 1; and was promptly dismissed.

Adamstown 2 - Runners up - (Predicted 6th) - Batting Rating 116 - Bowling Rating 112 - Overall Rating 228

The magnificent rise of Adamstown continues. Our preseason preview noted that Adamstown 2 needed to improve their 2014 position by 18 places just to avoid relegation. They managed that (and then some), and are now occupying the same spot that Adamstown 1 finished in 2012. Two losses to champions North County meant there could be no real argument, although a win over The Hills in their last match would have clinched the league - they lost by 63 runs. Interestingly, Adamstown were ranking second to The Hills in our rankings (see below). Batting and bowling were both strong - three batsmen passed 200 runs (Bradley Fernandes, Hammas Habib and Hanan Maan) and three bowlers took more than ten wickets (Sunil Mathew, Manoj Monterio and Rajan Singh). Adamstown 2 are currently the 20th second team in the league - there is no reason why they won't soon be in the top 15.

Malahide 4 - 3rd - (Predicted 1st) - Batting Rating 91 - Bowling Rating 123 - Overall Rating 214

If Malahide 4 had finished in the same league position as in 2014, they would have won Division 9. As it was they slipped two places (to 67th), continuing a pattern that has seen them fall down the league ladder every year since 2010 finishing below North County 4 for the first time in that period. Inderjit Singh continues to be the rock that the team is built around. He passed 1000 runs for Malahide 4 in July (he now has 1180 at 25.11) to go along with his 66 wickets at 18.98. But whilst the bowling was the strongest in the division (along with Singh, Steve Smith took 11 at 14.64 and Conor Gibbons 10 at 16.90), the batting struggled, with the team being dismissed for under 100 twice. Three batsmen crept past 200, with the irrepressible Brian Gilmore clocking up 218 at 27.25, Chris Long, 228 at 32.57 and Inderjit Singh 226 at 32.30. The last four matches of the season were won, propelling the team to a very safe third.

Greystones 2 - 4th - (Predicted 4th) - Batting Rating 100 - Bowling Rating 105 - Overall Rating 205

A solid season for Greystones 2, who finished where we thought they would, and improved on their previous best league finish by a couple of places. As with all Greystones teams, 2015 was tough, as the team played away for the first half of the season until the new venue at Greystones - Druids Glen was finished. They won six of the last seven matches though, to finish a strong fourth place. Manpreet Singh had a poor season with the bat by his standards, but became the second player (after Eoin Lenehan) to score 1000 runs for Greystones 2. That man Lenehan was dominant though - scoring 545 runs at 41.92 ( as well as 12 wickets at 21.17). He is one of only 58 players to have scored 2000 runs in our records since 2010, and the only one from Greystones. Over the season, he was the only one in the team that passed 200 runs. The bowling was decent as well - the two stars of the Greystones' bowling attack were Sinto John (22 wickets at 17.55) and Manpreet Singh (18 at 24.39)

The Hills 3 - 5th - (Predicted 2nd) - Batting Rating 124 - Bowling Rating 107 - Overall Rating 231

It's difficult to reconcile The Hills 3's final league position with the talent on show. They were ranked as the best team in the division, but yet finished in a lowly 5th, after winning only five games. It is difficult to look past the three games where The Hills scored over 200 and still lost - at home to Mullingar and away to North County and Greystones, but that is probably over simplifying matters. The stats for the Hills also look very much like those of a team who would have been at the top of the league. Robert Clinton hit 353 at 50.43, with fellow youth player Harry Archer scoring 279 runs at 46.50. With another four players passing 100 runs for the season, that has all the makings of a successful batting line up. Similarly, the bowling looks good. Yet another youth player, Andrew Kavanagh, led the way with 20 wickets at 17.20, with Clinton completing a fantastic season with 16 wickets at 13.50. The future for those players (and the club) looks good, but the only question is how they managed to finish 5th!

Phoenix 4 - 6th (Predicted 3rd) - Batting Rating 93 - Bowling Rating 104 - Overall Rating 197

Something of a below par season for Phoenix 4, with a pair of wins in June, and another pair in early August. The bowling was slightly stronger than the batting - only twice did Phoenix manage to pass 200 runs, and both times they lost. The team have been remarkably consistent though, and in a period when many established teams are sliding down the leagues, Phoenix 4 are one place higher in the league ladder then they were in 2011, finishing 2015 in 70th. It can be interesting analysing how teams develop over time. Over the last five seasons, Phoenix's bowling has been dominated by John Anders and Willie Clarke (who both played this year), with the batting led by Grant White, Rajagopal Gopalahrishnan and Naeem Shahzad - all of whom had quiet seasons for the 4ths. That is as good a summary of Phoenix's season as is needed. Clarke (20 wickets at 17.05) and Anders (16 at 18.19) led the bowling - ably backed up by Devon Dismore who had a good all round season with 12 wickets and 165 runs. But the batting was a little under cooked, with Lineesh Ramachandran top scoring with 307 runs at 27.91, and Arsalan Raffique proving a fleeting presence for the 4ths - his three innings were 77, 106* and 62, and it is unlikely he will be playing 4ths next year!

Sandyford 2 - 7th (Predicted 8th) - Batting Rating 78 - Bowling Rating 87 - Overall Rating 165

Sometimes it is just better to accept that a team did a good job in difficult cirumstances. To improve on their 2014 position, Sandyford needed to avoid lst place, and they managed that, despite losing a couple of their star players. Four wins was a decent return, and as they have only finished higher in the league once in the past five seasons, it is easy to see the season as something of a success. Amandeep Sahota has been one of Sandyford 2's big players over the years, and depsite a quite enough season, he contributed with 10 wickets at 15.10. Gurmeet Singh was the other main wicket taker with 11 wickets at 28.45. With the bat, Qasir Chohan massively improved on his 2014 showing (118 runs at 9.83) with an excellent 450 runs at 25. Ravinder Singh was the only other player to top 200 runs, with 233 at 29.12. Chohan's performances in the two wins over Mullingar - that guaranteed not finishing bottom - 73 in the first game, and 3-18 with the ball in the second match were crucial.

Mullingar 2 - 8th (Predicted 7th) - Batting Rating 86 - Bowling Rating 81 - Overall Rating 167

Mullingar 2 are another team who have stayed pretty much at the same level for the last five years, and although this was their worst finish, it was only five places below the best in 2013. The team started the season magnificently, with three wins from the first four games. That was as good as it got though, and the rest of the season (from the end of June onwards) was spent slipping down the table. Patrick Mount has been the spearhead of the bowling attack for the past few seasons, and is the leading all time wicket taker in Division 9, but the 2nds now have to get used to life with out him, as he is now the leading wicket taker on the 1sts! It was down to older brother Tomas to fill the hole, and he was the leading bowler for the 2nds with 12 wickets at 21 - the sole bowler to take ten or more wickets. The batting was also a bit sparse. Club legend Mark Condell had 214 runs at 23.78, and Adeel Haider scored 220 (including one hundred and one fifty), but he only played seven games all season.

Division 9 batting averages 2015 (Qualification 100 runs)

Division 9 Bowling averages 2015 (Qualification 6 wickets)