As each day passes the final positions in the RSA Open Competition leagues become clearer. Already Division 1 is settled with YMCA champions and Terenure and The Hills relegated. The final accounting in D2 is all but settled but as some clubs have inexplicably not submitted result cards the position has to be taken as unofficial. From what one can tell from the unconfirmed results there needs to be a full 25 point turn around for Cork County even to come level on points with Malahide. The league title for Malahide will be confirmed today, Cork County are already promoted and Pembroke II and Merrion II relegated.
Attention for the remainder of the season will thus turn to the promotion and relegation battles in D3. Clontarf II are currently in pole position, with YMCA II in second place with matches in hand. So tight is the competition that North Kildare, who are unofficially in third spot, could still drop into the relegation zone were they to lose their last two games.
The unofficial table [taking into account the unconfirmed results of matches for which scorecards have not yet been submitted] is set out below.
| RSA OC Division III [6th Sept] | |||
| M | Points | ||
| Clontarf II | 11 | 189 | CS [A & H], YMCA [A] |
| YMCA II | 10 | 157 | NK [H], TH [H], NC [H], Clontarf [H] |
| North Kildare | 12 | 154 | YMCA [A], NC [H]. |
| Laois | 12 | 145 | TH [A],CS [A] |
| The Hills II | 11 | 143 | Laois [H], Leinster [A], YMCA [A] |
| North County II | 12 | 128 | NK [A], YMCA [A] |
| Leinster II | 12 | 115 | CS [H], TH [H] |
| Civil Service | 10 | 85 | Leinster [A], Clontarf [H & A], Laois [H] |
With 11 games to play up until the 21st Sept there is still plenty at stake for all teams in this league. Today there are important games between The Hills [4th] and Laois [5th] and Leinster [7th] and Civil Service [8th]. Tomorrow second placed YMCA takes on North Kildare [3rd]. All matches can still have a bearing on league outcomes and it is possible that the race for the title could go down to the head-to-head between YMCA and Clontarf on the final day.
Matters are a little clearer in D4 where Phoenix II have been confirmed as overall winners and Pembroke III and Mullingar cannot escape the bottom two spots. Railway II [3rd] and YMCA III [4th] still have a chance at promotions if they can catch Merrion III [who cannot go up if as expected Merrion II drop down to D3].
YMCA [who have a match on hand on the two teams above them] take on Mullingar today and have a great chance of overtaking Railway and closing to within ten points of Merrion.