The top 4 in West 1 are well clear of the rest, so on most weekends folk in general are pencilling in wins for each of them, so weekends like the one just gone become crucial to the championship run-in as one of the challengers is down to visit another.
This weekend it was leaders East Kilbride who made the trip to second place Garnock. It looked like being a close one, but our Predictor entrants had Garnock down as the favourites. A home win wouldn't have led to a change at the top of the table, the gap would have closed and Garnock would still have had a couple of games in hand.
At half-time it was EK who led 13-5, so not a great deal in it, but with only one score in the second half, a penalty for Garnock, it was EK who grabbed a 13-8 victory. The win puts EK 12 points ahead of Garnock, but Garnock do have those two games in hand. East Kilbride have 6 games remaining, of which 5 are at home, including Garnock and Irvine, whilst their one away game is Greenock. Garnock have eight games remaining, including EK, Glens and Greenock away, as well as a final game of the season against Irvine.
Both Glens and Greenock picked up wins, but not without some issues. Glens found themselves 10 nil down against Stewartry, before coming back for a bonus point win, whilst Greenock "only" won 21 nil at Dalziel, so no bonus point. (This is 2nd week running we've specifically noted Dalziels scoreline, yes two losses - but against two Clubs competing at the top of the table - last week they picked up a four try bonus against EK, this week they stopped Greenock from picking up a four try bonus - is something stirring at Dalziel Park?)
Glens are 13 points behind EK, but have three games in hand. Greenock are 14 behind EK, also with three games in hand.
Glens have still to host Garnock and to visit Greenock, and they have an interesting this week when they visit Irvine, who are now up to fifth.
Greenocks remaining games include a home game against Garnock this Saturday, as well as home games against both Glens and EK. They also have to play Irvine twice.
It's still very much up in the air as to who will win Championship, with the games against each other no doubt proving critical - but we'll also be keeping an eye on Irvine in all of this, as they have each of the contenders still to play, and we're guessing that they might just pop someones bubble.
Irvine are on a bit of streak with five wins from their last five. Their 31-13 win at Strathendrick on Saturday was their first away win of the season. They welcome Glens on Saturday, for what should be a decent contest. Stewartry lost to Glens on Saturday, so Irvine move ahead of them. Stewartry have only four games remaining, three of which are scheduled to take place between now and 16th February - long summer break for them.
Annan move onto the same points as Stewartry with a 38-22 home win against Cambulsang. This is a crucial win for Annan, as although they are clear of the relegation zone, a couple of losses, and a West Club down from National 3 could have made things a bit uncomfortable.
Like Stewartry, Cambuslang have only four games remaining, but they are only 9 points ahead of Cumnock who sit in the second relegation spot, and two ahead of Kilmarnock who are 10th (and a possible third relegation spot). Cambuslang really need another few points, but having played more than those below them, it could be a worrying wait to find out their fate.
Greenock v Garnock this weekend might look game of the day, but try telling that to Cambulsang and Kilmarnock who are scheduled to meet each other are Coats Park, or Cumnock, who host Dalziel. If results don't go their way, Cambuslang could be down to 10th, and only 4 points ahead of Cumnock, who will still have four games in hand. This would make for an interesting conclusion to their season as their remaining game would be Dalziel, Garnock and Strathendrick.
The big game at the top of the table this weekends is Greenock v Garnock. Garnock won their first meeting 28-11, and prior to Saturday, Garnock hadn't lost since 8th September, at which point they had lost their opening two games of the season. Other than Garnock, Greenocks only other defeat was at EK, and by only two points. This has all the makings of a close one - we're going with home advantage as the difference, but that didn't work out for us last weekend when it involved Garnock.
Glens visit to Irvine should be another close one - Irvine are on the up and were impressive when we saw them against Stewartry (who got themselves 10 points ahead of Glens on Saturday). We're going with Glens, for no other reason than they are the leagues top scorers and meanest defenders - but we won't be surprised if we're wrong on this one.
EK host Strathendrick which we're going for a home win. As the season has progressed, the EK defence has got tighter and tighter, which for a Club like Strathendrick who are struggling to score points, isn't good news.
Stewartry v Annan is a mid table game that won't really have any impact on either to battle above and below them, but it is the second leg of the Chisholm Cup - so silverware on offer - not much in it, but will go with home advantage.
The remaining two games should be filled with tension as they are crucial to the relegation battle. Cambuslang v Kilmarnock is a must win for both Clubs. Kilmarnock won their first meeting 27-17, but both have been struggling to find wins of late. Will Kilmarnocks win against Cumnock last week provide them with the confidence to take a victory from this game - well who knows. Nothing other than gut feel on this one - away win.
In the last game we have Cumnock hosting Dalziel - Dalziel are foot of the table and 18 points behind Kilmarnock in 10th. It looks like they're down, but with 9 games remaining a few wins could give them hope. After Cumnock, Dalziels next games are Cambuslang, Stewartry and Strathendrick. If you can see three wins across these four games it will make things doubly interesting in the relegation battle.
Cumnock had a big win on their new 3G pitch against Annan a couple of weeks ago, so we're going with them having a bit more confidence, but it's a must win for both, therefore loads of pressure - it will be down to who deals with that best.
See also:
West 2 UpdateWest 3 Update
Predictor Update
Media Galleries:
Garnock v East KilbrideAllan Glens v Stewartry
Dalziel v Greenock Wanderers
Highlights: Annan v Cambuslang
Annan v Cambuslang
Kilmarnock v Cumnock
West 1 Updates:
7th January 201911th December 2018
4th December 2018
28th November 2018
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