St Vincent’s junior cricket team reach Leinster final

Coached by teachers Deborah and Louise Challoner, a beginner team (first years) and junior (second/third years) team were put together in the spring to represent the school in two junior cup competitions.

The season started with a successful beginner training camp which helped get the first years ready for the big games ahead. ‘’It’s Wicket’’, a girls-only programme run by Cricket Ireland, offers introductory sessions to young groups across the country and was perfect for giving the new first year team an understanding into the rules of cricket and the basics of getting started with batting, bowling and fielding.

After the beginners got a taste for the sport and the two teams had a couple more training sessions, it came time for the already experienced junior team to kick the summer off. Hiney Park, home of Dundalk Cricket Club on the Carrick Road, played host to St Vincents’ opening match versus Dublin’s Wesley College on May 8.

Thankfully, St Vincent’s won the toss and team captain Javeria opted to bowl first. Despite the strength of the opposition and one of the bowlers carrying an injury, St Vincent’s did very well to limit Wesley to 124 runs in their 15 overs. The pick of the bowlers was Afeera who was very economical with her spell and also managed to take the only wicket of the innings.

The batting innings was a great success and after some solid opening pairings, it was Irene and Stebi who got St Vincent’s over the line, contributing 29 runs to a winning total of 155 which started the campaign off strongly.

That Friday, it was the first years’ turn to open their account, making a trip to Clontarf to face Mount Temple Comprehensive. Captain Caoimhe Poni won the toss and elected to bat. Some wayward bowling by the hosts gave St Vincent’s a lot of extras and some great partnerships emerged, with three pairings holding their wickets; Caragh and Fallon teamed up for the most runs with 26.

Setting Mount Temple a target of 118 to win, the bowlers knew they would have a challenge ahead of them as Mount Temple is a hockey-playing school, so batting would likely be their strongpoint. That proved to be the case, and despite a valiant effort by the fielders and a brilliant two-wicket haul from debut bowler Ana, the opposition scored 170 to seal the victory.

Next up was a home match for the second/third year team on Monday, May 13. Rain at Hiney Park meant the game was moved indoors to DkIT Sport, where St Columba’s from Dublin were the visitors.

St Vincent’s got the result they hoped for from the toss and had a bowl. Some standout economical performances (and wickets!) from Afeera and Minahil helped restrict another hockey-playing school in St. Columba’s to 90 runs. In a close-run chase, it was Khadijah and wicket-keeper Reem who starred, notching up a very respectable 33-run partnership which helped the juniors to two wins from two.

Thankfully, the weather greatly improved in the next couple days and the first years got to play their match outside – a home game against Loreto on the Green. Batting first, Loreto provided very tough opposition for the still adapting first year Vincent’s team, with some great technique and boundary-hitting shots on display. However, a couple wickets fell and credit must go to debut bowlers Isla and Rachel who made a great contribution.

Needing 129 to win, St Vincents’ seemingly chasable target was made all the tougher when they realised the quality of Loreto’s bowling attack. With three league-level fast bowlers stepping up, it was evident early on that the visitors had players clearly misplaced taking part in a beginner league. Despite this, the hosts batted fearlessly, and were very unfortunate to finish on an under-representative final score of 42. Wickets divide down partnership totals in school cricket, so Vincent’s did score a higher total of runs but were undone by a couple of run outs and catches in the field.

This proved to be the end of the road for the first years’ competitive campaign. However, a victory in the local school derby against Dundalk Grammar School was a great way to sign off.

The junior team still had something to play for, though, and made the long away journey to Multyfarnham in Westmeath to face the Wilson’s Hospital School team. A win would see St Vincent’s reach the semi-finals of the Junior Cup, so there was a lot at stake when they were put in to bat first. Some extra-filled spells by the Wilson’s Hospital bowlers gave the girls a great bonus but some very solid batting from Irene and Stebi (41 runs holding their wicket) put the visitors firmly in the driving seat. More great partnerships followed and a total of 220 runs were scored, so the team were feeling very confident about their semi-final chances.

The heat was pretty intense in the midlands that day and that made the bowlers’ jobs that little bit tougher, but the high total the batters set was successfully defended and a 98-run victory and progression to the next round made the journey back to Dundalk something of a party.

Unfortunately, the final was just out of reach for the girls after defeat to another experienced Loreto side in the semis. However, a third place finish in provincial Junior League competition is an immense achievement for a group still finding its feet in the world of cricket. It’s safe to stay that between the growth of the women’s game in local schools and the recent success of Dundalk Cricket Club, the sport has a bright future in town that’s only getting started.