The 2017 season will see the start of a new venture in Leinster cricket. Twelve teams are joining together to create the first "Development League", an attempt to give a better introduction to youth cricket than the current must win environment.
Whilst a traditional league system has many, many advantages, it is not always the best situation for introducing young players to adult cricket. Batsmen may have to play rash shots in order chase large totals, bowlers can get slaughtered by the opposition's star batsmen.
The Development league will give clubs the opportunity to give certain youth players a game of adult cricket which could be more suited to their needs. Of course some players may be better served by traditional league cricket, but this gives another developmental option.
Twelve teams have entered the first season, with the teams split into two groups. The teams will play home and away with ten matches across the season for each team. The fixtures are to be made by clubs as soon as possible, primariy targeting the period between the third weekend in June and the last weekend in August to avoid school term time and exams.
Matches will start at 1pm unless by prior agreement between the clubs. This leaves time for clubs to also play other matches on the ground before or after the development game. Matches will be 30 overs per side, with a maximum of five adults.
The two groups are as follows:
| Section 1 | Section 2 |
| Civil Service | YMCA |
| Adamstown | Leinster |
| Rush | Railway Union/Terenure |
| Phoenix | Carlow/Bagenalstown |
| The Hills | North Kildare |
| Malahide | Wicklow |
Contact David Drane (david-drane@greystones.com) or Guy Satchwell (guysatchwell@hotmail.com) for further details.