The Tallaght Schools cricket team entered the Leinster Schoolboys Cricket League for the 2013 season. This was on the back of coaching visits carried out to schools in the Tallaght area over the past 12 months through South Dublin County Council and the Cricket Leinster’s ‘Cricket in the Community’ programme. Players were drawn from all areas of Tallaght and from the following schools: St Marks Community School, Firhouse Community College, Old Bawn Community School, Colaiste De hIde, Holy Family and Tallaght Community School.
The team was ably coached and managed by Paul O'Hara (Civil Service CC).
The team took on a strong Blackrock College team on the newly laid artificial pitch at Corkagh Park on Thursday, May 9th. Blackrock won by 10 wickets after they chased Tallaght’s total of 116 from 20 overs. Dharam Singh with 35 runs top scored for Tallaght. The following day Tallaght travelled to take on Castleknock College at Porterstown Park.
Tallaght lost by 75 runs in an entertaining game. The quality of fielding from both sides in this match was excellent and it was capped by Jack Kerrison from Castleknock taking an outstanding catch diving on the boundary. Gearoid Lynch with 3 wickets for 18 and Donal Lynch with 2 for 30 were the best performers for Tallaght on the day.
An interested spectator at Porterstown Park was Kevin O'Herlihy who captained St. Aidan’s Community School, Brookfield, Tallaght to the Senior Plate Cup final in 1993 where they were runners up to Belvedere College. On the way to the final they defeated established cricketing schools such as Kings Hospital, High School and St. Columba’s.
This year there would be no repeat of their heroics but the seeds are now in place to grow cricket in both Primary and Secondary schools in Tallaght and also at Third level with IT Tallaght Cricket Club.
The plan for next year is to enter the Leinster competition again but also to expand the game of Indoor Cricket which is already a popular PE activity amongst many Tallaght secondary schools.