Lansdowne lie in wait for their opponents in Division 1 final

LANSDOWNE have qualified for the Senior League Division 1 final next weekend while the winner of tomorrow’s D6W derby between Terenure College and St Mary’s College will meet the headquarters club in the Energia Park decider. Lansdowne complete their 1A programme tomorrow at home in Lansdowne Road against Dublin University, while this evening Clontarf welcome Old Belvedere to Castle Avenue, and in 1B Naas host UCD in Forenaughts tomorrow. In Division 2 Greystones and Old Wesley have qualified for the semi-finals, and when they meet tomorrow in the final game in 2A at Dr Hickey Park they will be fighting to top the group and a higher playoff seeding. Wanderers are through to next weekend’s penultimate stage as 2B winners while Navan’s home game at Balreask Old against MU Barnhall will decide which of the joint table toppers wins 2C and becomes the fourth semi-finalist. Tomorrow Skerries are the visitors to Kilbogget Park to play Seapoint in 2A, while 2B concludes with Tullamore hosting Blackrock College in Spollenstown. The Leinster League resumes tomorrow when the opening series of games in Division 1A are down for decision. It doesn’t seem long since Ashbourne won the title only to succumb in the AIL round robin.

Qualified

They start all over again tomorrow when they welcome neighbours Boyne to Milltown House. Last season Ashbourne beat Boyne twice en-route to the title, and the home side in tomorrow’s clash have had a solid pre-season having qualified for the Spencer Cup. Enniscorthy commence their campaign with a tricky trip to Wicklow’s home in Ashtown Lane where the county Wexford club secured the Bank of Ireland Provincial Towns Cup in April. The hosts finished a creditable fourth in their first season in Division 1A last season and will be anxious to build on that progress. Bective Rangers’ first XV dip their toes at this level for the first time after being relegated from the AIL last season. They begin at home in Energia Park tomorrow against Kilkenny, who travelled in the opposite direction having won promotion as champions of Division 1B a year ago. The final Division 1A game tomorrow will be in Mill Road where Gorey travel to play Dundalk. The two sides split their matches last season with both sides winning at home, but the Gorey win on the final day secured their status in the top tier for this term.