The Management Committee of the club are pleased to confirm the appointment of Dom Joyce to the role of Men’s 1st XI Head Coach for the 2025 season.
Dom will be taking over the reigns from Nicky Kenny, whom for the last 8 years has been leading the Men’s 1st XI and wider senior squad.
The Management Committee would like to thank Nicky for his work since taking up the role ahead of the 2016 season, since then Nicky has taken charge of the team on 200 occasions across various competitions. In Nicky’s time in charge, the men’s 1st XI have won 2 Premier League titles, a Leinster Senior League Cup, the Championship in 2017 and an Irish Senior Cup in 2016.
Going forward, Dom brings a wealth of experience to the role, along with an innate knowledge of Irish cricket, with 343 senior appearances for the Merrion and Dublin University and over 60 Irish caps.
Towards the end of his playing career Dom begun to make the move into coaching, as he begun with working with the Leinster Lightning, and Bolts squads, as well as the Ireland U19 Women’s team. Dom also served as assistant coach of the Men’s 1st XI in the 2024 season following his retirement from playing.
The Management Committee will offer Dom their full support, as he takes on his new role as looks to take the club forward, and bring a similar level of success as was seen during his playing career and years as captain of the Men’s 1st XI at Merrion.
The Management Committee are also delighted to announce the appointment of Hussein Manack as the club’s Director of High-Performance and Men’s 1st XI Manager.
Hussein will be responsible for oversight of the club’s High-Performance Program which was launched in 2024, and will play a significant role in the delivery of sessions on a day-to-day basis with an emphasis in developing youth talent in the club.
Hussein will also be responsible for assisting Men’s 1st XI Head Coach Dom Joyce with the management of the Men’s 1st XI and wider Senior Squad.
Hussein brings a wide range of cricketing experiences with him to Merrion, and boasts an impressive CV. Hussein played professional cricket in South Africa, most notably for the national side, and the Lions, the same province as his son Muhammad, who is also the club’s male overseas player. Hussein later ventured into commentary, private coaching with his own company, acted as a selector for the Lions, and has been involved in coaching at club in Johannesburg for many years, where he is currently Head Coach & High-Performance Director at Marks Park Cricket Club.
The Management Committee are extremely excited to have Hussein on board and very much look forward to welcoming him to the club in the coming months.
