Six wonderful days of cricket blitzes were held for pupils in 4th & 5th class during the month of May. The events were full of fun and enjoyment with children being competitive and learning more about the game. And let’s not forget that we had great weather over the two weeks! Overall, 23 schools attended the blitzes with over 600 boys & girls gaining valuable playing experience.
The many teachers who accompanied the teams were most impressed with the ‘Kwik Cricket’ playing format and may have already expressed interest in setting up games themselves involving local schools - always a good sign for the further development of the game.
The Swords/Malahide blitzes were held at Malahide Cricket Club with St Colmcille’s NS, Oliver Plunkett’s NS, St Andrew’s NS, Old Borough NS and Holy Family NS participating. The 4th class blitz was won by St Andrew’s NS and the 5th class blitz was won by Oliver Plunkett’s NS.
The Rush Blitzes were held at Rush Cricket Club and involved teams from Rush NS, Loughshinny NS, Milverton NS, Balrothery NS, Balbriggan Educate Together, St George’s NS & St Patrick’s NS. Both the 4th & 5th class blitzes were won by Milverton NS near Skerries.
The Dublin 15 Blitzes were held at Corduff Sports Centre with Mulhuddart NS, Tyrrellstown Educate Together, St Patrick’s NS (Corduff), St Patrick’s NS (Diswellstown), Scoil Mhuire NS, St Philip’s NS, St Mochta’s NS, Castaheany Educate Together, Ladyswell NS participating. The 4th class blitz was won by St Patrick’s NS (Diswellstown) and the 5th class blitz was won by Scoil Mhuire NS (Blakestown). All these West Dublin schools have recently been introduced to the game through the ‘school coaching visits’ programme funded by Fingal County Council.
The festival was a great success, further promoting the game of cricket with lots of children showing an interest. The development of cricket in Fingal keeps growing which is a wonderful boost for sport in the region. Special thanks to the Fingal County Council & Leinster Cricket Union for their continued support. Thanks is also due to the cricket clubs for the use of their grounds and all the coaches who contributed to the success of these events.