Earliest printed history of Clontarf Cricket Club

David Evans from the Clontarf Historical Society recently contacted us and offered to us copies of some scanned documents that had been given to him by a contact in Kilmacanogue.  Most of these documents were programmes from the fundraising concerts which the Club ran at the turn of the 1900s (more of this in a later post).  However, also included was a booklet from a fundraiser held in 1911 in the grounds of Mount Temple (now Mount Temple Comprehensive School).  The extensive booklet included all the events of the fete, a huge number of advertisements and a short history of the club to that date.  It is the earliest written history that we have found and includes some interesting details of which we were previously unaware:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marc Jones - Candid Camaraderie

Candid Camaraderie

As I unlocked the front door of 27 Blackheath Gardens, he whom they call Beefy was coming out of his house.  Tailing him was one whom I had not identified before they disappeared behind a tree.  After greeting Beefy, the unidentified re-emerged as Paul Ryan.   They asked what I had done the night before and I answered that I had been writing a story.  Then after bidding them good day, I added to Paul “see you on Saturday”.   He screwed his face up in miscomprehension, his right eye moving down to meet his rising right nostril, replying “what?”  Only on Saturday did I realise that both Beefy and Paul were on their way to Twickenham to see Munster play.

So Paul Ryan did not play that weekend. ‘Twas not until the following Tuesday night at Phoenix Park that I saw Paul Ryan.  Before our twenty overs match when Paul and I, amongst others , were in the dressing room, a lull in the conversation was broken as Paul swiftly lifted his head looked straight at me and said “you’ve gotta write a story about me”.

“I don’t know what kind of story it would be, I don’t know you” I answered.

“Oh!” exhaled Paul Ryan “you’ll think if something”

Perhaps not at this moment though definitely some time soon after, young Paul Ryan not only said “I’m a character” but also “I’m special, I’m very special”

During the match my first ball was so far down leg side that it went for four.  The hero of our story was fielding at mid-wicket. I heard a grunt of disgust after I bowled the ball.  I walked back to my bowling mark, waiting to get the ball back from Paul.  He stared at me long enough for me to know he disapproved of it and in case I had not understood, he must have thought I would understand when he rolled the ball back to me.

For the first round of the Conqueror Cup the Clontarf side travelled to Malahide vainly waiting for the rain to stop yet stuck waiting in the dressing room until two o’clock for the match to be called off.

Captain, Ronan O’Reilly, during the team’s dressing room vigil, asked who would be available for the double header next weekend.  When Ronan asked Andrew Cullen, the latter’s face grew solemn with disappointment before, with bowed head, saying “oh!, I’ve got to go away that weekend”

“Bah” exclaimed Paul, pointing at Andrew “don’t try and keep a straight face” He turned to Ronan and said “ah! Look at him”

By this time Andrew had stopped looking disappointed about being in Greece the following weekend, and had begun to laugh in fact and also to have his hands out and body crouched in readiness for the arrival of Paul Ryan, charging across the dressing room straight for him. Paul forced Andrew into the corner of the dressing room, larks for all to see, rumbling about Ronan’s kit.  “get off my gear! C’mon Paul” said Ronan. Paul looked surprised at Ronan, saying with incredulity “ id you hear what he said. Oh I’ve got to go away that weekend – ha ha ha.  Look at him! I’ve got to go away that weekend – he looks really disappointed”.

A week or two later as I was leaving The Yacht, I came across Paul Ryan.  He urged me to stay for one more drink and kindly bought me a Vodka. We clinked glasses I took a sip while Paul finished off his (at least) two thirds full pint.  He confessed to me that he was a fitness fanatic.

“You’ve got to write that article remember”

“I’ve not forgotten”

“And you can’t make things up, it’s gotta be real”    

“I’ll write candidly”

“Oh! Good, good, good, good”

After our victory against CYM I met up with a friend who was in Dublin for a few days.  Someone in the pub heard my (Australian) accent, asked what I was doing here and, on finding out I was a Clontarf cricketer, pointed to his friend Darragh, a member of Clontarf Rugby Club. “aha, so you know Paul Ryan then”

“Oh, Paul Ryan! Manic bastard.  He knows all the words to heaps of songs and he sing ‘em all.  You know that song Maniac?”

“Yes”

“ And you know the film clip was done at the Club”

“Yes”

“Well Ryner knows all the words to that one, too, and he sings the whole thing in the shower when we win”.

 

Paul Ryan in "playfully" mood at the 2000 team photo shoot, Marc Jones is second from left in back row

Back at Malahide for the rescheduled date of our first Cup match.  Start delayed by rain.  Many of the lads in the team ate breakfast rolls wrapped in foil upon arrival in the dressing room.  Mr. Desmond McCann also brought a bag of grapes with his breakfast roll.  As the rolls were finished and foil scrunched up, grapes were thrown from one end of the dressing room to mouths open at the other end.  Here, one Paul Ryan smelt opportunity and urged Thinnus to watch slowly the oncoming grape, smiling, winking and nodding his head afterwards.  Mr. McCann said “Thinnus, watch the grape and Ryner as well.”  Even the warning did not stop Paul from throwing the foil at Thinnus’ mouth.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is all I can say for now regarding he who goes by the name of “The General” Why?

General Mayhem I was told

Marc Jones, June 2000

(This article first appeared in the Club Brochure 2000)

Women's cricket in the 1970s

While women’s cricket flourished during the 1940s and 50s, it had died a slow death and was virtually extinct by the mid-1970s. In 1975 Jenny Halliday and Barbara Schmidt organised a  game during Trinity Week.  This was the spark that reignited the game and the women of Clontarf were so inspired that they took to the game to such an extent that they dominated the early years of Leinster Women’s Cricket. 

The summer of 1975 was spent organising and practising. Games against Leinster and Phoenix were arranged and a mixed friendly with the men’s team was organised in September 1975.  Over the winter, Isolde Howard, a member of Leinster CC and a woman who had been at the forefront of women’s cricket in its first incarnation in Leinster, contacted clubs to attend a meeting with a view to organising a league for the following summer.  Five clubs attended the meeting, Railway Union, Leinster, Phoenix, Merrion and Clontarf and arrangements made.  In April 1976, 30 attended the Inaugural Annual General Meeting of Clontarf Cricket Club, Ladies Section and Phyllis Spence was voted in as Captain.

The 1976 season was a resounding success, with the First XI playing 8 league games and winning seven.  The team was coached by Bill Dalton-Brown, Kevin Harding and Brian Bunworth and the outstanding batswoman was Susan Cassidy who scored 186 runs at 46.5. The top bowler was Marie Coffey who took 31 wickets at a remarkable 3.6.  While Marie had played for Clontarf in the 1950s, in contrast her bowling partner was the 11 year old Stella Owens whose 26 wickets only cost 4.38 runs each including a hat trick against Phoenix.   The Irish Times reported 3 games in one edition, in all cases Clontarf bowled first and dismissed Railway Union for 22, Merrion for 45 and Leinster for 37. Clontarf were not just fielding one team however and others teams played numerous friendly games including one in Mullingar. The numbers playing were incredibly strong and evidence of this was the six a side tournament run on 10 July 1976.  Clontarf fielded 6 teams in the competition, however other Leinster clubs also participated bring the total playing to 72 and the seed of an idea for an annual Leinster-wide 6 a side competition was sown.  This would become the famous, or indeed infamous, Pernod competition, famed for the après match activity.

The off season between the 76 and 77 seasons saw the new committee hard at work and in April 1977 a press conference was held to announce the inaugural Tyler Cup, a 25 over cup competition. 

Marie Coffey, Phyllis Spence, Isolda Howard and Clarrissa Crawford

 

The work of the committee lead to an incredible amount of press coverage for the new competition and Clontarf featured heavily in this press interest. The Irish, Sunday and Evening Press newspapers carried articles and photos on Marie Coffey, Stella Owens as well as members of Leinster and Phoenix. 

Press coverage at Clontarf

Press coverage is of course a double edged sword and following a photograph of Clontarf’s Mary Taaffe in The Irish Times of 1 July, the letter writers made their views known to the Editor.  

Unwanted Press coverage!

 

The first running of the “Pernod” took place on 1 June 1977, an entrance fee of £3 entitled entry to the cricket competition, tea and disco afterwards and of course a sample of the sponsor’s wares.  Back in the regular competitions, Clontarf won the Tyler Cup, beating Phoenix. Susan Cassidy top scored with 47 not out as Clontarf made 116 for 3, however Phoenix could only manage 51 in reply as Coffey and Owens ripped through the home team batting.  In September, Clontarf had a date with Leinster in the League Final and it looked as through a straightforward double was on the cards as Clontarf reached 50 for 3 with 2 overs remaining chasing Leinster’s 52 for 6.  However a Colette Brannagan hat trick caused some panic before Mary Hackett hit a boundary in the final over. Mary finished the season with 522 runs and an extraordinary average of 174 to win the Crawford Trophy and Marie Coffey won the Harrison Trophy in taking 39 wickets at 3.7 runs each.  It was Marie’s third time to win the bowling award, having won it the previous year and in 1955.

The Clontarf Double winning team of 1977 with individual award winners

 

In an incredibly short time Women’s cricket had re-established itself (thanks mainly to a small and very dedicated band of organisers) and Clontarf was the club that took the lead on the field.  Others such as Leinster, Merrion and Phoenix would step up to the plate in the coming years before a new band of Clontarf women  would once again dominate the sport in the 1980’s – but more of that later.

(Many thanks to Phyllis Spence for the loan of her archive which records the early days of Clontarf Ladies)

Schweppes Cup Final 1990

The wonderful Irish Senior Cup win of 2013 has raised many questions from our younger members about our only other Final appearance (it was called the Schweppes Cup in those days).  While the Final result was a disappointing one, it was a terrific cup run with great games all the way through.  This is the story of our 1990 Schweppes Cup journey.

We began the competition in the second round, there was only one game in Round 1, at home to Brigade from the North West.  Batting first we set a target of 239 for 8, with Deryck Vincent and Pete Scolari hitting 50s.  In reply, Brigade could only manage 137 with our two left armers, Gerry Kirwan and Feargal O’Mahony picking up three wickets each.  Round 2 paired us against Phoenix who batted first and were looking good at 100 for 1, however a fine spell of bowling from Brian MacNeice (4 for 25) restricted Phoenix to 162.  A comfortable 4 wicket victory ensued with Vincent again in the runs making 88.

The draw for the fourth round was not kind, as we drew the mighty Warringstown, though at least it was in Castle Avenue.  Warringstown were one of the strongest teams in the country littered with famous names, Harrisons and Nelsons amongst the international stars.  But what a day.  Restricting them to 174 was a fantastic effort in the field, on a hot day with a great wicket.  Then to chase without losing a wicket was the icing on the cake.  Vincent (101 not out) and Michael Rea (74 not out) ensured a famous win.

And so to the semi-final and a bus journey to Woodvale in Belfast.  Woodvale batted first and lead by the Irish captain Stephen Warke set a challenging total of 209 for 3.  That was not quite the full story however as Feargal O’Mahony had dislocated his shoulder and Clontarf captain Brendan Bergin pulled a hamstring when in the field.  However most crippling was the nerves which threatened to overcome the team as they battled to reach the score.  Fortunately the Woodvale keeper also had the jitters and he missed Vincent on three occasions as he scrapped his way to 78. Enda McDermott took over when he was out and when he departed in the 47^th over there was still 21 to win.  Enter the injured Captain, who, literally on one leg, smacked the winning runs for a famous win.  The bus journey home was epic too, so good that the bus driver missed the turn and we ended up taking a detour through Armagh somehow.

We will leave it to Sean Pender of The Irish Times to report on the Final which was against Lurgan.

McCollum swings final in Lurgan’s favour

Ross McCollum, whose three Ireland appearances two years ago were against county opposition but who has yet to be given a chance against weaker international teams, showed at Rathmines on Saturday that if the bowling is not of high quality he will literally make mincemeat of it.

In making a scorching 89 ball 91 that irreversibly turned the Schweppes Cup final in Lurgan’s favour, the 26 year old clubbed eight fours and five sixes off a Clontarf attach that could find no way of containing him.

Only Feargal O’Mahony, bowling as well as he ever has, managed to keep him in any kind of check. Before being forced to retire with an injured finger, the Clontarf left arm spinner send down 9.2 overs for a mere 12 runs – and half of that total came in a single blow from McCollum.

Clontarf could not be faulted or lack of effort in the field, but three possible run outs in addition to the two achieved, were muffed through ill directed returns to the stumps.  Two fine catches were taken by Michael Rea, the first on the long on boundary accounting for McCollum, and two also by John Daly, the first a diving leg-side effort to dismiss his fellow wicket-keeper Tom Guy.

A run out in the very first over had started the day off on an ecstatic note for Clontarf. A brilliant stooping stop on the run by Alan McClean led to both Guy and Subash Kshirasgar being caught out of their ground and after Guy had initially started back towards the pavilion the umpires ruled that Lurgan’s Indian professional was, in fact, the man dismissed.

Guy fell in the second over with only two runs on the board, but then came a magnificent 148 run stand between McCollum and Dessie Neill, the latter hitting seven fours in his 52 and follow up contributions from the Hunter brothers that enabled Lurgan to reach 251 fir 9 off their 50 overs and have 73 runs to spare at the end.

A long struggle now faced Clontarf if the match was to be won and the first over dismissal of Deryck Vincent did not augur well for its successful completion.  The left handed opener got a touch outside the off stump to a fine delivery from Alan Johnston and Guy jubilantly took the first of three catches.

Though Rea, McClean, Enda McDermott, Brendan Bergin and particularly Peter Scolari subsequently all played double figure cameo innings, Clontarf’s real hope of victory disappeared with the departure of Vincent, century maker against YMCA in his previous appearance in a final at Rathmines.

Johnston, remorseless in accuracy and length, also claimed he wickets of McDermott and John Barry, brought off a close to the wickets diving catch to get rid of Rea.  Kshirasgar, Neill shinning in a dual role and Alan Donnelly, a superb fielder, each chipped in with 2 wickets at economical cost, there was no doubting Lurgan’s real hero. With ferocious hitting Ross McCollum had dug the Northerners out of a hole from which there did not appear to be any possible escape.

 

Lurgan

S Kshirasgar run out                                        0

T Guy c Daly b Barry                                        0

D Neill run out                                                   52

R McCollum c Rea b Kirwan                          91

G Hunter lbw MacNeice                                                47

A Hunter c McClean b Scolari                      24

A Donnelly c Rea b MacNeice                     3

R Burton b Vincent                                          4

A Johnston not out                                         11

A Woods c Daly b MacNeice                        5

P Lyness not out                                               0

Extras                                                                    14

Total for 9 wickets                                           251

Bowling

MacNeice 10-1-56-3, Barry 5-0-40-1, Vincent 6-1-26-1, Kirwan 9.4-0-65-1, O’Mahony 9.2-4-12-0, Scolari 10-1-43-1

Clontarf

D Vincent c Guy b Johnston                         1

M Rea c Johnston b Kshirasgar                   19

A McClean c A Hunter b Kshirasgar           34

P Scolari lbw Neill                                             30

J Daly b Donnelly                                              7

E McDermott b Johnston                              28

B Bergin c Guy b Neill                                     20

F O’Mahony run out                                       5

B MacNeice not out                                        5

J Barry c Guy b Johnston                               3

G Kirwan b Donnelly                                       6

Extras                                                                    20

Total                                                                      178

Bowling

Johnston 9-2-23-3, Woods 4-1-15-0, Kshirasgar 10-1-27-2, Lyness 6-0-22-0, Neill 9-0-40-2, Donnelly 9.1-0-33-2

 

 

Cup Final win in 1977 for the Ladies

Clontarf women best in one-sided decider by Sean Pender

The idea that women’s cricket has a long way to go to establish itself on a sound footing in Leinster was shown to be a complete myth when at the Phoenix Park yesterday in a splendid if somewhat one sided provincial final Clontarf defeated Phoenix by 65 runs.

As Clontarf, after winning the toss, cruised comfortably towards their expected victory Stella Owens, 11 year old bundle of energy who captured five wickets for 24 runs, proved herself indisputably the player of the match.

A lovely action at the end of a smooth if rather long run enabled her to maintain remarkable accuracy and control of length in an uninterrupted 95 minute spell of 14 overs.  At one stage she was on a hat trick and if she did not herself account for the final wicket had the last say when taking a brilliant catch of the bowling of Marie Coffey to dismiss Wendy Blennerhassett and finish the match.

Phoenix had suffered a double blow when with the total at nine runs for two wickets their top bat, Blennerhassett mistimed a stroke onto her face and Gillian Mellon, who had set out on what would have been a comfortable single, hesitated on seeing the plight of her partner and was run out on a superb throw from square leg by Mary Hackett which struck the stumps on full pitch.

Blennerhassett after medical attention, bravely came back on the fall of the seventh wicket, but by then the damage was irreparable. Though there was some gritty batting in the crisis from Iowa born, Barbara Schmidt, the Phoenix captain and Sue Cornish.

Despite some fine bowling by Gwen Jeffares, Mary Hackett and Mary Taafe had sent Clontarf on a match winning start with a stand of 38 for the first wicket. When Hackett was caught by Marita Shaw off the bowling of Gwen Jeffares for 18, it was only the third time this season she had been dismissed and she still incredibly has an average of over 200.

Sue Cassidy, top batsman in the province last season but certain now to be dethroned by Hackett, was unfortunate not to get a half century, finishing with 47 not out, which included 4 fours. In all she batted 71 minutes but was pipped for her side’s batting award by Taafe, the mainstay of the Clontarf innings who was at the wicket 90 minutes for her 374.  All three of Clontarf’s scorers have easy attractive styles and were always entertaining to watch.

The fielding of both sides looked good without being exceptional. Schmidt, Frances Douglas, Jenny Halliday, Vivienne MacMahon and Cornish of Phoenix and Owens, Fiona Smyth, Taafe and wicketkeeper Kay Lambert stood out in good company.  Clontarf in particular, were quick in anticipation and on the move and with the bowling so accurate and tidy and Phyllis Spence setting an intelligent field – so hard, in fact that of their total of 51 all but two twos came in singles.

How big a success after a long gap was this revival of the women’s cup final? An international player marvelling at the size of the attendance inquired, with no small degree of seriousness: “ is this the end of the men’s game in Dublin?”

 

Clontarf

Mary Hackett c Shaw by Jeffares                              18

Mary Taafe c and b Jeffares                                        37

Sue Cassidy not out                                                        47

Kay Lambert c Cornish b Jeffares                              3

Shauna Murphy not out                                                2

Extras                                                                                    9

Total                                                                                      116

Did not bat Phyllis Spence, Marie Coffey, Sharon Dixon, Fiona Smyth, Mary Bray, Stella Owens.

Bowling: Blennerhassett 16-3-47-0, Jeffares 17-2-48-3, Freer 2-0-10-0

Phoenix

G Mellon run out                                                             4

F Douglas b Coffey                                                          0

A Waldron c Lambert b Owens                                   0

W Blennerhassett c Owens b Coffey                       19

M Shaw b Owens                                                             0

J Halliday b Coffey                                                           1

G Jeffares b Owens                                                        0

V MacMahon lbw Owens                                             3

B Schmidt b Owens                                                         8

S Cornish c Hackett b Coffey                                       8

P Freer not out                                                                                 2

Extras                                                                                    6

Total                                                                                      51

Bowling:  Marie Coffey  4-21, Stella Owens 5-24

      

Rod Hokin

Club President’s perspective – Peter Lacy

During his five years with Clontarf Rod had responsibility for all cricket coaching for men and youths in the Club and he was a key member of the 1st team.  On his arrival here in 2007 our youth cricket was in a bad state with relatively small numbers playing the game and with poor results.  During his time with us Rod was responsible for a transformation of our youth cricket both in terms of the numbers playing and the results achieved.  For example in 2011 we fielded 3 under 11 boys’ teams winning 24 and losing only 2 league matches.  Our under 13As and 13Bs boys’ teams were unbeaten in league competitions and our under 13A team won the All Ireland Cup. 

U13 All Ireland winning team 2011

 

This remarkable transformation was due to the ability, commitment and leadership which Rod has brought to his role.  Rod is an extremely gifted coach but he quickly realised that he needed to build an organisation and develop others in coaching roles if we were going to achieve improvements that would endure.  Consequently he developed our coaching structures so that we now have several assistant coaches working with our youth and senior teams. 

The major improvements that Rod has brought about in our coaching structures has been the main reason for the big growth in playing numbers, where we now field 7 senior men’s teams.

Rod also contributed a huge amount as a player on our 1st team, batting at number 3, taking vital wickets with his leg spin and being the stand out fielder on the team.  His record in the Leinster Senior Cup is particularly impressive culminating with a memorable unbeaten century in the 2009 Cup Final when we won the cup for the third year running.

The results achieved are an appropriate testimonial to Rod’s ability but Rod will be remembered at Clontarf not just for those fine achievements but also for the values and attitudes that he inculcated in our young members; the importance of hard work, the value of the team, respect for your opponents and fair play.

As Club President in 2011 I was very pleased to propose Rod as an honorary life member, a proposal that was passed by acclamation.

 

A Captain’s Perspective – Greg Molins

Having a “go to “ man in your armoury, as a captain is a luxury that not all captains necessarily have in every team they captain. If you are lucky to have one it is a tool that you can reap the rewards with.  For instance, Australia had a Warne. Sri Lanka had a Malinga. For me it was Rod Hokin. Whenever I needed to break a partnership Rod was my go to man in the field and never disappointed. Generally within 12 deliveries the partnership was broken.

Rod Hokin from Sydney turned out to be the most astute and knowledgeable cricketer to have ever come to Castle Avenue as a professional.  It is a great asset when a player has the above characteristics. But he was also most knowledgeable about his own game, especially when it came to batting.

 

The start of his love affair with the cup was seen at Rathmines against Merrion in the cup final 2008? A patient and controlled century was scored that day but what was more impressive for me was the disagreement we had over my tactics during a rain break. Rod came to me to voice serious concerns over my interest in hanging around all day in the hope that the rain cleared. I gave back my reasoning, which he disagreed with. So in the end we agreed to disagree and shook hands. There were no toys coming out of the pram, name calling etc. Just the coach and captain having a disagreement but remaining at the end of the day good friends.

As captain I was very keen to use the experience within the team of Cusack, O’Reilly, Morrissey and Rigby along with bringing on the younger talent of the Delany brothers, Adrian D’arcy among others. Both Rod and I were keen to afford the young lads the opportunity to contribute. Some of the most significant contributions from young lads in the club I believe came in those two years.

Adrian D’arcy scoring his first senior ton against Malahide, I would contribute some of the runs to the input of Rod had a coach. Niall Delany scored valuable runs at number 11 in the home senior cup final against North County including the hitting of a maximum that kept the home crowd entertained. Again Rod’s coaching giving Niall the confidence to play such a shot.

I know Rod was often disappointed that the youth players who had so much talent did not show the hunger or desire that he saw from the older sages in the team.

These concerns first raised its head during a pre match chat in Railway Union. It was the day after Dom Rigby’s move to Guernsey. Rod spoke about Rigby with the passion and emotion of a mourner giving a eulogy at a loved one’s funeral. I did in fact ask Alex Cusack after the speech did Dom Rigby die or actually emigrate.

Dom Rigby was a role model when it came to training, always keen to learn, work hard on his fitness and on his game. Whether he got out for 0 or 80, he was equally disappointed.  Rod loved this about Dom and that day in Railway was keen to ensure that Dom’s legacy, work ethic, call it what you like is passed onto the next generation.

 

Rod was an excellent coach when it came to Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Each session different from the last ensured in my two years of captaincy that attendance levels were at the requisite level for a division one team. Players turned up to nets knowing that they were going to be challenged and come away from training a better player.

During my two years as captain we won three trophies. A club record I am told. We won the senior cup twice and the league once. No mean achievement. Of course I will go down in the clontarf history book as the captain of these winning teams but I do hope people don’t forget that these were the years that Rod Hokin was our club coach. And to be honest I could not have done it without him

A Youth Perspective – Deryck Vincent

I first met Rod Hokin on 13^th April 2007, it was the day he arrived in Ireland and the day the Irish team played Australia in the World Cup.  Iain Synnott had asked me to come to the club to meet Rod and say hello.  That first meeting was instructive, rather than watch the cricket I sat with Rod in the lounge to talk about our youth set up and very quickly realised that we had the right man for the job. Rod came at a time that Clontarf youth structures were virtually non-existent. In many ways Clontarf was a blank canvas for Rod.  We had no organisation, so he was entrusted to create that structure. It probably took 4 years to put the whole package in place but now that it is, we should never again find ourselves in such a situation. 

I had first heard of Rod when Dom Rigby sent me a copy of his CV.  The glowing references gave a clue as to the man but it’s hard to trust CVs.  Fortunately for us, Rod lived up to and beyond his references. 

Success was not instantaneous, in fact, it took a couple of months before one of Rod’s teams won a match, but it was not quick fixes he was after.  Training for the A squads became twice weekly and a much more focused activity, soft skills such as running between the wickets were practised and players were given a clear understanding of their role.   In the schools, players were identified and encouraged to come down to the club.  Rod’s style of coaching was understated, he suggested things quietly,  explained clearly and boy was he organised.  Sessions were thought out and structured.  When we employed Rod, we never realised that we were getting someone who hated doing nothing, he much preferred to be active and he was rarely out of the club, whether practising, coaching or just watching games.  He became a permanent fixture and that undoubtedly helped him build relationships with the young players who quickly realised that he was always approachable.  There was also a great lesson for young players who would often come down a little early to train only to find the bowling machine up and Rod hitting yet another 500 balls.

 

Success did come, and in 2009 the under 11 side that he nurtured delivered an All Ireland Trophy, a success repeated in 2011 when that team were under 13s. It was not all about winning however, all of our sides became more competitive and our player numbers grew to such an extent that very soon we had 3 under 11 and 13 teams and then a second under 15 side.  Of all the changes, this was the greatest, as we had, over the years, suffered a huge drop off after under 13, to such an extent that we were planning one season to have only 4/5 under 15s playing. However on the first night they were due down, Rod phoned me, delighted to tell me that he had had 15 players down, the following week it was over 20.  That trend has continued and has helped in the expansion of the clubs senior teams to seven.    

For me, Rod’s legacy to the club has been the structure that he created, one that 2 seasons on is still the model we use, yes we tinker and change it but the basis is still very much his. The relegation of our first Team last year felt like a tragedy at the time but the Hokin generation, while maybe not the ones who will get us back to Division 1, are the ones who will ensure the longer term success of the club from Division 1 to Division 13.

When we said goodbye to Rod, it was sad but inevitable, he had given us plenty of notice and had prepared us for that day and the night that we all came down wish him himself and Abbie “farewell” was a happy one, just a little tinged with sadness.  One day we hope to wish Rod, Abbie and family a fond welcome back to Clontarf and I am sure he will be able to see that the foundations that he took  5 years to lay, will have lead to a long and lasting successful club.

 

 

 

Bunworth star of one-wicket Clontarf win

Bunworth star of one-wicket Clontarf win

Displaying his own particular brand of dedication and purpose, opening bat Brian Bunworth produced his most valuable innings of the season when he superbly lifted Clontarf to a great one wicket victory over Leinster , a success which gave them the Wiggins Teape league title, at Rathmines on Saturday.

In a match of grave importance, Brian, in company with brother Rossa, put on 48 math winning runs for the last wicket to deny close challenging Leinster victory which undeniably had pointed in their direction less than an hour previously.

Chasing a Leinster total of 149 for 7 out of which international Jack Short contributed half a century after being dropped in the early stages.  Clontarf’s trusty opening pair of Bunworth and Enda McDermott gave their side a powerful start with 63 runs for the first wicket in 19 overs.

From 63 for 1, Clontarf plummeted to 104 for 9 and suddenly all seemed lost for Clontarf. But the rescuing Bunworths brought Clontarf back into the fray with Brian taking the decisive role and Rossa, too, playing a fine supporting role. Tentative at first they made steady progress and the onslaught really ignited in the last five overs when they strode out gloriously to a memorable victory.

 

Leinster 149 for 7 (J. Short 51, S Parkinson 27, G. Duffy 23 no, Kirwan  for 48)

Clontarf 152 for 9 ( J.B. Bunworth 77 no, E McDermott 39, R. Bunworth 11 no, Kirby 6 for 48)   

Clontarf CC in 1886

Clontarf Cricket Club in 1886

 

1886 and Clontarf was celebrating its 10th birthday.  Thanks to a notebook kept by the Secreatry of the Club, G.F. Healey, we are able to view the operations of the club in some detail.

The President was the local dignitary, John Edward Venables Vernon, the Lord of the Manor, resident in Clontarf Castle.  It is likely that he was also the landlord of the Club, as he was by far the largest landowner in the area.  Indeed, he is credited with the creation of the Clontarf township and befitting a man of his status, he was also a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace.  His son, Colonel Edward Venables Vernon would later attain the Presidentship of the Club, as would their successor as the owner of the Castle, J.G. Oulton.   The Captain of the Club was A.G. Brooks from Hillview in Clontarf and vice captain was C.J. Healey another local living at Hughenden on Castle Avenue.  Healey’s brother G.F. Healey acted as Hon. Secretary while H.P. Downey was the Treasurer.

 

Membership of the club ran to 50, the vast majority of whom were local, though a small number were based in Dublin City.  Quite how the subscription system operated is not clear, but we do know that 13 members paid varying amounts to the Club, with Vernon paying £10 and Lord Ardilaun, otherwise known as Arthur Guinness, contributing £2 to the coffers.  The other paying members paid amounts from £1/1 to 2 shillings 6p.

 On the playing side, 18 fixtures were made, though only 10 were actually played (a bad summer perhaps?) and of those, Clontarf were successful in only 3 games.  The fixture list was an eclectic mix with teams we will still recognise, Civil Service and YMCA featuring while others such as Workingmen’s Club CC, Broadstone CC and Inchicore Catholic Club are no longer with us.  In those days, school teams featured heavily in the fixtures, however these teams were a mix of staff and students and we played games against High School, Wesley College and Kingstown School.

No doubt the players in 1886 looked forward to their season just as much as we do now in 2013.

 

You can view the entire notebook at the following link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29263632@N02/sets/72157622092213559/with/4004632359/

Fund Raising in the early years

Fundraising is the bane of every Sports Club and it seems it has always been so.  Clontarf Cricket Club was well known in the area in its early years for their extremely popular music shows that were put on in the Town Hall, as early as the 1890s.  The shows continued annually well into the early 20^th century and were good earners for the Club’s coffers.  The dances run in the Club throughout its lifetime are well known and contributed enormously to the social life of the Clontarf area.

Recently, we have come across some other fund raising ventures tried in the Club’s early years.  The first is a straightforward draw from 1921, but the prizes are well worth checking out.  Not sure too many people would be that happy these days with a prize of a sack of flour, though the top prize was probably well worth winning.



1921 Fund raising draw



Winners were notified through the newspapers.

Another more innovative money maker was the Stop Watch competition.  This was tried in 1920s, the version in the picture below was from 1923.   The idea was that a Stop Watch was wound and sealed in a watch maker in Dublin city.  It was left in view and the idea was that one had to guess the time at which it would stop.  Club members had to sell “lines” which indicated the time at which the watch would stop.   In the 1922 competition the winning time was 8 hours, 8 minutes and 21 seconds and was won by Mr. G.J. Bonass from 81 Wellington Road, Dublin.



1923 Stop Watch Competition



The Distaff side 1987

When Fergal Tobin took over the publication of the Club’s Programme, he recognised that the Ladies Club (before amalgamation) did not have a voice.  Therefore, he offered a column to Stella Downes, who wrote about all club matters both playing and social.  Her social commentaries were hugely popular unless of course you featured in them.  One of Stella’s great talents was to avoid naming names while making it perfectly clear just who it was that she was talking about.  The column was called “The Distaff Side” and this one is from 1987 immediately after a disastrous Cup Final defeat to YMCA for the 1st team but as Stella says – what a night!  P.S. no one was hurt in the making of this column.....

 Disgraceful Behaviour                      Stella Downes

It’s amazing how many post mortems can be conducted after a single match. The Senior Cup final was one such game.  Well this article is not even going to mention cricket – but what a night it was!  When the game ended early, there was always a danger that the night in the bar would be a non-event, with the victorious YMCA team gone home to Claremont Road and a disheartened crew left supping pints in the corner, discussing the good old days of Clontarf cricket when a collapse in batting was unheard of. The night however took a totally different turn.  The expected exodus never occurred and when the band struck up, there was no way anyone wanted to leave with so much dancing going on in the aisles.  The antics that followed were quite incredible.  Just when things were really getting going, a hush descended over the bar as the Mighty Atom hauled himself up onto the rafters to set the standard for a chin up competition.  One young lady was hoisted up and was assisted in shattering the record.  The look of astonishment on the face of the drummer was a sight to behold as she beamed at her audience while passing 25.  He was obviously unaware that she was being given several helping hands.

Later in the night the victorious Ladies 1^st XI returned with the cup and joined in all the fun. Out of this arose a great mystery: where did the cup disappear to? Is it possible that a freckle faced young gentleman took it home when he couldn’t get his hands on the captain of the Ladies 1^st XI? One very busy young gentleman was the upwardly mobile stylist of the club, who took a stream of women to the changing room to show them his trophy.

The person perhaps made most infamous by the night would have to be the young batsman turned footballer who decided to kick anyone with whom he had had disagreements in the past, firmly believing that they would remember nothing in the morning.  One of the victims was the man generally known as the Bullfrog.  Another and perhaps more famous person was none other than the captain of the club who was unceremoniously dumped on the pitch, treated to physical and verbal abuse and then left to wander aimlessly towards what he thought was the pavilion but was in fact McTiernan’s hedge.

The Secretary of the club, who wishes to be renowned for his “loveability” obviously enjoyed the whole thing as he was found the following day snoring peacefully on one of the new benches while supposed to be watching the cricket. All in all it was a memorable night for those of us sober enough to remember it – everyone else mush depend on hearsay.

So far this has been a very successful season for Clontarf Ladies with both the 1^st and 2^nd XI winning their respective cup competitions.  At this stage, the 1^st XI are in the final of the 40 over league while the 2^nd XI have won their league.  Congratulations to Sandra Spence who took 8 wickets for 18 runs in the 2^nd XI cup final, that’s some bowling by any standards!         

2011 All Ireland under 13 Final

The Under 13 All Ireland Cup, named after the great Phoenix batsman David Pigot, pits the Cup winning sides from the North West, Northern and Leinster Cricket Unions.  Clontarf have won the trophy before, but never more dramatically than in 2011, when it took one of the most remarkable spells of bowling to bring the Cup back to the Northside of Dublin again.

The Final of 2011 was against Bready in their home ground at Magheramason, near Derry and the Team Manager Gerry Delany arranged a bus to allow the team and supporters to travel in style.  This team had actually played the Bready team two years previously in the Under 11 All Ireland Semi Final, a game that was won before we beat CIYMS in the final in Clontarf.  However, Bready were the dominant side in the North West and would undoubtedly challenge in the Clontarf side, who themselves were in good form, having won the Leinster Cup against Pembroke and would go on to win the League in some style.

The long journey was broken by a stop along the way for some food and a chance to stretch, so when we arrived at the wonderfully appointed Bready Cricket Club, the team were raring to go.  Senior player, Eoghan Delany helped the Club Coach Rod Hokin to take the warm ups and get the team ready for the battle ahead.  There was sense of excitement about the team who clearly could not wait to get started.

The toss was lost and Clontarf were asked to bat first on what was an excellent pitch with long boundaries, particularly straight.  Colin Curry and Andrew Delany opened the batting, Colin has an incredible record in The All Ireland competitions and indeed it was his feets in the 2009 Under 11 competition that saw Clontarf emerge as winners.  This time Colin and Andrew started cautiously in the face of good, tight bowling.  However, Colin  opened his shoulders as the partnership developed, clearing the ropes on a number of occasions.  He fell for an excellent 64 and Andrew was unfortunate not to reach his half century, falling on 48.  It took some big hits from Sean Dunne at the end to bring the total to 154 for 3 at the close of the innings, after 30 overs. 



Colin Currie

The North West is legendary for their teas and this was no different.  Suitably fed, the team came out for the 2^nd innings full of adrenaline.  Perhaps too much as the early bowling while quick was also a bit wild and Bready clinically put away the bad balls and happily accepted the freebies, by way of wides and no balls, offered.  Sean Dunne and Sean McCarthy pulled back the Bready’s fast start, to some extent but they were going at 6 an over and well on target.  McCarthy got in on the act again in catching Bready dangerman, Andrew Austin but his partner Reece Kelly merely took up the reigns and took Bready to the edge of a great victory.  Scorer and Manager Gerry Delany was feeling the pressure too, forsaking the score box and pacing up and down the car park. Coach Rod Hokin, seemd calm enough and if he was then he was the only one in the ground. 



Rod Hokin

Needing 18 off the final 3 overs, with 6 wickets in hand, David Delany recalled himself to the attack, David’s opening spell was not amongst his best however, what followed was simply extraordinary. 



David Delany

In 5 balls he clean bowled 5 batsman and only missed the last by a whisker.  In fact both umpire and wicketkeeper could not believe that it missed and both held their heads in their hands (resulting in a bye!).  Laura Cullen, who travelled to the game as a supporter, was also in charge of the Twitter feed, her comments are worth recording:

-          19 off 18.

-          Wicket!!!!!!! David Delany! 19 off 17

-          Wicket AGAIN! David Delany hat-trick ball! 19 off 16!

-          HAT TRICK DAVID DELANY!

-          4 WICKETS IN A ROW? I dont even know what that's call!

-          5 IN A ROW...

-          And the last ball went for a bye. Best over i've ever seen

The game of course was not yet over, with one wicket still standing but the following over, Sean McCarthy ran out the last man and victory was Clontarf’s.

It was an incredible finish to the match played in a wonderful spirit, a fact which did not go unnoticed by the neutral supporters. The following day both Joe Doherty, the Chair of Cricket in Cricket Ireland and Hope Kerr, the sponsor, publically paid tribute to both teams.