Railway Union Cricket annual 2020 RAILWAY UNION CRICKET ANNUAL 2020 Willow Lodge, Park Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin 4, + 353 1 2691783 Website www.railwaycricket.com @railwaycricket Railway Union Cricket Club Editor: Francis Xavier Carty Published by Railway Union Cricket Club Printers: Donegal Printing Company, Letterkenny, 074 9121710 CONTENTS Messages, RUCC president, Cricket Leinster president 2 Vice presidents 4 General Committee 2020 5 Club captains 2020 6 Sandymount – truly the home of cricket in Ireland, by Gerard Siggins 8 Annual Awards and Dinner Night 2019 13 Irish National Cup Final, 1st September 2019 19 Welcome and enjoyable return for women’s team, by Ali Nolan 23 Celebrations for Des Stirrat’s 90th 25 Another landmark year for youth cricket, by Ciaran Divney 26 Youth Awards and Honours Day 2019 30 Youths in Action 34 Railway Union Fixtures 2020 37 Golf Classic 2020 44 Railway men and women hockey are national indoor champions 48 Tribute to Gavin Ralston, Jr, by Gavin Ralston 49 Remembering Jim McNally, by Shevaun McNally 50 Derek Scott Archive 52 Statistics and highlights 2019 54 Cover photo: Railway Union CC 1st XI squad, Irish National Cup Final 2019 Back, from left: Andy Jackson, Ciaran Divney, Hashir Sultan, Shariq Khan, Mark Canniffe, Saad Ullah, Alex Stiles, Hamza Maan, Prabhandu Kamal, Digamber Mishra, Judy Cohen (scorer); front: Philippe le Roux, Eoghan Grehan, Glenn Querl (captain), Kenny Carroll, Kevin O’Brien with daughter, Eleanor (3) (courtesy CricketEurope) Thank you to researchers, historians, photographers and other copyright holders including: Derek Scott, Gerry Byrne, John Boomer, Paul Reynolds, Eddie Lewis, Judy Cohen, Simon Grehan, David Penney, CricketLeinster, CricketEurope, CricketIreland, Northern Cricket Union, Gerard Siggins, Derek Carroll, David Carroll, Stephen Findlater and others. Cover sponsored by Martin Coonan 1 Railway Union Cricket annual 2020 Francis Xavier Carty, RUCC president Easter Sunday, as I write, is the time to welcome you to another season of cricket at Park Avenue. This, however, is a year without precedent. The entire globe has been engulfed by the terrible Covid-19 virus, a silent enemy that knows no borders, makes no distinction between the races, rich and poor, good and bad, young and old. There is definitely no cricket in Leinster before 28 May, but the entire season could be cancelled. Cheers for the doctors, nurses and all front-line professionals and volunteers who bravely and generously put their lives at risk for the sick and the dying. Cheers also for those working in the essential industries and services. Cheers from my cocoon for all who are trying to follow the government safety advice. Nobody knows when the pestilence will pass but there will be life after it. We hope that lessons are being learnt – enhancement of loving communities, reduction of cruelty and injustice in the world, narrowing of the national gap between rich and poor and the recognition of the need to protect and save our planet. This Annual, our 13th, reviews the 2019 season and the support we have received from the entire Railway Union family – members, players, officers, committees, vice presidents, parents, coaches, umpires, scorers, grounds and bar staff. We thank the wider community, schools, churches, advertisers, sponsors and the media and acknowledge the continuing support of CricketIreland, CricketEurope and CricketLeinster. Congratulations to the 1st XI on winning the Irish National Cup, the Women’s team who made a welcome return to league and cup cricket and the tremendous enthusiasm of the youth teams ranging in age from eight to senior who created such fun in the club. We may lose the entire 2020 season but that has been dwarfed by Covid-19. We are all in this together and the message must be - do not fear, have hope, take care, be safe and pray. There is life and cricket after it and the world may be a wiser and a better place. 2 Railway Union Cricket annual 2020 Stella Downes, Cricket Leinster president I am delighted to welcome the members and friends of Railway Union to this shortened cricket season 2020. The financial effects of COVID-19 will be felt for the next few years so it is of vital importance that we all do as much as we can to support our local cricket clubs. I would also urge all members to support those who have advertised in this publication. Railway has a long and proud history in Cricket Leinster as one of the original founding clubs. A lot of hard work and money has gone into the improvements in the square and the facilities and the Club is to be commended for this. I look forward to my visits this season and to the warm welcome I always receive. I am particularly pleased to see the re-emergence of women’s cricket at Park Avenue. Railway was a powerhouse in women’s cricket for many years so I’m delighted to see women and girls wearing the green and yellow again. Cricket Leinster is doing everything possible to increase participation in our great sport and is a proud supporter of the 20 by 20 initiative. At time of going to print we are unsure what our 2020 season will look like. Leagues will inevitably be shortened and competitions may follow different formats to the traditional ones. Please be assured that Cricket Leinster is committed to doing whatever is necessary to ensure that we get the maximum possible amount of cricket. I commend Philip Smith and his various committees for the work they have put in to make the best of a very trying situation. When we DO manage to get out on the cricket field again, I wish you all a great season, filled with sunshine, camaraderie and sportsmanship. 3 Railway Union Cricket annual 2020 Railway Union Cricket Club Founded in 1904 President 2020: Francis Xavier Carty Vice-presidents Rangan Arulchelvan Jim Mackenzie Fred Austin Rodney Molins Paul Barry Ted Mullen Kevin Brennan Arthur L Noone Paul Byrne Brendan A O’Brien Brian Carpenter Camilla O’Brien David P Carroll Dermot O’Brien Gareth Carroll Gerard F O’Brien Kenny Carroll Paul O’Brien Graham Chisholm Valerie O’Meara Neville Clarke Frank O’Neill Elaine Coburn David Robb Judy Cohen Hilary O’Reilly Garry Connolly Gordon Penney Brian Donnelly Jack Phelan Des Donnelly Franz Savino John Donnelly Gerard Siggins Molly Flanagan Brendan Smyth Rodney Green Desmond J Stirrat Brian Grehan J Cyril Stirrat Peter Grehan Mohammad Tariq Simon Grehan Eddie Tillain Graeme S Guthrie Crawford H Tipping Linda Ingram Denzil O Tipping Nicholas Jagoe Frank O Whelan Gillian Johnston Maurice Whelan Victor Keeley 4 Railway Union Cricket annual 2020 General Committee 2020 Francis Xavier Carty, President 35 Sandymount Avenue, Dublin DO4 PT78, 01 2692803; [email protected]; [email protected] Simon Grehan, Chairman 3 Loretto Villas, Sidmonton Road, Bray, Co Wicklow; 01 2860839; 086 8725271; [email protected] Gerard F O’Brien, Hon Treasurer 4 College Park, Terenure, Dublin 6w; 01 4928068; 086 3232566; [email protected] Stephen Noone, Honorary Secretary 087 2133841; [email protected] Glenn Querl, 1st XI captain 083 0667339; [email protected] Upender Reddy Singi Reddy, Team Secretary 32 The Courtyard, Hill Street, Dublin 1; 086 7915410; [email protected] Kenny Carroll, Youth Development 13 Trimleston Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin; 01 2691480; 087 2757486; [email protected] Vanessa O’Reilly, Youth Chair 086 8387148; [email protected] Jennifer le Roux, Women’s Cricket Rep 42 Dundela Park, Sandycove, Co Dublin; 086 6629954; [email protected] Shariq Khan 083 1201992; [email protected] Ashish Bharvirkar [email protected] 5 Railway Union Cricket annual 2020 Child Protection, Designated Liaison Person: Aedamar Howlett, 10 Villiers Road, Rathgar, Dublin 6; 086 8147505; [email protected] Child Protection Officer Ciaran Divney:086 3066040; [email protected] The cricket club is affiliated to CricketIreland, whose child safeguarding policy is at: http://www.cricketireland.ie/about/child-safeguarding/ As part of affiliation we adopt the manual and its policies. Club captains 2020 1st XI: Glenn Querl, 083 0667339; [email protected] 2nd XI: Eoghan Connolly [email protected] 3rd XI: Ashish Bharvirkar [email protected] 4th XI: Adam Benson 083 1778022; [email protected] 5th XI: Dave Riseborough 087 1799282; [email protected] Women’s XI: Ciara O’Brien 087 1190152; [email protected] David Penney, brother of Gordon, is doing research into the pre-1919 newspapers for Railway Union games and news. For instance, Irish Independent, 3 June 1907: Burglary at Sandymount: ”On Friday night or Saturday morning the pavilion of the Railway and Steampacket Athletic Union at Park Avenue, Sandymount, was broken into. Clothing, cricket balls, pads, gloves, etc, were stolen, as also several quarts of whiskey, some cigars, cigarettes”. In the same year, Railway (R and SPU) Married XI played the Singles XI, the Singles winning by 100 all out to 85 all out, as reported in the Irish Times, 17 August. L Sully top scored for the Singles with 40 and R Molloy was best for the Married with 29. JKC Edwards took 7 wickets for the Singles and Magill was best for the Married with 4 wickets. 6 Railway Union Cricket annual 2020 Sandymount - truly the home of cricket in Ireland by Gerard Siggins There are currently three senior clubs based around Sandymount village, and a fourth is barely a Max Sorensen six hit away from the parish boundary. There have been others too – Monkstown CC played for a time in the old Irish Hockey Union grounds on Londonbridge Road, now Lansdowne LTC. Monkstown CC had no connection with the hockey or rugby clubs of the same name. In fact, none of the three were based in Monkstown! 3RD OBU was a very strong junior club who played a couple of times in the Leinster Senior Cup, their members included Arthur Vincent and Michael Halliday and they played up to the late 1960s in what is now Pembroke Wanderers HC.