Mullingar Cricket Club Notes

They've had a huge growth in numbers this year.

Excellent growth seen in cricket in Mullingar.

Mullingar Cricket Club has seen a 50% growth in registered club members in the last 12 months as the growth of cricket across Leinster has increased by almost 60%. An urge to get outdoors following the extensive lockdowns as well as a drive from within the club to spread the word about playing a sport which is suitable for all ages has seen unprecedented growth for the club. Worth noting, the numbers above do not include the large number of junior members who attend Wednesday night training sessions in St. Finian's College where 50+ kids ranging from 6-15 years of age have been learning and enjoying the game.

Youth Cricket:

Mullingar Cricket Club’s youth section this year has grown from strength to strength with 64 members now registered with the club under the age of 15. This is an increase from 20 members in 2020. This has resulted in our under 15 side playing several matches so far this year. In June, Mullingar CC travelled to North Kildare Cricket Club and Knockharley Cricket Club for friendlies, picking up a strong victory against North Kildare by 30 runs. Unfortunately in the game against Knockharley, our opposition proved too strong and experienced for Mullingar, coming out victorious by 35 runs.

More games are to follow in the coming weeks with Mullingar U15s hosting North Kildare, Knockharley and Balbriggan. An U11 blitz is also in the process of being organised for later in the summer.

Mullingar has also been very fortunate to have had representation in the u13 Boys District Cup with Finn Brennan having been selected for the South Dublin team. This is the first time the club has had representation in the Boys District Cup, and it is an excellent sign for the great work going on in the youth setup.

Adding to this, Mullingar will have 4 players representing the club in a Midlands squad due to play games in July. This squad will be made up of players from Athlone, Bagenalstown, Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois and of course, Mullingar.

A large amount of this growth and success is down to the dedication of Mullingar’s coaches who are driven to make the club the centre of cricket in the midlands. Robert Delaney, Neil Swaby and Kyle Gavin all recently completed their level 1 coaching qualifications and have been front and centre of the efforts.

Women's Cricket:

2021 has seen the return of women's cricket for the first time in 25 years. Many attempts have been made in the recent past to establish a women's team but a mixture of a lack of resources, low interest, and timing has meant it has stalled each time. However, this year there has been a spark. The very first training session of the season for the club was women's cricket on a wet Tuesday evening in May. This saw a lot of girls coming to try cricket for the first time, and despite the inclement weather, instantly taking a liking to it. The club now has a total of 30 female members of all ages. This has in turn, resulted in Mullingar playing their first women's match since the mid-1990s on Sunday the 4th of July away to Terenure. It was a youthful Mullingar team who travelled up to Dublin, many making their cricketing debut. Instantly they showed they were more than comfortable at this level with some fantastic bowling from the start, notably from captain Tori Trower, Isabella Kelly Rowden, Sarah Webster and Anjali Gopalakrishnan.

The side has a very strong link to Wilson's Hospital School with 8 of the team who played away to Terenure current students.

Terenure were fantastic hosts and the perfect opponents for Mullingar’s first game. Unfortunately, the weather did not read the script and the game was abandoned after 19 overs. Terenure travel for the return fixture in Mullingar on the 25th of July. More games are arranged against Athlone, North Kildare, Pembroke and YMCA Cricket Club. Well done to all involved, making the club extremely proud.

On the back of this growth in the women's section, the club is very proud of Tori Tower who has recently been selected to attend training with the Leinster U15 squad. The final squad for the summer's interpros will be announced in the coming weeks and the club would like to wish Tori all the best and fingers crossed she will become our first ever female representative on a Cricket Leinster squad.

 The women are are also currently on the lookout for a potential jersey sponsor. If you are interested please contact the club through one of our social media pages or at our website mullingarcricketclub.ie.

The club's website is also the best place to find out the results and fixtures for the club's 3 senior men's teams who are all approaching the halfway point of the season. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact the club, players are welcome to join throughout the season.