| West 1 |
| West 2 |
| West 3 |
| Predictor Challenge |
Stewartry sit top of West 1 with another win at the weekend, this time against Annan winning with a 47-nil result. This is the fifth league game from six where they have scored more than 40 points.
Garnock move up to second with a victory away at Ardrossan Accies, but they are still five points behind Stewartry which makes next weekend's game against the league leaders crucial.
West Results (Men) - 15th October 2022
A win for Stewartry and they become favourites for the league title, even though we're not yet at the halfway point of the season. A win for Garnock and it opens everything up - not just for Garnock, but also for those who are currently competing for third place.
That third-place battle is close - Cumnock and East Kilbride are on 21 points (three behind Garnock), with Kilmarnock another one behind.
Cumnock gained five points from their home win against Cambuslang, the 57 -19 scoreline suggesting it was comfortable, but a half-time score of 24-19 perhaps tells a different story.
The league's big game took place at Bellsland with hosts Kilmarnock winning 30 - 22 against East Kilbride who were in second place at the start of the weekend. It was an important win for Kilmarnock as the gap to the top two would have been daunting had it gone the other way.
Cumnock, East Kilbride and Kilmarnock have each played six and won four. Cambuslang are a further three points behind, so not out of this battle at the top of the table, but the loss against Cumnock will be a sore one.
| West 1 | ||||||||
| Played | W | L | D | Diff | TB | LB | Points | |
| Stewartry | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 194 | 5 | 0 | 29 |
| Garnock | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 105 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| Cumnock | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 100 | 5 | 0 | 21 |
| East Kilbride | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 64 | 4 | 1 | 21 |
| Kilmarnock | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 3 | 1 | 20 |
| Cambuslang | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| Annan | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | -47 | 3 | 1 | 12 |
| Lenzie | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | -69 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Carrick | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | -205 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ardrossan Academicals | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | -169 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The battle at the top of the table takes on an extra dimension this season due to league restructuring. Whoever finishes second will go into a play-off with the chance to join the new National 4 league.
Next weekend, each of these four Clubs will be looking to take full advantage of the fact that they each face opposition who are in the bottom half of the table.
Unlike the top half of the table which has plenty to play for, at the bottom it's already looking a bit worrisome for both Ardrossan Accies and Carrick. Neither have won a game, with Carrick having the only point on the board, a losing bonus point which they picked up in their 20-14 loss to Lenzie on Saturday. Lenzie with two wins are 8 points ahead of Carrick, so have a bit of breathing space.
Scoring points looks to be just as difficult as picking up wins for the two at the foot of the table, so any points gained will prove valuable in the relegation battle.
| Cambuslang | v | Lenzie |
| Carrick | v | Kilmarnock |
| Cumnock | v | Annan |
| East Kilbride | v | Ardrossan Accies |
| Garnock | v | Stewartry |
In a similar vein to West 1, Oban Lorne, league leaders are unbeaten with several Clubs nipping at their heels. The unbeaten run comes courtesy of their home win against Strathaven, who were also unbeaten before the weekend, but it was close at 27 - 22, so no bonus point for Oban but a losing bonus point for Strathaven, leaving just three points between them.
West Results (Men) - 15th October 2022
Next weekend sees two big games in the title battle. Dalziel host Strathaven in a Lanarkshire derby and Wigtownshire host league leaders Oban Lorne - it will be interesting to see how the Predictor Challenge goes with these two games.
| West 2 | ||||||||
| Played | W | L | D | Diff | TB | LB | Points | |
| Oban Lorne | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 205 | 5 | 0 | 29 |
| Strathaven | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 299 | 5 | 1 | 26 |
| Wigtownshire | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 235 | 5 | 0 | 25 |
| Dalziel | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 123 | 5 | 0 | 25 |
| Uddingston | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| Glasgow University Medics | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | -124 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| Strathendrick | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -146 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Clydebank | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | -138 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Paisley | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | -190 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Irvine | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | -289 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
With four wins on the bounce, Uddingston will be keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings of the top 4. Their 48-17 win away at Irvine means they're five points behind fourth place, but they know at least two of the top four will be dropping points this weekend. Uddy host Paisley on Saturday who have had a tough start to their league campaign and are still looking for their first league win. It has to be said though, Paisley's last four games have been against the Clubs who currently sit in the top four positions, so it's been a tough run of games for them.
At the start of the weekend, Strathendrick were foot of the table, but their 33 - 8 win over Clydebank played in torrential rain in Fintry moves them up to 7th. Clydebank, Paisley and Irvine are all now below Endrick, each on two points.
This weekend, Clydebank host Irvine and Uni Medics welcome Endrick, so just as we might have some shuffling of positions at the top, so we might have in the relegation battle also.
| Clydebank | v | Irvine |
| Dalziel | v | Strathaven |
| Glasgow Uni Medics | v | Strathendrick |
| Uddingston | v | Paisley |
| Wigtownshire | v | Oban Lorne |
West 3 is a bit more messed up than 1 & 2, with some Clubs having played five games and others only three, however it does look like a pretty open competition for the title.
Lomond/ Helensburgh lead the way following their win at Auchenkilns on Saturday, a win which the majority of Predictor Challenge entrants failed to see coming. This one looks to have been tight all through the game with the visitors winning 19-13, so no try bonus, but a losing bonus point for Cumbernauld. Cumbernauld now find themselves seven points behind Lomond/ Helensburgh, but they have played only three games so have two in hand.
Bishopton are in second place, four points behind Lomond/ Helensburgh, and are another of the Clubs who have played only three games as they had a weekend off. Lochaber are on the same points as Bishopton (but only have one game in hand on Lomond/ Helensburgh) and had a big home win against Lanark/ Clydesdale.
Hyndland are a further point behind, having lost to Shawlands at the weekend. This was another close result which saw the losing team picking up a bonus point.
Shawland's win puts them on 12 points from four games, the same as Birkmyre who won at home against Moffat. Both Birkmyre and Shawlands have had a points deduction following the non-fulfilment of a game, without which they would have been in second place in the league.
Isle of Mull are a further point behind on 11 (the same as Cumbernauld), so seven behind Lomond/ Helensburgh, but they do have a game in hand.
That gives us eight Clubs within 7 points of each other, with the majority of the chasers having at least one game in hand.
| West 3 | |||||||||
| Played | W | L | D | Diff | TB | LB | Ded | Points | |
| Lomond & Helensburgh | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 77 | 2 | 0 | 18 | |
| Bishopton | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 2 | 0 | 14 | |
| Lochaber | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 4 | 1 | 14 | |
| Hyndland | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | -8 | 3 | 2 | 13 | |
| Birkmyre | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 92 | 3 | 0 | -3 | 12 |
| Shawlands | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 0 | -3 | 12 |
| Cumbernauld | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 78 | 2 | 1 | 11 | |
| Isle of Mull | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 3 | 0 | 11 | |
| Waysiders/Drumpellier | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | -40 | 2 | 1 | 7 | |
| Moffat | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | -181 | 1 | 1 | -3 | -1 |
| Lanark & Clydesdale | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | -258 | 0 | 0 | -3 | -3 |
There are several big games this weekend, three of which include the title challengers competing head on.
At Benavie, it's the Clubs sharing second spot who face each other, whilst Lomond/ Helensburgh welcome Isle of Mull and Birkmyre host Cumbernauld. In the other games, Hyndland travel to take on Lanark/ Clydesdale, and WD host Shawlands.
Whatever way these results go, the top half of the table is going to look very different on Saturday evening.
| Birkmyre | v | Cumbernauld |
| Lanarkdale | v | Hyndland |
| Lochaber | v | Bishopton |
| Lomond/ Helensburgh | v | Isle of Mull |
| Waysiders/ Drumpellier | v | Shawlands |
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