TWO first year cricketers were among 37 recipients of sports scholarships in Trinity announced this week. Max Neville of Merrion, and Sanil Gupta, of Pembroke, join 1st XI captain Lorcan Tucker in being selected to the prestigious scheme run by the Department of Sport in TCD in association with Bank of Ireland.
At the same ceremony, former Ireland batsman Ed Joyce was appointed as a Trinity Sport Ambassador.
Scholarships are awarded to elite sportsmen and women who have attained interprovincial or international honours. Among recent recipients was Ireland left-arm spinner George Dockrell. The scholars benefit from specialised strength and conditioning training, a dedicated medical care pathway, as well as financial support.
Max Neville, 18, was an ever-present for Ireland at the ICC Under19 World Cup earlier this year and has played twice for Leinster Lightning in the three-day interprovincial championship. He also played four T20s for Munster Reds and has 34 senior appearances for Merrion.
Sanil Gupta, 18, has played for Leinster underage sides and has already played an astonishing 165 games for Pembroke in adult competitions, scoring four centuries, two in the space of four days in Division 3 this summer. He has 45 senior appearances for the club.
Lorcan Tucker, 21, has played four times for Ireland since his debut against Hong Kong in 2016. His other three caps came in India, in a T20 series against Afghanistan last year. This is his second season as Trinity captain.
Dublin University cricket club president, Keith Synnott, said: “This is great for the club in that it encourages young cricketers to come to Trinity and play for the college. The new league structure in Leinster will mean DUCC having the opportunity to play against premier division teams which will enable these players to further develop and fulfil their potential. This in combination with the partnership with Cricket Leinster to improve College Park and allow it become the home of Leinster Lightning heralds exciting times for Trinity cricket.”
Matthew Dossett, Deputy Head of Sport and Recreation, commented: “We’re delighted to announce a very strong calibre of scholars for 2018/19. With 15 sports represented and a diverse range of developing and internationally recognised athletes, this is among our strongest list of recipients yet.
“As with last year, the ever-improving standards of the support structure available to our highest performing athletes and teams in Trinity has resulted in a significant increase in scholarship applications. Improving our capability to attract and support talented athletes is a key objective within the strategy for sport, and this continual process will ensure that Trinity remains a strong destination of choice for the very best student athletes domestically and internationally.”
The scheme is open to all players and receives applications for prospective students for the 2019/20 academic year up to September 2019.
For more details on the scheme contact sport(AT)tcd.ie.