Over 50 members attended the AGM on Thursday, 29th October in the Merrion clubhouse. It was the best attended meeting for many years.
The main items on the agenda were the Secretary’s Report on the 2026 season and the elections for next season. Members also raised several issues from the floor under AOB.
In his last Secretary’s report as Club Secretary [but who can say as to the future], Conor Austin highlighted activities both on and off the field.
The 2026 season brought strong results at the top of the club alongside challenges further down. The men’s 1st XI, under new captain Sean Stanton, made early exits from the Senior Cup, Irish Cup and Alan Murray Cup, but rallied with eight successive league wins and led the Premier League going into the final day, before losing to Malahide. Homegrown players such as Peter Forkin, Andrew Doheny and Sebastian Dijkstra stepped up, while Raj Undre and Corne Botha starred in the second half of the season. John Anderson retired after a distinguished career of 14,053 1st XI runs and 259 wickets, including captaining the club to its first Irish Senior Cup in 2010.
The 2nd XI, under Hugh Kennedy, regained the Senior 2 Cup with a 99-run final win over Terenure and finished third in the league. The 3rd–6th XIs all finished in the bottom two of their leagues but gave valuable experience to many youth players.
The women’s 1st XI, captained by Niamh MacNulty, completed a treble of league, Leinster Cup and All-Ireland titles, with Bella Armstrong scoring 818 runs. The 2nd and 3rd XIs held their own after promotion. In youth cricket, the u17 girls won the All-Ireland Cup, while the u15 girls were lost out in a bowl-out.
Off the field, the car park was resurfaced, Robbie’s Corner opened and the clubhouse refurbished, with a grass practice area due in 2027. Robot mowing at Bird Avenue is now targeted for 2027. Finances remain strong, and the RDS Horse Show again drew record numbers under new management.
The full report is available to read at LINK
Stephen Donovan, Club Chair, thanked all the committee members and other volunteers for their assistance during the year, especially those who were not going forward for re-election. The following were elected at the AGM.
President Arlene Stanton [N]
Chair Stephen Donovan
Treasurer John Heavey
Secretary Hansel Dsouza [N]
Chair Cricket Conor Austin [N]
Chair Finance Paddy Byrne
Chair Youth Section Ben Deans
Chair Social Vacant
Management Committee Sorcha Cunningham, Fran Harris, Trevor Watkins [N], Joe Hourihane [N].
Captain 1st XI [Open] Sean Stanton
V Captain 1st XI [Open] Stephen Doheny
Captain 1st XI [Women] Niamh MacNulty
V Captain 1st XI [Women] Annabel Squires
Chair Open Selection Pat Carty
Selection Committee Open Andrew Kay [N], Peter Squires [N].
Chair Womens Selection Sorcha Cunningham
Selection Committee Women Arlene Stanton [N]
Team Secretary Nick Hault [N]
Fixture Secretary Nick Hault
Membership Secretary Eddie Lewis
Child Safety Officer Ben Deans
Under ‘Any Other Business’ several issues were raised by members present including the need for improvements to Bird Avenue, the legal structure of the club, and the state of the practice facilities at Anglesea Road.