It was refreshing to see that cricket was up and running again this past weekend at the junior level.

The Bermuda Cricket Board must be commended for implementing an awesome youth programme. Currently, the Cricket Board has an under 8, under 11, under 14 and under 17 league with more than 1500 kids playing the game.

This is surely positive for the future of cricket in Bermuda and over the years will definitely increase the quality and widen the pool of players we have to choose from at the senior level.

Speaking of which, the senior league will begin this weekend with Social Club, looking to win the league title for the third year in a row. The time has come for my season predictions.

Last year I went against the odds, stating that Social Club and Rangers would be mid table teams, however, there is an old saying, "Once bitten twice shy".

This year my prediction is that the league will be a two horse race for first place between Southampton Rangers and Social Club. Southampton have Dwayne "Sluggo" Leverock back along with Curtis Jackson, which will definitely further strengthen their team.

While on the flip side Social Club have acquired the services of Daniel Morgan, Clay Darrell and David Lovell Jr. all players who can come in and do a respectable job.

Personally, I am going with Social Club to be champions again simply due to their team unity. Also, the thought of winning the league three years in a row will have their adrenalin flowing and it will take a lot to overcome them this season.

Bailey's Bay are my choice for a third place finish. Bay had one weakness and that was in their fast bowling department, but this year with the likes of Wendell White and Kyle Hodsoll, that weakness should all but disappear. Depending on the availability of Glenn Blakeney, Irving Romaine and Steven Outerbridge they too can threaten Social Club and Rangers for the league title.

Next in fourth place and again securing a Belco Cup spot I see my former team Cleveland. Cleveland have a very good coach in Allen Douglas, but they also have the team unity and passion that is required to compete at this level. New additions Allen Douglas Jr and Kion Butterfield will make a big difference as it gives the team more variety. On their day Cleveland can beat any team in the division. If they can improve their fielding they too can cause trouble and be spoilers for the top spot.

Holding down the fifth spot are St.David's. Losing Chris Foggo will be a huge miss. His batting has helped solidify their success for years.

However, they still have others to pick up the slack, with the likes of O.J.Pitcher, Delyone Borden, and Lionel Cann, and the return of Sammy Robinson and Chris Douglas. If they can convince Arthur Pitcher to change his mind and play this year then they could be the surprise team, as long as the players listed all have an above average season.

I see the new boys to the Premier division, PHC finishing sixth. Over the winter PHC have been the biggest winners in the transfer market.

With new faces like Ricardo Brangman Jr., Dano Outerbridge, Kamau Leverock and Dean Stevens they will have a new look team. They have enough batting to compete with any team in the league; the biggest question mark will be the quality of their bowling.

Quite a bit will be asked of veteran bowlers David "Chick" Adams and Cal Waldron. On their day PHC are also capable of beating any team which adds even more drama for the league.

Police seem to be the most unfortunate team this year as I have them finishing seventh. They will be hampered by the injury to fast bowler George O'Brien. His injury will have a major impact on their season. Having qualified for the Belco Cup this year they will struggle to avoid relegation.

However, the sooner George can get back, the better their chances are because he is a match winner. Police do have some quality in their ranks though and can still easily squeeze out of relegation if one or two teams are not playing at their best.

In the eighth spot, I am picking Somerset to be relegated. While they have some quality players in Jacobi Robinson, Jekon Edness and Hasan Durham, it was proven last year that as a team they were very disappointing.

On their day they are capable of pulling off a couple of upsets, but they lack consistency and will struggle to stay in the Premier Division. This season spectators can expect a highly contested league as each team, as stated above are capable of causing an upset on their day.