ALL TO PLAY FOR AS FIXTURE CHAOS REIGNS

Local cricket enthusiasts will be forgiven for not knowing where things stand in terms of league positions at the moment with so many games postponed recently, and in fact there may even be one or two matches ongoing at present as clubs try to make inroads into their backlogs.

A number of factors, and most notably the awful summer weather, have contributed to a stop-start season this time and the likelihood now of clubs getting all their games played on time is minimal. There are several crunch meetings this weekend in Division 1 of the Billy Henderson Properties league none more so than at Beechgrove as leaders Brigade host reigning champions Strabane but with so much fixture uncertainty around, this week's previews may be better served on a club-by-club basis.


Brigade currently lead the table by 2 points but have Limavady breathing down their necks and while the Beechgrove side are many peoples favourites to take the title, they still have to play the other three title combatants. They start with Strabane this weekend and then have a T20 replay with the Roesiders to negotiate and they finish their season at the Holm, so its a tight looking last month. Brigade's win at Coleraine on Saturday was pivotal to their season and despite pulling off the last-gasp victory they were second best for large parts of the contest.

Mark Simpson's side's bowling attack is the best in the league but their batting is definitely weaker and they have struggled for an opening partner for Chris Dougherty. They are certainly capable of winning it this season not least because the teams around them are feeling the pinch in one way or another but they need to be better than they have been against Waringstown and Coleraine in the past fortnight. Having lost three times already Brigade can afford few more slip ups if it is to happen for them.

Limavady have lost just twice so far which probably gives them the advantage but like Brigade they still have to play the other three. The Roesiders apparently have now been advised that they have been awarded the points for the unplayed match against Donemana earlier this month leaving them just two off the top with a match in hand.

Their T20 replay at Beechgrove now becomes pivotal to their hopes and their final day showdown at Strabane Park could be massive. The drawback for Andrew Riddles' side however is the loss of their professional Adnan Akmal who has joined up with the Pakistan squad and of course the suspension of Decker Curry. They go to the Rectory this coming Saturday and could find Glendermott awkward enough too, depending on what sort of mood they're in but Limavady would certainly have been a different proposition at full strength.

Donemana's season has taken a turn for the worse since their cup final defeat and the situation that led to their non-appearance at the Hunter Grounds. Missing their two Under-19 players undoubtedly affected both performance and morale in the camp and although back to full complement now, they have realistically lost four times.

The Holm men are far from out of it though because out of the top four they have only to play Brigade. however there is a big game upcoming for them this weekend as they entertain their cup final conquerors, Bready. A win there would allow Donemana back into the mix and set them up nicely for the run in which ends with the visit of the Beechgrove boys. Much could also depend on the reaction to those recent events but it isn't difficult to see Richard Kee's side being involved in the shake up.

Strabane could be the forgotten element of the championship chase as despite also losing four times the Red Caps must be looking at their fixture list and thinking they have a great chance. Four of their last six games are against the bottom three (Bonds Glen twice, Eglinton and Glendermott) and if they can keep it together for those it will be all about Saturday's match at Beechgrove and then their final day game at home to Limavady.

It's difficult to know why Strabane haven't been at their best this season and there have been suggestions that the same hunger isn't there after back-to-back titles. While there may be something in that, there can be little argument that they have struggled very badly in attack and it is an area that they need to concentrate on during the run-in. There are certainly few better top orders in the North West in terms of batting but you would reason that this weekend may tell the tale as to whether or not Strabane can make it three-in-a-row.

Coleraine, Fox Lodge, Bready and Glendermott are all pretty much out of the reckoning now but the first named pair lock horns at Sandel Lodge on Saturday in what has the makings of a pretty decent contest. The Bannsiders were most unlucky against both Bready and Brigade in the two games that they have played since their professional, Mohammad Salman, left for home and they are without doubt building a club for the future.

The Foxies will look back on this as a fairly disappointing campaign having come in with such high hopes but with a top half finish very much attainable they can still salvage some pride. That's actually a tough game to call at the weekend and although the visitors would be marginal favourites, I wouldn't be so sure.

Glendermott have a very busy weekend in store as they host Limavady on Saturday and then travel to Strabane on Sunday and it has been a fairly mediocre season on Bonds Street as well. Skipper Gordon Montgomery will know that the team that lost to Bonds Glen raised its head more often than the one that thumped Donemana and the balance just wasn't right.

Bready have the Northern Bank senior cup safely locked away and in all probability that has been front and centre of their thoughts for the past month. No doubt the players will sit down at the end of the season and look at ways of using that experience to turn themselves into a title-winning side but they have to conquer their inconsistencies if they are to do that.

The Magheramason club has a superb squad, probably as good as any in the region and the likes of Brian Crumley and Mark Fleming have been a revelation for them this summer. Their game at the Holm on Saturday could depend on how much they want it.

And then of course we have the biggest match of the weekend and the biggest of the campaign so far for both Bonds Glen and Eglinton. The Bee Gees looked doomed at the halfway stage of the season before a home win out of nowhere against Bready lifted their spirits. They were at it again almost straight away when getting the better of Glendermott to move them on to 4 points as the villagers fell down a hole.

Andy Christie's men had beaten both Donemana and Bonds Glen in the first third of the season but they couldn't buy a win thereafter and it doesn't look a happy camp just now. On paper the villagers look stronger than the Bee Gees but whether or not they can match Gary Hamilton's team in a scrap remains to be seen. The fact that the game is at the Glen totally wipes out any advantage Eglinton would otherwise have and this could be about who wants it more. The visitors would be paper thin favourites at this stage.