GIRLS U13 FESTIVAL DAY ONE

The Cricket Festival at Foyle College, Derry, hosted by the North West Cricket Union, is a celebration of youth development, inclusivity, and sporting excellence. Bringing together five teams — two from the host Union, two representing Cricket Leinster (CL Navy and CL Blue), and one from the Northern Cricket Union — the festival offers a valuable platform for showcasing the skills and progress of players who have been part of extensive training programmes throughout the season.

With 65 girls participating across the three-day event, the festival not only highlights emerging talent but also places a strong emphasis on encouraging female participation in cricket. More than just a tournament, it represents something meaningful for the players to work towards — a culmination of their efforts and a rewarding step on their development journey.

Following on from Winter indoor training in Castleknock College, Halloween, Midterm and Easter Coaching Clinics, we ran a Summer programme for the age group. Eimear Richardson, Senior Manager with Cricket Leinster, put together the Summer training package as well as lead the coaching team. Cricket Leinster’s two squads have been guided by head coaches Hannah Pasley and Bill Whaley, who have worked closely with the players in the lead-up to the festival. The preparation included six training sessions at the new indoor facility at Balbriggan Cricket Club, followed by a training match at Oak Hill Cricket Club. From there, squads were finalised and brought together for two further sessions in Balbriggan ahead of the trip to Derry.

Massive thank you to all the venues for training, particularly Balbriggan CC who has been very accommodating with use of their fabulous new facilities.

See below for the teams for the 3-days, schedule and summary scores from day 1 of the festival.

Check link to July 9th match report, stage 1, which took place  in Malahide CC: https://www.cricketleinster.ie/news/u13-girls-interpros-get-underway

Leinster Team Schedules:

Tuesday 15th July, 1pm starts, 30 overs

NCU vs CL Navy

NWCU vs CL Blue

Wednesday 16th July, 10am starts, 16 over Bash

NWCU Blue vs CL Navy

NWCU Green vs CL Blue

Wednesday 16th July, 1pm starts, 16 over Bash

NWCU Blue vs CL Blue

NWCU Green vs CL Navy

Thursday 17th July, 10am starts, 30 overs

NCU vs CL Blue

NWCU vs CL Navy

July 15th 2025 - Summary Scores:

Tuesday 15th July, 1.20pm delayed start, 30 overs

NCU vs CL Navy

NCU 184ao (25)

M.McKeown 36, A.Lunny 33*

J.Duffy-Mullen 4-19, M.Keenan 2-36

CL Navy 99ao(18)

J.Duffy-Mullen 17, L.Poynter14*

S.Bryans 2-13, S.Vinoth Kumar 2-17

NWCU vs CL Blue

NWCU 114ao (25)

B.Buchannon 19, E.Moore 15

D.Armstong 2-7, Z.Harper 1-5, M.Rafter 1-5

CL Blue 33ao (10.1)

S.Eldo 8*

M.Rankin 4-13, A McGarrigle 3-11