The Middle Years

Merrion was promoted to the Senior League in 1926 and have played every year since. The total number of league and cup matches to the end of 1999 is 1222. The total results for all matches played is:

In the early days the number of teams competing in the senior league was quite small. Up until the beginning of the 1950s the maximum number of teams in any one year was eight and in 1929 was as low as four. The Leinster Senior Cup was run for the first time in 1935 and in 1974 a third competition was added, the Wiggins Teape League [now the Lewis Traub League] on a League/Cup basis.

The performances of the Merrion 1st XI can be easily broken into distinct periods. In the early period [1926 – 39] the team maintained a mid table position. They were second in the league in 1931 and 1934 and were the defeated cup finalists in 1936. The early period was dominated by players like Cecil Little, Jack O’Donnell and Rollie Shortt with Chris Mara and Simon Curley playing an increasingly  important role from the mid 1930s on. In all 168 matches were played with 61 matches won against 62 lost.

Undoubtably Merrion’s golden period was from 1940 to 1963. A number of Irish internationals played for Merrion during this period, including Simon Curley, Paddy Waldron, Paul Warren and Rodney Berstein. Vinnie Holloway, Brendan Curley, the Burke and Hayden brothers and Chris Mara were also regular performers. Merrion won the league and cup double in 1940 (first team to achieve this feat; no games lost) and the league in 1945, 1952 and 1958. The Leinster Cup was won again in 1960. Merrion also lost five cup finals and were runners up in the league three times. With the Senior League increasing to nine teams in 1953 and to ten teams in 1957 the number of matches played also increased with 362 matches played with Merrion winning 145 and losing 113.

When the team built mainly around S Curley was finally broken up in the early 1960s, through retirement and emigration, Merrion went through an extended period of poor to moderate performance until the mid 1990s. From 1964 to 1977 Merrion lost in the first round of the cup each year. Merrion were last in the league no fewer than seven times. A short period of reasonable performance from 1976 to 1981 proved a false dawn and in the 1980s Merrion suffered the worst times in its history culminating in demotion from the senior league in 1994. Fortunately, on a vote of the other teams in the Leinster league, Merrion was reinstated and competed again in the Senior league in 1995.

Threatened demotion in 1994 proved the tonic the club needed and performances improved almost immediately. In 1993 the Senior League had been divided into two divisions with Merrion participated in the ‘B’ Division. In 1997 promotion was achieved through winning the ‘B’ league. Just to prove you cannot have too much of a good thing, Merrion decided to repeat the exercise by again winning the ‘B’ league in 1999 following relegation in 1998. In 1995 Merrion got to the final of the Leinster Cup  and for the first time started to put in good performances in the League/Cup. A semi final place in 1997, was followed by a final in 1998 and victory in 1999. During this period Merrion became the dominant ’20 Overs’ team – winning the competition a record four times in a row from 1996 – 99. Wins over two Northern sides in the Beckett Cup in 1996 and 1998 and a highest ever semi-final place in the All Ireland cup were the final elements in a very promising end to the millennium.

The contrast between the first and the second half of the decade in the performances of the youth teams was very marked. In the first five years the only achievements were two ‘runners up’ positions. While the second half the boys alone could boast one ‘all Ireland’ cup, eight times winners of league or cup and six runners up positions. Merrion also led the way in extending competitive girls  cricket across all under-age groups. Within a short time Merrion came to dominate girls cricket in Leinster repeatedly winning the U15 and U13 leagues.

Leinster Senior Records [by period]    

Senior League   

There were a number of special individual performances worth noting. The fastest recorded century was that of Cecil Little in 1928 against Civil Service – in 55 minutes with 96 in boundaries including 12 ‘4s’ off consecutive balls. The highest score and the highest aggregate for the season were both achieved in 1999 – Gus Joyce 191* against Rush and Brad Spanner 1014. The most wickets in a season [70] was achieved by Patrick O’Herlihy in 1995 and the best individual bowling figures were Chris Mara’s 9/52 against Phoenix in 1940

Trophy Winning Teams 1926 – 1999

During this period, Simon Curley appeared most often for Merrion, closely followed by Robbie Stanton. In all five players have played more than 300 matches with the list being completed by Brendan Curley, Chris Mara, and Eddie Lewis. Chris Mara holds the record for the most consecutive matches played for Merrion [147] between 1935 and 1945 followed by Eddie Lewis [100] from 1976 – 1980 and W Lindsey [84] between 1939 and 1945.

Although Women’s Cricket did flourish in Leinster for a period during and after the Second World War, Merrion did not become engaged until there was a renaissance in womens cricket in the mid 1970s. Merrion entered a team when competitions started back up in 1976 and even managed a victory in the Pernot six-a-side competition held in Clontarf the same year.

Merrion had mixed fortunes winning the Senior League just once in 1982. Following relegation from D1 a number of senior players left for other clubs and in 1993 / 1994 the women’s section were unable to field a side in Leinster competitions. Even though they started up again in 1995, with a young team they had to start in the bottom division. The completely new side duly won the D4 league in 1995 , D3 in 1996, D2 in 1997 and secured promotion back to the senior ranks. For good measure Merrion entered a 2^nd XI in competitions which won the D4 league in 1996 and the D3 league in 1998.

In addition to the leagues, Merrion 1^st XI won the Senior Cup in 1983 and the Minor [D4] Cup in 1995. Several Merrion players of this era achieved representative honours with Ireland – Alice and Marie Stanton, Mary Delaney, Karen Smith, and Rachel Hardiman.

Merrion has always had an active youth section. In 1942 it won the first ever Schools Vacation League. But it was a long time before this feat was repeated. Three strong years in the late 1960s, saw Merrion win the U19 league in 1968 and 1970, being runners up in 1969.  Further victories followed in 1981 and 1997 and the U19 T20 Cup in 1996.

As competitive cricket in Leinster spread to the younger age groups, Merrion entered in most competitions every year. Merrion  won the inaugural Boys U13 Mini Cricket competition held at Cabra in 1974, with further wins in 1976 and 1978.  The U15 League was won in 1978 and then after a 20 year gap in 1998. The u13 league was the club’s most successful competition with victories in 1976, 1978, 1984 and 1996. An U11 league started in 1985 and Merrion managed one win in 1998.