This is an unofficial table pending checking of result cards.
As the Premier League reaches the halfway point its contours are filled in. Of course we still have one quirky feature - not all teams have played each other [the completion of the first complete set of matches is scheduled for the next round. But notwithstanding this we are beginning to get a sense of the strengths of the different teams.
The league has proved to be every bit as competitive as everyone expected. No team has survived unscathed - all having lost at least two games. Perhaps the one surprising feature has been the inability of Leinster, the current champions, to bring anything like their form of last year into the competition. With one win and 29 points [not helped by a five point penalty] they are adrift of the teams above them. As things stand the may need five more wins [and bonus points] to avoid one of the bottom two spots. Leinster will need the run of victories similar to that which powered them to the championship last year, but this time for survival.
Merrion and Clontarf have emerged as the two strongest teams. There is little to choose between them [6 points] and they have opened up a gap of over 25 points with the chasing pack. What is notable is the high number of bonus points accumulated signalling heavy wins and close losses. Merrion have dropped only six bonus points all season - taking average margins of 24/1 or 21/4 across all their games. Clontarf defeated Merrion in the first set of matches in Castle Avenue - making the final round encounter between the two sides already looking like a date to watch for in the calendar.
But the current leaders are unlikely to have it all their own way. North County and YMCA [both lost yesterday] are only one win behind and The Hills [who have also amassed a lot of bonus points] are finally showing the form that made them contenders in 2017. Indeed their home fixture v Merrion in the next round [14th July] gives them an early opportunity to throw open the league once again.
Without writing off Leinster, they could still make it to the play-off spot with four wins out of seven, the main focus is now on Pembroke and Phoenix [The Hills are also not out of trouble but they look too strong to be stay much longer in the lower reaches]. Their head to head yesterday resulted in an emphatic win for Pembroke. Indeed over the two matches between the teams Phoenix have taken only one point. So far this year Phoenix have beaten Clontarf, The Hills and Leinster - but overall have accumulated very few bonus points. Pembroke, whose only other win was a narrow 5 run defeat of The Hills, also need to do better in the second half of the season. With the number of wins between the teams so close - placing could easily come down to the number of bonus points you have.
Results from Round 7
YMCA v Merrion [Match of the Day]
YMCA 206/8 - Merrion 207/3. Merrion win by seven wickets. Points 1 / 24
Leinster v Clontarf
Leinster 148 ao - Clontarf 149/5. Clontarf win by five wickets. Points 2 / 23
North County v The Hills
The Hills 269/7 - North County 198 ao. The Hills win by 71 runs. Points 23 / 2
Pembroke v Phoenix
Phoenix 207 ao. Pembroke 208/2. Pembroke win by eight wickets. Points 1 / 24
So a break now for a month as cup competitions and T20s take centre stage.