Victories this week by the Womens 1st XI in the semi-final of the Senior Cup and in the Premier League and by the Womens 3rd XI in Division 3, only go to underline how good a season it has been so far for women’s cricket in Merrion. Although there is a long way to go in the leagues the 1st XI remain undefeated and both the 2nd and 3rd XIs are in the hunt for medals. All teams are still in their cup competitions with two semi-finals and a final next on the agenda.
As Alan Little reports in the update of his History of Merrion [a copy of which can be obtained from the club] women’s cricket in Merrion has come on in leaps and bounds over the past 15 years. There have been Premier League titles in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2022, 2025, Senior Cup trophies in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023, 2025 and the club is the holder of discontinued Pilkington [40 Over] Cup which we won in 2012, 2014, 2021 and 2024. The 1st XI have also won the Irish Senior [T20] Cup on three out of the five occasions it has been held [2022, 2023, 2025]. Merrion’s 2nd and 3rds have moved up the Divisions, culminating in winning the D2 and D3 league titles in 2025.
To return to the mid-season review, the provisional league positions are set out in the following table which takes into account recent matches. The official league tables have yet to be updated by Cricket Leinster.
| Played | Won | Lost | Tie | NR | Position | |
| Women 1st XI | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1st |
| Women 2nd XI | 8 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2nd |
| Women 3rd XI | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4th |
The development of our younger players has been a massive strength for the club this year and is reflected in the numbers who are performing well on adult teams and obtaining representative honours. The Irish Future Series takes place this weekend with Merrion players Annabel Squires [C], Aisling Lawlor, Naimh MacNulty, Ally Boucher and Sibha Bhoja in the Leinster squad. The Leinster Girls U19 side also has a Merrion captain and three representatives in all, Aisling Lawlor [C], Aishwi Manoj and Aoife Hayden. Four Merrion players were included in the Leinster U16 squad, Poppy Miller, Zoe Gogan, Isolde NiDhonaill and Tansy NiDhonaill.
At the mid-point of the season 43 players have turned out at least once for our Women’s teams in a competitive match. This is a drop-off from the 58 that played in 2025, but some of the missing names will hopefully turn up now that exams are over.
Upcoming Matches
Leinster Senior Final Merrion W1 v Balbriggan W1 Sydney Parade 18.00 : 10th July
Junior Cup Semi-Final Clontarf W2 v Meriron W2 Castle Avenue 18.00 : 13th July
Minor Cup Semi-Final Merrion W3 v Rush W2 Anglesea Rd 18.00 : 14th July
Once again the coordination of fixtures between Cricket Ireland and Cricket Leinster leaves much to be desired with the result that the biggest day in the seasonal calendar for Women’s Cricket in Leinster, the Senior Cup Final, coincides with an Irish game against the West Indies in Bready. Not only does this mean that teams will be missing key players but any