THE RSA LEPRECHAUNS SUPER LEAGUE final takes place at Pembroke at 3pm Thursday 30th May], the highpoint of a primary schools competition that has been a hugely successful part of the game’s development in recent years.
Leinster Cricket Development Manager Brian O’Rourke is a big fan of the event:
“Without doubt one of the best junior development initiatives in Leinster was the setting up last year of the primary schools RSA Super League.
“Sitting below this competition remains the RSA Leprechaun Cup which in many ways caters for the development schools (totalling 46 this year) around the province.
“The Super League offers the stronger primary schools competitive games on a weekly basis. Players like Stuart Jackson, Aviral Shukla and David Hogan have had great campaigns so far and could develop into big players in the future.”
This year’s final provides an excellent clash. On one side is the junior school of St Mary’s College, the new superpower in schools cricket who will hope to add to the Schools Senior and Junior Cups won recently.
On the other is Star of the Sea, a national school from Sandymount that has never reached this stage before. That’s not to say ‘the Star’ doesn’t have a great cricket tradition. It was the only school to provide two members of the Irish squad at the last World Cup, and all that despite the game only taking root at the school less than a decade ago.
Niall O’Brien had a message for his old school ahead of Thursday’s final: “I hope you go out and win it. Kevin and I never got the chance.”
Gaelic football has had a strong tradition in Star of the Sea, going back to its inception more than a century ago. The villages of Irishtown and Ringsend – from where the Star has always drawn many pupils – have been soccer hotbeds too, with more than 40 Irish internationals coming from the district.
But cricket never got a look in, chiefly because there was no primary school competition, but also due to the GAA ban and the residual antipathy to the sport that lingered for some years after. Locals overcame this to play senior cricket, with players such as Brian O’Rourke (Pembroke) and Alan Corcoran (Railway Union).
But the O’Brien family’s successes were noticed in the school, and Niall and Kevin visited after their heroics at the 2007 World Cup. They’ve been back frequently since and development officers Brian O’Rourke and Kenny Carroll have ensured that cricket has taken root in the Star.
With guidance from Kenny Carroll, and Railway pro Patrick Collins, the Star battled their way through to the final after wins over CUS, Balrothery NS and Aravon School. Their ‘star’ to date has been captain Aviral Shukla, whose four innings to date read 45no, 49no, 33 and 48no (average 165!) but Conor Hennessy and Ronan Callanan have also played vital innings.
For St Mary’s, coached by Ray Sloan, David Hogan has made three fifties, including a match-winning innings in the semi-final win over Delgany NS, who made a brilliant 142-1 in 20 overs. But that just wasn’t enough as David made 87 not out. Fionn O’Sullivan and Darragh Cassidy are also match-winners with the bat and Eoin Cormack a consistent wicket-taker.
The sides met in the group stage of the competition when Star scored 132-4 which St Mary’s passed in the last over.
The RSA Super League final will be scored live ball by ball on CricHQ so family, friends, and schools can follow the action as it unfolds. To view the game along with all games that have previously been played along with competition leaderboards go to www.cricketireland.ie/live-scoring/schools