INAUGURAL FINALS DAY DELIVERS SKILL, SPIRIT AND SMILES AT SPORT IRELAND INDOOR CENTRE

Our first-ever LTI Table Cricket Leinster Finals Day took place today at the fantastic Sport Ireland National Indoor Centre, bringing together primary and secondary schools from across the province for an unforgettable celebration of inclusive cricket. The event also proudly marked the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, making the day all the more meaningful for everyone involved.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS – A PROVINCIAL TITLE EARNED THE HARD WAY

The primary schools section delivered excitement from the first ball, with the three qualifying teams — Lucan ETNS (South Dublin), St. Michael’s Holy Angels, Chapelizod (Fingal), and Scoil Bhríde & Scoil Mhuire, Green Lane, Leixlip (Kildare) — giving everything across a full round-robin schedule.

Summary Scores:

Match 1: Lucan ETNS vs St.Michael’s Holy Angels

St. Michael’s 258 runs

Lucan 247 runs

St. Michael's won by 11 runs

Top batters: Kai 20(St.Michael’s), Noah 18 (Lucan)

Top bowlers: Max & Joe both 1-0 (Lucan), Peter 2-8 (St. Michael's)

Match 2: Scoil Bhríde & Scoil Mhuire Leixlip vs St.Michael’s Holy Angels

St. Michael’s 245 runs

Scoil Bhríde & Scoil Mhuire 232 runs

St. Michael's won by 5 runs

Top batters: Lily 14 (St. Michael’s), Josh 12 (Scoil Bhríde & Scoil Mhuire)

Top bowlers: Josh 3-8 (Scoil Bhríde & Scoil Mhuire), Peter 2-8 (St. Michael's)

Match 3: Lucan ETNS vs Scoil Bhríde & Scoil Mhuire

Lucan 239 runs

Scoil Bhríde & Scoil Mhuire 257 runs

Scoil Bhríde & Scoil Mhuire won by 18 runs

Top batters: Max & Kelly both 16 (Lucan), Oliver 16 (Scoil Bhríde & Scoil Mhuire)

Top bowlers: Pat 1-0 (Scoil Bhríde & Scoil Mhuire), Sommy (Lucan)

After all three fixtures were completed, it was St. Michael’s Holy Angels, Chapelizod who emerged as the 2025 Leinster Primary Schools Champions, following a day of impressive teamwork, energy, and tactical play.

After the primary schools presentations, Ed Joyce, LTI Ambassador and former Ireland & England international, shared his admiration for the players:

“It’s been brilliant to see the joy on the kids’ faces today. Table Cricket opens doors for so many young people, and watching them represent their schools with such pride is incredibly special. The standard of play was genuinely impressive, but even more impressive was the spirit shown by every participant.”

SECONDARY SCHOOLS – COUNTY DECIDERS AND A PROVINCIAL SHOWDOWN

The secondary schools competition brought a fantastic new dynamic to this year’s event. Schools representing Kildare and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown battled first for county honours before meeting in the provincial final. These were the first ever secondary schools table cricket matches to ever be played in the province.

Kildare Playoffs:

Maynooth Post Primary (MPP) Vs Maynooth Community College (MCC)

MCC 287 runs Vs MPS 265 runs

MCC won by 22 runs to become the Kildare Champions

DLR Playoffs:

Holy Child Community School, Sallynoggin Vs De La Salle, Church town

Holy Child Community School 209 runs Vs De La Salle 261 runs

De La Salle won by 42 runs to become the DLR Champions

3rd/4th Place Play off:

MPS Vs Holy Child CS

Holy Child CS 276 runs Vs MPS 274 runs

Holy Child won by 2 runs

1st/2nd Place Play off:

MCC Vs De La Salle

MCC 222 runs Vs De La Salle CS 289 runs

De La Salle won by 67 runs

Top batters: Rys 32 (Holy Child CS), Alfie 22 (De La Salle), Hannah 18 (MCC), James & Julieanna both 20 (MPP)

Top bowlers: Patrick 2-4 (De La Salle), Stephen 1-12 (MPP) David 0-0 (MCC), Conor 2-4 (Holy Child CS)

The day concluded with De La Salle lifting the title as the first Secondary School LTI Table Cricket Leinster Champions. The atmosphere in the hall during the final overs were electric, with teammates, teachers, and families cheering every score.

Reflecting on the day, Paul Farrell, Chairman of Lord’s Taverners Ireland, highlighted the significance of what the young players achieved:

“Days like this remind us exactly why we support Table Cricket. It gives young people the chance to shine, to compete, and to feel part of something bigger. Watching the players give their all today was inspiring, and we’re incredibly proud to stand alongside Cricket Leinster in making opportunities like this possible.”

CRICKET LEINSTER REFLECTS ON A SPECIAL DAY

Philip Smith, General Manager, Cricket Leinster, praised the collective effort which went into delivering this successful first schools table cricket tournament:

“This competition has been a real team effort. From the schools who embraced the new format, the coaches who brought the sessions to life and the support provided by Lord’s Taverners Ireland (our charity partners) — everyone contributed to making this a great success. We are committed to further expanding this programme in 2026 as we look to maximise that all important sporting chance for all."

A DAY TO REMEMBER

With two provincial champions crowned and countless memories made, the inaugural LTI Table Cricket Leinster Finals Day set a strong foundation for the future. The energy, excitement, and inclusivity on display showed just how powerful table cricket can be in bringing people together and giving young players the platform they deserve.

We are very grateful to Rob Tipping from Lords Taverners UK for coming to support the event. He was a integral part of getting the Cricket Leinster LTI Table Cricket Set Lending Scheme off the ground. This helped the schools with equipment and training in the lead up to the competition and wider community activities which are ongoing across the province.

Many thanks to Paul Farrell, Ger Siggins, Sharan Lewis and Ed Joyce from LTI for coming and supporting this year's competition. Lastly, thank you to Sport Ireland for the fantastic venue and all the local sports partnerships: Active South Dublin, Kildare SP, DLR SP and Fingal for their support. We look forward to more counties getting involved in next year's competitions. Thank you to the CL staff and auxiliary coaches Mitchell, Prashanth, Fintan, Jim, Herbie, Mick, Naomi, Killian and Brían.

If your school is interested please contact Naomi on naomi.scotthayward@cricketleinster.ie.

OUR PARTNERS AT LORD’S TAVERNERS IRELAND (LTI)

This competition would not be possible without the ongoing support of our charity partners, Lord’s Taverners Ireland. They have been at our side helping to foster disability cricket in Leinster and are integral to our overall Cricket Leinster Cricket4All Strategy (2025–2027):
 https://www.cricketleinster.ie/about/documents/view/6L3Y5PA13M/Cricket4All%20Strategy%202025-2027_Branded%2028th%20April%20version.pdf

Please consider becoming a member for just €60/year:
 https://lordstavernersireland.ie/help-cricket-based-charity-ireland/become-a-member-cricket-based-charity-ireland/