ANNUAL REPORT Spring 2020 Welcome from Cricket Leinster range of field equipment to clubs of all levels e.g., Plastic Cricket Sets, Stumps, Boundary Flags etc – this is part of the activation process from our sponsors. • Cricket Leinster funds and delivers Umpire & PHILIP SMITH Scorer training to all clubs annually. This takes the General Manager form of specific courses for those interested in qualifications, but also a bespoke LCU&SA created ‘Intro to Umpiring’ aimed at new clubs and those eLCOMe to the Cricket Leinster Annual Report that umpire matches as players. for Spring 2020. As you probably know, we • On the scoring front, we engaged CricClubs to have just completed a very busy and exciting provide a scoring solution for use by all clubs. This Centenary Year which was rounded off by our facility was rolled-out during the 2019 season and Awards Night/Dinner in the Guinness Storehouse at the end has seen online scoring/promotion of the game at Wof January. all levels. We were delighted that the Awards Night was a sell-out • We operate a GDPR compliant, bespoke regis - once again this year with almost 320 people in attendance. tration system that makes it easy for players to From a strategy perspective, we have continued to make make themselves available to play. The CL website strong progress with some key highlights as follows: has been developed with significant back-end • We launched our new website which transforms our digi - functionality to allow clubs to manage their mem - tal offering, is fully mobile-optimised and club-centric – this bership and playing databases, co-ordinate their has been our single biggest investment in recent years. fixtures and to promote their club through the CL • Isobel Joyce is in-place since last May as our Women’s & Social Media channels. Girls Development Officer and has made a strong start to her • We also now employ a dedicated Competition new role. Administrator to act as a focal point for clubs in re - • Our Open League Programme has been expanded to in - lation to the submission of fixtures/results across the season. This role offers significant administra - clude a 17th Division for the first time ever with both tive support to the clubs to allow them to focus on Athlone CC and Kilkenny CC now established in Cricket Lein - developing their clubs. ster competitions. On the Junior Development side, there were • Major progress has been made with South Dublin County some key highlights as follows: Council (SDCC) with SDCC committed to a full cricket facility • The HBL was launched providing a major new and pavilion at Airlie Park in the heart of Adamstown. and innovative participation opportunity for girls in • New funding streams are now in-place with both Wicklow the 17-21 age category – this innovation has re - and Meath and ongoing dialogue with Kildare – this has al - ceived hugely positive feedback and is being ex - lowed us to expand our ‘development’ capacity. panded in 2020 including an Indoor Tournament. • The Summer Smash was an enormous success (Lightning v • The Give-it-a-Blast programme was expanded Middlesex on 21 June last) with over 1,700 people in atten - The packed house at Pembroke for the Summer Smash across the province aimed at introducing new fe - dance and a further 20,000 views achieved via the Live PHOTO: rOb O’cOnnOr/rOcSHOT male players to the game. Stream service. • We established a new 4-match series of fix - • Our core sponsorship revenue was up by circa 20% year- tures with the NCU at Under 11 and Under 13 lev - on-year which has allowed us to continue to expand our els and completed an inaugural Under 13s Boys services for clubs and schools throughout the province. Tour to Liverpool with Local Authority support. • The ‘Your Club-Your Province’ Grand Prize Raffle raised • As in previous years, we completed Malvern over €170,000 for the direct benefit of club cricket. representative tours for Girls at Under 13, Under • Our Patrons Club now has over 80 members who are ded - cELEbRATING 100 YEARS ON 15 and Under 17 levels despite reduced external icated to supporting the development of club cricket on a funding and expanded new playing formats across philanthropic basis – this will greatly assist our ongoing ef - club cricket for both Boys & Girls underage levels. forts to expand club services from Cricket Leinster. AND OFF THE FIELD OF PLAY • We have continued to expand our South Our overriding objective is to put our clubs and their mem - courses being held during Q1 2020. €56K in 2019 which will be wholly invested for the benefit of African exchange Programme for underage players bers at the heart of everything we do so I am naturally keen • Our Child Safeguarding & Inclusion Committee is now our clubs covering the following areas: whilst also continuing to expand our Disability Pro - to highlight some key developments as follows: well established and meeting regularly. Sample club audits • Club Development Starter Kits (a range of coaching gramme with Lords Taverners supported by a • In 2019, we ran Coach education courses (Coaching Kids have been favourable and serve to reinforce good practice. equipment that will be distributed to clubs and schools to three-year agreement and increased investment in and Coaching Cricket) in April and October which were fully • We also continue to provide clubs with periodic seminars allow increased participation) table cricket equipment. subscribed with over 70 people participating. on Fundraising Strategies and Approaches. Our Sports Capital • Club Ground Improvement Kit (a range of grounds equip - It is a privilege for me and the team at Cricket • Diversity & Inclusion Workshops were completed during Grant masterclasses which have resulted in a tripling of the ment that will be made available to clubs and schools to allow Leinster to work in support of our 44 clubs the year with facilitation from Jim Bennett (on Policy), Meena value of cricket club applications in the last funding round. them to develop their facilities and attract more players) throughout the province and our ongoing commit - Baskarasubramanian (on Process) and Naomi Scott-Hayward • Our Club Day took place on 10th November last with over • Temporary Dressing Room & Match Support Facilities (a ment is to always put our clubs at the heart of (on Cricket4All) which were very well received by clubs. 100 people in attendance at which we discussed the main range of facilities to allow clubs to host events and marquee everything we do. • We placed a major focus on club level safeguarding com - challenges as we move into 2020, future competition struc - matches in order to raise interest and participation 2020 promises to be another exciting chapter in pliance with 4 Safeguarding One courses completed (64 peo - tures & playing formats (at all levels), how to increase Women's • We also operate a Centralised Cricket Ball Procurement our development. ple), 2 Safeguarding Two courses for Children’s Officers (36 cricket participation at club level, ideas to address our umpir - Process & Ordering Scheme for clubs which ensures best people) and 2 Safeguarding Three courses for Designated Li - ing needs and our health, safety & safeguarding obligations. price, standardised equipment and ease of ordering. aison Personnel (35 people) – all certified with further This Annual report was designed and Cricket Leinster was delighted to secure a capital grant of • Also important for clubs to remember that we provide a produced by [email protected] 2 www.cricketleinster.ie www.cricketleinster.ie 3 Cricket Leinster’s 100* opportunity to do that. STELLA Recent initiatives to increase DOWNES the participation of women and help in the retention of youth PETER THEW Incoming players are especially welcome. So Outgoing A GLORIOUS HISTORY OF THE President many other activities vie for atten - tion that it is important for us to President am truly honoured to have keep developing new ways to en - been asked to take on the role courage people to take up the o be asked to be President of GAmE IN LEINSTER LAUNcHED of President of Cricket Leinster game and to keep playing. I look Cricket Leinster is a singular ho - hundred is a special landmark, and Cricket Leinster for 2020. I look forward to vis - forward to attending lots of nour: to be asked to fulfil this celebrated ours with gusto this summer. We iting as many clubs as possible dur - women’s and youths’ games while role in Cricket Leinster’s cente - saluted those who were there at the foundation of Iing the season. Having visited most continuing, in a limited capacity, nary year was beyond my wildest the Leinster Cricket Union in 1919. over the past 30+ years in my role my role as 1st XI scorer. Tdreams. To those founding fathers, phrases like ‘give it a blast’, as scorer, I have always appreciated A wave of exciting young talent The centenary highlight of the year will A‘twenty20’ and ‘women’s cricket’ would have been un - the warm welcome extended to from Leinster, male and female, vary from person to person. For many it known, but they had a central role last summer — we me. I am particularly looking for - has begun to make its presence was that extraordinary evening on 21 weren’t just celebrating our century but redrawing our ward to travelling to some of the felt at interpro and national level. I June when Pembroke hosted Leinster guard to face the challenges of the next 100 years. newer clubs I haven’t had the op - look forward to watching these Lightning’s challenge match against Mid - The events kicked off with the launch of the new website portunity to visit yet.