CBL Mid Season Review
WITH our short season about to enter the business end when titles, promotions and relegations are up for grabs, there will be no margin of error for those on the brink, writes Finbarr Buckley.
In the Grandon’s Toyota Premier Division Doolan’s Cow, on their return after a season out, have lost none of their passion for succeed and look firm favourite to lift a 6th title. With only two points dropped while every other team in the division is down six points or more, the chasing pack cannot afford anymore slip ups. The division’s top scorer, Doolan’s’ Tony O’Reilly, has netted seventeen times in his eight outings. Helio Inter Cork, DHF Grangevale, Arc Rovers and Cork Hospitals are still in the hunt while at the other end the battle to avoid relegation could go right to the wire. Promoted Longboats and Martin Harvey Solicitors along with Mooney Cup holders Jay Bazz Barbers are in need of a run of form that could propel them to safety. All are capable of playingexcellent football but have been hampered by the unavailability of key players in the first half of the season.
There are only three points between the top three in Dennehy’s Health & Fitness First Division. Sabor Brazil Giants lead the way a point ahead of last season’s second division champions ISF Ballyphehane Celtic. Here’s Health are just off the pace in third, three behind the leaders. All three have been scoring freely and are likely to be promoted. Sabor’s Rafael Machado Felippe and Adriano Santos De Oliveira and Ballyphehane’s Aaron West and Jamie Thompson are among the top scorers in the division along with Callan Dempsey of Here’s Health. The LAB in fourth are currently seven points behind but have enough talent to stay in the hunt but will need to take full points off at least two of the top three to have an outside chance of landing the title. At the opposite endthe bottom four of Co. Council, Abbey Business, DCT FC and The Weigh Inn Dripsey will be looking to pick up wins at home and away to guarantee survival.
In the No Sin Second Division OBS, who lead the division by ten points, look set to make an instant return to the first division as champions following their relegation last season. Top marksman Niall O’Brien’s goals have been instrumental in their blistering start to the season. He recently celebrated his one hundred goal for his club in the win over MSL Engineering. The league’s second oldest club Marlboro Trust, themselves looking to make a quick return to the second tier, are in a battle to finish second with debutants ePower who have really settled with some excellent results in recent weeks. Daragh Bagnell Hartnett’s ten goals to date have been one of the reason’s for ePower’s promotion bid. Fisherman’s Rest Valley Rangers and AL Ukraine in fourth and fifth have the ability tolaunch a winning run which could result in promotion. Both possess excellent strikers in Kevin Kelleher and John Noonan for Valley and Alim Khametov and Oleksandr Topolnytskyi for Ukraine, a vital ingredient in the make up of any promotion hopeful.
At the time of writing the league entered the Oscar Traynor Trophy competition for the third consecutive season under the management and coaching team of DHF Grangevale’s Diarmuid O’Neill, John O’Connell and Jamie O’Sullivan. Best wishes are extended to all for a successful campaign in the autumn.
