1.1 Early Days, 1825-1920

The earliest references to cricket in the Fingal area are contained in the diaries of Mrs Taylor of Ardgillan when she mentioned cricket in Hampton (Balbriggan) on 5 August 1825 and in Rush on 19 August 1825. The Taylors also played 5 games of cricket in 1827, but the opposition is not named, although it is reasonable to assume that some of the games were played against the Palmers of Kenure House, Rush.

In 1831, there were two references to cricket matches between Ardgillan and Rush; one game was played on 22 July and the return game was played on 18 August. In addition to the cricket, Mrs Taylor also mentioned tea because the social dimension was at least as important as the cricket.

Rush in the early days

The Freeman’s Journal of 26 August 1891 contained a specific reference to a cricket team in Rush. It mentioned “that the Workmen of York Street turned up smiling against Rush and lost their match”. In the first innings, Rush made 35 runs, and of this total, P. Murphy scored 10 runs. In reply, The Workmen scored 26 runs, with T. Kelly (12) being the main contributor. In the second innings, Rush got 30 runs, “without a single double”, and in reply, the Workmen scored 21, with M. Bulger getting 11 runs.

For the 1898 season, Gormanstown CC’s fixtures’ list contained home and away games against Rush CC, and these fixtures were repeated in 1899 and 1900. In 1899, the Workmen of Skerries CC (not to be confused with the Workmen of York Street) played Rush and Lusk CC on the “splendid grounds” at Rush, and the game resulted in an easy win for Rush on a score of 66 runs to 16. The evidence of local sensitivities is reflected in an item which appeared the following week in the Drogheda Independent regarding Rush and Lusk being referred to as a combined team: In our report of the match Rush and Lusk CC versus Skerries (Workmen’s CC), we should not have included the name Lusk, as the members of that club took no part in the proceedings.

Although there were no league structures in Fingal at this time, it should not be assumed that games were not fiercely contested, and games not being finished were one of the consequences of these rivalries. The convention was for each team to provide one umpire, and it was assumed that in keeping with the spirit of cricket, umpires’ decisions would be respected, and all umpires would be impartial. The practice diverged at times from this theory, and umpires’ decisions were contested with some regularity. It is also necessary to make allowances for context when commenting on abandoned games because there are invariably two sides to every story, and this is reflected in the Rush correspondent’s account of a game between Rush and Skerries Emmets which was played in Skerries on 29 July 1900.

In suitably ironic tones, he referred to the game as a “friendly”, “but it turned out a rather unpleasant one at the finish”. Rush scored 64 runs, and J. Bell played “grand cricket “for his score of 34 runs. Skerries had lost 7 wickets for 30 runs when one of their batsmen was adjudged run out by the umpire. He was ordered by his colleagues to stay put because in their opinion, he was not out so he refused to leave the field, and the game was abandoned. The Rush reporter in reflecting on the rationale for this stance came to the following conclusion: For what reason, we do not know, unless they do not want to be beaten. If this is their motto of winning matches, it shows the sportsmen they are.

There are no further references in the local newspapers to Rush CC until 1904 when a report on the Navan CYMS excursion to Skerries referred to a “great cricket match” between Skerries and Rush which was played in a field “just immediately beside the town”. There was also a team at Ballykea, and many of the names which appeared on the Rush team sheet in 1900 were now playing for Ballykea. This was common because with no league structures, with concepts of clubs being loosely defined, and the fields changing regularly, cricketers could play for several teams during a season.

Trophy for Rush

Arondales, Ballykea played cricket during the 1904 and 1905 seasons. In 1904, Ballykea played Man-O-War at Ballykea and won handsomely. It featured in a local derby against Skerries Emmets in May 1905 but was beaten comfortably by the Skerries team. Between 1910 and 1913, there are very few reports of cricket being played in Fingal. Whether this was due to less cricket being played or if there was pressure on space due to publicity being given to other sports or other events is not clear.

From 1913 until 1925, the only report in the local press is a reference to a schoolboys’ game which was played in Rush in 1920 between Leinster and Rush. Leinster won easily, and the main contributors to the Rush score were C. Stringer and Blake.

1.2 Rush CC, 1931-1960

At the AGM of the Fingal League in March 1931, there were 25 clubs represented, and the existing officers were re-elected. When the fixtures for the season were announced, 17 teams had entered for the league, and the new teams were Baldwinstown 11 and Rush CC which was formed in 1931. According to the Drogheda Independent, the Rush team was “going on wonderfully”. They had played games against Naul, Oldtown, Hely’s, CYMS and Loughshinny, and won them all.

Rush CC constitutes an interesting case-study because it was a composite of “Big House” and Fingal League cricket, and in the earlier era, Irish society was highly stratified, but by the 1930s, it was obvious that cricket was an area of activity in which all members of Irish society met on an equal footing. This is exemplified by the list of officers of the Rush Club for one season: The Patron was Colonel Fenwick-Palmer, The President was Rev. E. Monks, and the Vice-Presidents were G. Fitch, J. Follenus, J. St Lawrence, J. Martin, H. Pembrey, R. M. Carey and Lord Revelstoke. The Club Chairman was J. S. Kane, the Vice-Chairman was J. S. Leonard, the Secretary was V. Cole, and the Treasurer was P. J. Carthy. The Captain and Vice-Captain of the First X1 were P. B. Martyn and P. J. Coleman, and the Second X1 were J. S. Kane and B. R. Dunne.

When Rush CC affiliated to Leinster Cricket in 1931, it played its early games at the Drummonds. For a brief period at the end of the 1931 season and in 1932, cricket was also played at a field on the Skerries Road belonging to the late R. M. Carey. The first game on the new pitch was played against Knockbrack 11, and Knockbrack won on a score of 52 runs to 16 runs. Writing in the Drogheda Independent, “Reflex” was not impressed with the team’s efforts: This sudden reversal of form is unaccountable as their scores on the previous Sundays left them miles ahead of their opponents. Perhaps they were a little over-confident.

In the 1933 season, Lieutenant-Colonel Palmer made a field available to the club and, he also assisted in preparing the pitch. In the words of Ciarán Clear, this was the beginning of an idyllic era: The setting was lovely- the picture-book cricket ground it was called with the “Big House”, the gate lodge, extensive park – the trees, the wooden styles and fences, even the lowing of cattle and horses. Add to this, after some very hard work, a beautiful wicket. By affiliating to the Leinster League, Rush was in a position to recruit players from the other Fingal clubs who wished to play in this league: The club is anxious that it should be known that it does not confine its membership to persons residing in Rush. Last year it was a source of satisfaction to the Committee that members living as far away as Balbriggan joined and played regularly throughout the season. This year the Committee hopes that the membership of the Club will be further increased by additional members from Skerries, Balbriggan and other adjacent districts.

Over the years, some of Fingal’s finest cricketers such as Simon Hoare, Tom and Jem Murphy, Kit Mooney, Christy Russell, Fran Grimes, J. K. Mooney, Dick Byrne, Mick Gosson, Seán and Eamon Moore played Leinster League Cricket with Rush, and Fingal League cricket with their own clubs. Rush won the Junior Cup Final in August 1933, with the main contributors to the score being Simon Hoare (42) and J. Coleman (36). Hoare took 6 wickets for 43 runs and P. Carty had 4 for 21.

During the period, 1936 to 1939, Rush CC was very successful. The Second X1 won the Minor Cup in 1936, 1937 and the League and Cup in 1939. One of the reasons for the club’s success was the emphasis on high standards, and not resting on its laurels. For example, in 1936 when Rush won the Minor Cup against Bellshire on a score of 50 to 21 runs, the correspondent was very critical of some lapses in the field, and in referring to Bellshire’s innings which only lasted 40 minutes, he commented that the score would not have reached 12 if the Rush fieldsmen had accepted “two dolly catches that were offered them.” The First X1 won the Junior Cup in 1937, 1938 and 1939, and completed the league and cup double in 1938 and 1939.

In 1938, the Leinster Women’s Cricket Union was formed, and Rush was one of its founder members. The other teams which played in the Women’s Cricket League were Leinster, Civil Service, Bellshire and Carlisle. The league was won by Leinster and Rush finished in third place, winning 3 games, and losing 5. The actress, Marie Keane, and Mildred Carrick were members of this team, but it only played for two years because of transport difficulties during the Emergency.

At the presentation dance in October 1939, P. J. Keane, Chairman of the club, congratulated the club on “establishing a most unique record in the history of Junior Cricket in Leinster”. He reckoned that the achievements of the club were “even more remarkable when one considers the numerous disadvantages a country club must overcome, and in a sign of things to come, he expressed the view that: Surely the Executive of the Cricket Union must at last recognise the playing strength and great possibilities of our Club and so bestow on us that long overdue honour of promotion to Intermediate status.

Rush players at a dance

Promotion to Intermediate status was granted in 1940, and after 6 attempts, Rush eventually won the Intermediate Cup in 1945 when Bellshire was beaten in the final at Sandymount. The Rush correspondent to the Drogheda Independent gave a lyrical account of the “most thrilling game very seen in Dublin.” With the last batsmen in, Rush needed 6 to win, and in the words of the reporter, “hopes for success looked blue, but once again the club (sic) fighting spirit prevailed and both Dickie Byrne and Joe Kane were carried shoulder high to the pavilion when the winning hit for 2 was scored.”

Rush CC did not confine its playing exploits to Leinster, and in 1945, it went on tour to Cork and played three games. A notable inclusion on the team sheet was Rev. W. O’Grady who in addition to “fielding excellently and scoring 15 runs, celebrated a “special” Mass on Sunday in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Cork.”

Rush contested the Intermediate Cup Final again in 1950, with Phoenix 111 as its opposition. The main contributors to the Rush score were T. Murphy (17), P. Carty (21), and J. O’Connor (26), and the Drogheda Independent referred to O’Connor as “at last revealing his true form with a brilliant 24.” S. Carty’s figures were 4 for 10, James Murphy took 3 wickets, and Tom Murphy took 2 wickets to leave Phoenix well-beaten on a score of 78 all out. This victory qualified Rush for an invitation to play in the newly inaugurated Irish Junior Cup, and in the semi-final, Rush defeated Galway County on a score of 65 to 55. The final was staged at Sydney Parade, but Rush was well-beaten on the day by a youthful Cork Bohemians team for whom Jim Kiernan, brother of Tom Kiernan, the Irish rugby international scored 46* and Fitzgerald took 5 wickets for 12 runs. The only Rush batsmen to reach double figures were Murray (21), Connolly (13) and O’Connor (11), and Rush’s final score was 80 runs.

Balrothery joined the Leinster Cricket Union in 1949, and two Fingal teams, Balrothery and Rush, met in the Intermediate Cup Final in 1951. The game was played at Civil Service’s ground in the Phoenix Park. Balrothery batted first, and scored 141 runs, of which the main contributors were C. Russell (36), V. Farrell (32), J. Mooney (23) and M. Gosson (20). The report mentioned that P. Carty and T. Murphy “trundled in good style” for Rush. The game was continued on Monday evening, and the Rush batsmen were in trouble against the bowling of Russell and Mooney. Rush was all out for 71, with Con Martin (26), T. Murphy (15) and J. Heraty (10*) being the principal run scorers.

Rush in 1951 Intermediate Final

In 1952, Eddie Dunne appealed to the old established clubs to re-affiliate with the Fingal League. In this category, he listed Skerries, Rush, Naul, Oldtown, and perhaps Malahide, and he indicated that teams from the three holiday camps, Mosney, Red Island and Mr Gents would be welcome. This appeal constituted a change of policy and a change of approach because in an earlier era, Skerries had been castigated for playing people who were not “true Fingallians.

From a Rush perspective, there was little of note to report for several years. The team played in the Intermediate League in 1954 and 1955, and it competed in the Junior Cup in 1957. For the 1959, the omens were propitious, and the Drogheda Independent reported that because of a recent meeting, “big things may be expected in the coming year” from Rush CC. Stalwarts such as Paddy Carty, Paddy Martyn, Andrew Monks, Gay Jones, and Richard Foley were going to play “a whole-hearted part in the pursuit of success”. There is no mention of the Fingal League, but it was decided to enter two teams in Dublin competitions. However in May 1959, Rush was forced to withdraw from League cricket mainly due to changed family circumstances for several players, and cricket was not played in Rush in 1960 either.

1.3 The Reawakening, 1961

The lack of recreational facilities for young people in Rush was not a new phenomenon. Cricket clubs in general provide worthwhile sporting activity during the summer months, and they also organise social and cultural events during the close season. The various events such as dances and whist drives may have been primarily for fund-raising purposes, but it is arguable that their social function was of equal value in the contribution which they made to life within the community.

The cricket club had been established in 1931, and towards the end of the summer of that year, an article in the Drogheda Independent painted a profoundly depressing picture of social life in Rush and showed the necessity for sports clubs and other recreational facilities in the town: Now that the visitors have taken their departure and gone back to their various occupations, the atmosphere of the town has returned to normal and the people have gone back to the usual routine of hard work and little pleasure for another nine months…. The natives seem to enter into the holiday spirit too, and it is nothing unusual to see the young people knocking off work as early as nine o’clock in the Summer evenings and parading the strands and roads, taking part in the pastimes that attract them most and evidently enjoying to the fullest extent the only few hours leisure that they get in the year, for well they know that with the coming of winter there is no more play for them.

Rush team in 1962-63

It can be seen therefore that organisations such as the Cricket Club were of vital importance in the town, and in this regard, the club played its part in contributing to community spirit. This can be readily illustrated by the activities which it organised during the 1950s and 1960s. On 30 April 1955, music for the Cricket Club dance was provided by Hugh Lennon and his Orchestra, admission was 4s. The following year, Kevin Keogh and his Music Makers were the main attraction at the opening dance of the season, and the cover charge was still 4s. In 1957, the cover charge was increased to 6s for the visit of Hughie Trainor and his Orchestra. In 1961, the cricket club dance was held in the Palladium, the music was provided by the Pirates Showband, and admission was 2/6. One of the social highlights of the year was the very enjoyable annual dinner at the Holmpatrick Hotel, Skerries.

However, in 1960, the lack of recreational facilities was still an issue, and Pat Doolan, brother of P. J, convened a meeting of some of his friends to discuss the possibility of organising some social and sporting activities for the young people of the town. About the same time, P. B. Martyn distributed flyers inviting people to discuss the possibility of re-forming the cricket club. This confluence of initiatives resulted in a delegation comprising of Michael McGuinness and Anthony Sourke  visiting Colonel Fenwick-Palmer to request permission to play soccer on one of the fields in the Kenure Estate. Permission was not forthcoming, but a second delegation of Anthony Sourke, Ciaran Clear and Pat Doolan called to see the Colonel to see if he would give permission for the cricket field on his estate to be used, and permission was readily granted.

Rush CC was re-established in 1961 and number of friendly games against Fingal rivals such as Knockbrack and Ring Commons were arranged. At the end of the cricket season, a soccer league was organised, but once Rush re-affiliated to the Leinster Cricket Union, soccer was no longer played on the field because there would not have been sufficient time to get the outfield and pitch back in a fit state for the start of the cricket season.

Kenure

In its first season back in Leinster Cricket (1962), Rush won the Minor League, but lost the Cup Final to a Leinster CC team for which one player, A. Kati, scored 197 runs. The following season, Rush CC was beaten in the final of the Junior Cup, but shared the league title with Leinster CC. At the AGM in 1963, Anthony Sourke, Club Secretary, was optimistic about the future of the club. There was a growing interest locally in activities of the club, and the younger members were showing “remarkable enthusiasm and ability.” There were plans for a tour of Lancashire in 1964, and it was intended to enlarge and renovate the pavilion, while work was proceeding on improving the wickets.

For the 1964 season, cricket proceeded as normal at Rush. The teams played in the Leinster League and the Fingal League, and a team from Carmarthen in Wales played at Kenure in early June. A report in the Evening Herald was very complimentary regarding this very enterprising initiative by the club and he was fulsome in this praise of the ground “at Kenure Park is very picturesque when seen at its best on a sunny afternoon.” The Welsh players enjoyed their visit to Rush, and it was planned to turn this trip into an annual event. On the day, proceedings were ended by the Welsh players singing the Welsh National Anthem to which the Rush players responded by singing Amhrán na bhFiann. With everything going so well for Rush CC in 1964 what could go wrong?

The years of maintaining the residence proved to be too much of a struggle for Colonel Fenwick-Palmer, and the Kenure Park Estate was put up for sale in May 1964. The auction notice indicated that the estate was “held entirely in freehold with vacant possession.” The reference to vacant possession had serious implications for Rush CC who were tenants, and a period of great uncertainty followed for the club. The 260-acre estate was bought by the Land Commission for £75,000, and it was intended to sell this land to farmers with small-holdings so that their standard of living would be improved.

In 1965, Rush CC was in the words of the Drogheda Independent, “seriously inconvenienced by the loss of their beautiful ground at Kenure Park”, and it was forced to play its Leinster and Fingal League matches “away”. As a result of having no ground, the points system that applied to Rush that season was the same as the dispensation given to Trinity College-there were double points for a single game. In a review of the season, the honorary secretary, Eddie Scanlon, described 1965 as the most “difficult year in the history of the club”, but despite all the difficulties, the second team managed to finish second in the Minor League'.

Anne and Friends

Just after Christmas 1965, P. B. Martyn convened an Extraordinary General Meeting in the Library in Rush and the only item on the Agenda was the action that could be taken to ensure that cricket would continue in Rush. Eddie Scanlon resigned as Secretary prior to the commencement of the meeting and P.J. Doolan was asked to take notes. A letter from the Land Commission was read indicating that the club could not purchase its present ground, but it offered the club 2.5 acres of woodland for the sum of £600 + interest at 6.5%. This was the market price (£240 per acre) whereas the Land Commission was selling arable land to small holders at £100 per acre. The club was offered the choice of two sites, and there was a time-limit to the offer. Despite the club having a somewhat precarious financial position, the twelve people present agreed unanimously to accept the Land Commission’s offer. Michael McGuinness and P. J. Doolan were asked to inspect the two sites and to return with a recommendation for the next meeting.

In view of the decision that was taken and its far-reaching consequences for cricket in Rush, it is appropriate that the 12 people who were involved in making that momentous decision should be named: P. B. Martin, Ciarán Clear, Edward Scanlon, Michael McGuinness, Michael Butterly, P. J. Doolan, Andy Monks, Gay Jones, Hugh Sheelan, Harry White, and Roy Whelan. With the decision made, fund-raising became imperative as Rush CC sought to finance the purchase of a ground, and a Variety Concert was held in the Tideway Cinema on Wednesday and Thursday, 19th and 20th January 1966. Among those who appeared were Maurice Kane, Paddy Carty, Sean Smith, Andy Moore, Jim Carty, Joe Murtagh, The Pirates, The Ely Folk Trio and many more. The hall was packed to capacity on both evenings, and no less than 46 artists contributed items to the show. The Pirates Showband opened proceedings, there were lots of topical sketches, The Ely Folk Trio (Leo Dunne, Eddie Scanlon and Avril Clear) was applauded to “the echo”, and the evening was rounded off with some rousing choruses from a local ballad group consisting of M. J. Butterly, P. J. Doolan, Larry Kane, Michael Mc Guinness, Ciarán Clear and Eddie Scanlon.

Eddie Scanlon at the Matt

The next fund-raiser was a dance in the Palladium Ballroom at which the Skerries Showband, Tony and Graduates was booked to play. The dance was to be held on Saturday, 19 February, and the club was fortunate to have been allocated this night because this was the era when the Catholic Church prohibited dances being held during Lent which was commencing on the following Wednesday. Admission to the dance was 7s 6d, and buses were also organised to leave Liberty Hall in Dublin at 9.30 p.m. The all-in price for bus fare and dance ticket was 12s. 6d. Because this was a prime night, there was always a fear that there might be a clash of fixtures, and on the same evening, Dickie Rock and the Miami Showband were booked to play at Palm Beach Portmarnock. In this instance good fortune shone on the cricket club, the dance in Portmarnock was sold-out, and the disappointed patrons flocked to Rush with the result that this was the most lucrative event that the club had organised up to this time. As a postscript to this story, Dickie Rock collapsed on the stage in Portmarnock, and it was feared for some time that he might be unable to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest on 4 March 1966.

With the fund-raising proceeding satisfactorily, Rush CC was in a position to close the sale on the ground, and the contact was signed on 28 March 1966. The deposit had been £50, and there were 11 instalments of £55 plus interest to be paid. The contract was signed by 3 Trustees, P. B. Martyn, Michael McGuinness, and Joe Connolly, Senior, and the final payment was made on 8 December 1970.

Matt Sheridan batting

Other fund -raiders organised during this time were a “Gigantic Christmas Fair in the CYMS Hall on 15th and 16th December 1967, and according to the publicity blurb, “there were bargains for everyone.” Variety concerts were also held in January 1969, and the report explained that the impetus for the concerts came from the necessity to raise funds for the new grounds. It was anticipated that the cost of the new pitch and the development of it would eventually cost somewhere in the region of £1,200.

With fund-raising proceeding satisfactorily, the club turned its attention to cricket, and it decided to enter teams in the Junior and Minor Leinster Leagues and Cup competitions. The situation regarding a ground was resolved by a magnanimous gesture from Balrothery CC who allowed Rush CC to use its ground at the Matt until its new ground was ready. The arrangement with Balrothery continued until 1969, and Rush CC officially recorded its indebtedness to Martin Russell who prepared the pitch for the club at Balrothery.

While the teams were playing their home games at Balrothery, the enormous task of turning a wooded area into a cricket field continued for several years. A contract was drawn up between Patrick Durnan, Contractor, and Rush CC in relation to the removal of trees and scrub. The best quality trees were marked and removed prior to the sale by the Land Commission and the sale of the other trees covered the cost of removal. It would be invidious to name the people who worked so hard to prepare the new ground, but this information will be provided by P. J. Doolan who is working on a more detailed history of Rush CC.

David Williams

The first game was due to be played at the ground on Sunday, 29 June 1969, but the weather conditions on the day meant that the game was abandoned after 6 minutes of play. Eventually after years “of toil and sweat”, the first full game at the new ground between the Past X1 and the Present X1 was played on 20 July 1969. The Drogheda Independent report of 25 July 1969 paid tribute to the members who had worked so hard “clearing and reclaiming forest land in the effort to save this 30- years- old club.” In the game which preceded the official opening of the ground, the Past X1 accumulated 142 runs, with Con Martin (37), Jim Coleman (25), Simon Hoare (18), Stephen Carty (12*) and Tom Walsh (10) being the principal contributors to the score. The Present X1 was captained by Brian Morgan and scored 138 runs. Alan Caren was in great form, hitting 41 runs, the other batsmen to figure were Ciaran Clear (20*), Brian Morgan (14) and Eddie Scanlon (11).

1.3 Postscript, 1970-2020

Once the club had obtained possession of its own ground, other initiatives then became possible. For example, on St Stephen’s Day, 1971, Rush played a team called the Santa Claus X1 which was captained by David Williams who played Fingal League cricket with Rush. No overall score was given for the game except to state that Michael Mc Guinness scored 26 runs, Joe Connolly took two wickets and Mike Joe Butterly bowled and fielded well and took 2 catches. On this occasion, it appears that other activities took precedence over the cricket because the players warmed up with mugs of soup on the field, went to the Palladium for a roast chicken meal, and then retired to the Cradle Rock. This concept of early season cricket was maintained, although it does not appear that the St Stephen’s Day experiment was repeated.

Alan Caren and Mike Joe Butterly

Instead, Rush CC opened its season annually with a fixture on St Patrick’s Day, and in 1985, this game was played between the home club and a Selected X1, captained by Dick Forrest.

Rush played in the women’s Leinster League from 1977 onwards, and this was the prelude to Rush players winning individual and international honours. Angela Murphy won the Division 2 Batting and Anne O’Brien won the Division 2 Bowling Awards in 1979. Collette McGuinness was the first Rush person to be awarded an international cap, to be followed later by Caitriona Beggs, Ciara Metcalfe, Carole McGuire, and Aoife Beggs.

Rush, led by Alf Masood, won the Senior 2 League and Cup double in 1990. As an indication of changing times in 1991, Man-O-War had acquired the services of Gary Wood, the Malahide Professional, but on this occasion, the power was with Rush, and with Brendan Wilde (42) starring, there was great jubilation as Rush won the Fingal Cup for the first time after 30 years of trying.

Rush won the Fingal League Championship the following week, and retained it in 1992. With their successes in Leinster and in Fingal, Rush’s case for Senior status was undeniable, but their quest was not successful until 1995.

Rush CC has continued to be a competitive club in Leinster Senior Cricket since it attained Senior status. It has played in two All-Ireland Senior Cup finals, in one of which, two of the Morgan brothers, Eoin and Gavin, were on opposite sides when Rush played Malahide.

It has won the National Cup on three occasions during the past 5 years. It has produced international cricketers for the Ireland men’s and women’s teams, and its wonderfully successful youth programme has been demonstrated by the numerous All-Ireland titles which have been won at the various age levels during the past few years.

Siobhan McBennett

When Ireland played England in that historic game in Malahide on 3 September 2013, both captains, William Porterfield, and Eoin Morgan, had played with Rush. When England won the World Cup in 2019, its captain was Eoin Morgan who has spoken eloquently and frequently of his indebtedness to Rush CC for the start which it gave him in cricket.

William Porterfield and Eoin Morgan

Rush CC has made a wonderful contribution to the preservation, nurturing, and development of the game of cricket and to the life of the community since it was founded in 1931.

Note 1: I am greatly indebted to P. J. Doolan for the detailed information which he has given to me in relation to the period from 1961 to 1970, and I take this opportunity to wish him well in his work on the History of Rush Cricket Club.

Note 2: Photographs have been provided by Joe Curtis and P. J. Doolan