While next Tuesday will see the senior schools final being played between established schools St Andrew’s and St Mary’s there has been quite a bit of activity of late within secondary schools who have had little or no history of the game.
O’Connell’s school from Dublin’s inner city played their first ever cricket match (the school is nearly 200 years old) when they visited King’s Hospital school last month. Situated next door to Croke Park in a GAA stronghold the boys received a series of coaching sessions prior to playing their first game.
Following this, Rockbrook school from Rathfarnham played their first ever cricket match again against King’s Hospital while their cricket co-ordinator Niall Hughes also recently attended a coaching course.
The greatest achievement this year however was the fixtures the combined Tallaght schools team played last week against Blackrock and Castleknock Colleges. Boys from the following schools made up the team - St Marks Community School, Firhouse Community College, Old Bawn Community School, Colaiste De hIde, Holy Family and Tallaght Community School.
All of this comes on the back of new schools like Pipers Hill, Castleknock Community College, Coláiste Pobail Setanta, Coláiste Phadraig, Ardgillan, St Gerard’s, Mount Temple, Drimnagh Castle, Marian College and Dundalk schools who are all currently participating at various levels within the Leinster schools leagues.