Muller is at the wheel!

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Muller is at the wheel!

An article by second XI skipper on a long awaited season for DUCC

After the last few seasons’ hard grafts, disappointing results, and bottom-of-the-table returns, 2025’s warm May sun seems to have shone a light at the end of the tunnel for the Dublin University 2s, as we go into the 2026 season with 6 wins from 8 games (5 from 7 in the league), and a real shot at promotion to division 9, having ended the season on 221 points (and on track for 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the league depending on other results). An influx of new players this year revitalised the team, and as captain, I had great expectations for the season given the enthusiasm the squad had at our pre-season training sessions in the Ancillary Hall - despite their being on Monday mornings.

Our first match was against Finglas, suffering a disappointing - but very close - 1 wicket loss. Batting first, we posted 141, despite at one point being 71-7. We bowled well - 4 wickets for Bharath and 3 for myself - and having them 9 down with 12 runs to get, the game could have gone either way. As captain, I feel this match was typical of the good character and attitude the team displayed throughout the season - we salvaged what we could with the bat, bowled as though we were on top the whole game, and consequently walked away with 5 bonus points, which could prove crucial in our push for promotion.

Our next match was 2 days later, against Dundalk, and we walked away with a win. 4 wickets for Rory, and 2 for Shitikanth saw us dismiss the opposition for 211. Ultan and Saif led with the bat, scoring 61 and 58 respectively, and we looked sure to win until the lower-middle order had a collapse. A handy cameo from Doyler (19 off 14 not out), got us to the finish line, with Rory edging a 4 past 3rd man to complete a tight 2 wicket win with 2 balls to spare. Then came a friendly against Hackney CC, which saw a nice return to whites and red-ball for the team. Hackney batted well, scoring 235, however 50s for Doyler and Rory saw us complete our 2nd win of the season, again in the last over of the match.

Our third league match against the Mullingar 2s saw some inspired captaincy, as I made the bold decision to promote Saif from 4 to 3. Clearly motivated by my unwavering faith in him, he settled into the role immediately - smashing 211 not out off just 92 deliveries, setting several records in the process. A fairly decent return for his first knock at first down. Funnily enough, before the game I had been speaking to Ultan and he had asked me what the best innings I had ever seen in person was. I’m sure he now has his answer. Quite simply, I’ve never seen someone strike a cricket ball so effortlessly, and yet so powerfully, in my life. Not once did he look like getting out, and after smashing the ball all over, he’d elegantly place it into a gap and stroll a single. Even the umpires admitted they felt privileged to have witnessed Saif’s double. The team made 356-4, setting a club record in limited overs cricket, and Ultan, Rahul, Vishal, Sampath, and Kavish all contributed nicely with the bat - Rahul in particular falling for a well-made 43. Truth be told, I have seen people fresh off a marathon look less exhausted than those Mullingar lads coming off the pitch. Our bowling innings started well, as I dismissed their opener with the first ball of their reply, and after 3fers for Kushal and Rory, and a 2fer for Stephen, with Saif also taking a wicket, we completed a 198-run rout over the Mullingar 2s. Saif to say this match will live on long in the memory of all involved.

Match hero Saif after his 211*

Our fourth league match was the next day, against the Pembroke 4s. Batting first, we made 167-all-out, a well-made 53 by Kshitij, and cameos from Akshit and Doyler (both making 22), providing valuable runs. At the time I felt we didn’t have enough runs on the board, but we bowled well, Bharath claiming 3 victims, myself 2, and 1 each for Shitikanth, Kshitij and Rory. 2 runouts also proved handy as we bowled Pembroke out for 126 - a good team effort with everyone making a good contribution.

Our next game was against North County, and I was certainly worried about this one, as we had conceded 360 runs against them the season before in Balrothery. However this season the tables were turned, as we posted 244 runs from our 40 overs. Ultan scored an outstanding 96*, carrying the bat, and scores in the 20s from myself, Kshitij and Doyler contributed nicely too. Their reply started off poorly, losing 2 wickets in the first 8 overs, however they made a recovery to 85, which was when I brought Doyler back into the attack, and this proved a good decision, as he took 3 quick wickets, with Shitikanth and Kshitij also taking 2, as we bowled them out for 147, to complete our 4th league win of the season.

Our away match this season was in the Jack Harper Ground as we took on a strong Balbriggan 3s. Batting first, we stumbled to 165/8 off our 40 overs, Rahul scoring a nice 64, and myself a gritty 38, raising our score to something more respectable than it had looked when we were 58-5. In response, Balbriggan batted well, completing a 6 wicket win inside the 30th over. A disappointing loss, however the better team won on the day.

Alas, I was abroad in Croatia for our last match against Lucan, with Ultan taking the reins. The boys posted a competitive 202 runs from their 40 overs, with Rahul making 40 and Vishal a nice 36, while I followed from Dubrovnik’s gorgeous old town, thanks to Vamsi’s stream of WhatsApp updates. Then came radio silence as the boys went out to bowl. Not 5 minutes passed that evening as I had dinner overlooking the Adriatic where I didn’t check the phone hoping to see a message announcing we had won (this was much to my girlfriend’s delight!). By 8pm CEST (7pm in Ireland), I began to get worried - it must have been close - and with each passing minute I became more anxious that they’d lost it. Then at 9pm CEST, a message came in - we’d won by 7 runs, Bharath claiming 3 scalps, and Doyler 2. Rory has subsequently also informed me of how well Vamsi and Kushal bowled, taking 1-28 and 0-26 respectively.

The squad vs Lucan in their final game of 2025

As captain, I’m proud to have led this team. Every game was enjoyable, and each player made good contributions throughout the season. I’ve already touched on the many stand-out individual performances, however there were plenty of performances that may not seem overly impressive on the scorecards, but which changed the course of games, be it through helping build a partnership, steadying the ship and stopping a collapse, or through building pressure with the ball. All in all, this has been a successful season for the 2s, regardless of where we finish in the table, and we have a strong platform going into the 2026 season. Let us hope that this time next year I will be writing about a possible promotion to division 8!

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Students impress as Trinity hammer Terenure

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Students impress as Trinity hammer Terenure

Dublin University beat Terenure by 9 wickets, while The Hills and Railway Union had convincing wins over Malahide and Phoenix.

At College Park, Mikey O'Reilly (3-16) set the tone for the day as he removed both Terenure openers in the first over of the day, as the visitors struggled from the off,

Henry Dall top scored with 30 and Zubair Khan made 24, but a total of 129 was never threatening.

There were three wickets too for Gavin Hoey, and two for Jack Atkinson.

Trinity openers Sanil Gupta and David Vincent blunted the Terenure attack as they shared an opening stand of 99 before Vincent fell for 29.

Skipper Gupta was unbeaten on 70 (5 fours, 1 six), while Nic Pretorius raced to the finishing line with a rapid 23 in just 12 balls to secure a comprehensive nine-wickets win.

At Phoenix Park, there was another opening stand of 99, as Kenny Carroll and Ashil Prakash (42) laid a solid foundation for Railway Union.

Carroll hit 6 fours and 2 sixes in a top score of 69, while Liam McCarthy (39) and Hashir Sultan (23) also made runs as they posted 222.

There was no George Dockrell in the Phoenix ranks, for whom Danish international Oliver Hald (3-52) was the most successful.

A fifth wicket stand of 86 in 13 overs between Tyrone Kane (56) and Adam Chester (34) looked to have the contest in the balance at 141 for 4, before Phoenix collapsed.

Hashir Sultan took four wickets as six wickets fell for 16 - Phoenix 157 all out, losing by 65 runs.

The Hills earned Fingal bragging rights as they brushed aside Malahide in a one-sided contest.

Three wickets apiece for Matthew Weldon (3-18) and Dylan Blignaut (3-25), plus two for Ashley Bain (2-14) saw Malahide bundled out for just 88 - Fintan McAllister the last man out for 24.

Murray Commins hit 8 fours and 2 sixes in an even time unbeaten 53 to seal a comfortable seven wickets win.

At College Park, Dublin University beat Terenure by 9 wickets
Terenure
129 all out (43.4 overs; H Dall 30, Z Khan 24; M O’Reilly 3-16, G Hoey 3-46, J Atkinson 2-7)
Dublin University 131/1 (37.2 overs; S Gupta 70*, D Vincent 29, N Pretorius 23*)

At Phoenix Park, Railway Union beat Phoenix by 65 runs
Railway Union
222 all out (48.4 overs; K Carroll 69, A Prakash 42, L McCarthy 39; O Hald 3-52, D Ranolia 2-53)
Phoenix 157 all out (39.5 overs; T Kane 56, A Chester 34; H Sultan 4-19, S Safi 2-10)

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Trinity win Irish University Championships

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Trinity win Irish University Championships

Trinity picked up their first outright title in the Irish Universities Championship for 12 years at College Park on Friday. Under the captaincy of Sanil Gupta, DUCC won all three of their games in the tournament with ease and will be expected to form the bulk of the Irish Universities squad for the Hone-McGregor tournament in Cambridge next week.

An opening stand of 220 by David Cosgrave and Diarmuid Tucker, who both made centuries, saw off Griffith College in the quarter-final, and won a place in the final tournament back in College Park.

On Wednesday UCD bowled out TUD for 120 and chased that easily, while the second semi-final saw Trinity make 272 against Dublin Business School. Theo Dempsey smashed four straight sixes in making 47 in about 20 balls, while Eoghan Grehan (42), Jack Atkinson (38), Mikey O’Reilly (38) and David Cosgrave (33) all contributed to a formidable 45-over total.

Dempsey blew away the top order, taking 4-21, as DBS collapsed to 85 all out.

The final followed a similar course, with Trinity making 193 (Gupta 58, Gavin Hoey 38, Conor Austin 2-14) and bowling out UCD for 67 (Craig Mackay 14, Andrew Vincent 10, Hoey 4-16, Dempsey 3-10).

Irish Universities play Leprechauns in College Park on Wednesday June 8th before flying to take part in the Hone-McGregor tournament at Fenner’s. On Tuesday 14th June they play Scottish Universities and the next day Cambridge University.

The tournament first took place in 2015 and was won by Ireland in 2016, under captain Will von Behr, 2017 (Matthew McCord) and 2018 (Jack Balbirnie). The tournament was cancelled in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

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Gupta stars as Trinity beat UCD

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Gupta stars as Trinity beat UCD

Sanil Gupta's 98 inspired his Trinity to an 80-run win against UCD in the first Blues match between the side in seven years.

Skipper Gupta hit 11 fours and two sixes as he and Irish Under 19 international David Vincent (44) shared an opening stand of 129 in 20 overs.

While he may have fell two runs short of a deserved century, Gupta's 98 was the highest individual score for Trinity against their old foes in 101 years.

The UCD side contained Ireland Women internationals Gaby Lewis and Orla Prendergast, with the latter conceding just five runs in an excellent four-overs opening spell.

Merrion spinner Peter Forkin (4-47) was the most successful bowler, while Gavin Hoey's breezy 21 ensuring the hosts got over 200, finishing their 40 overs on 227 for 8.

The UCD chase never really got going at any juncture, with Theo Dempsey striking twice early on.

There was also two wickets for Milo Egan (2-23), but it was the left-arm spin of Irish Under 19 international Matthew Humphreys (3-15) that really put the brakes on.

Stephen Black hit three sixes in his unbeaten 62, but Gaby Lewis (14) was the only other batter to reach double figures as they were dismissed for 147 in the 38th over.

At College Park, Trinity beat UCD by 80 runs

Trinity 227/8 (40 overs; Sanil Gupta 98, David Vincent 44, Gavin Hoey 21; Peter Forkin 4-47)

UCD 147 (38 overs; Stephen Black 62*, Gaby Lewis 14; Matthew Humphreys 3-15, Theo Dempsey 2-17, Milo Egan 2-23)

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Leinster Preview 9: Dublin University

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Leinster Preview 9: Dublin University

DUBLIN UNIVERSITY

  • Captain: Sanil Gupta

  • Coach: Nigel Jones

  • Players in: Mikey O'Reilly, Matthew Humphries, Scott Ruttle, David Vincent, Theo Dempsey

Dublin University bring a different and welcome challenge to Leinster cricket sides and the students have real quality as well as youth at their disposal in 2022.

Sanil Gupta is again entrusted with the skipper's armband and has a quintet of Irish youth internationals in the squad.

"It’s a really exciting season for Dublin University with a number of new additions to the squad," Gupta told CricketEurope. 

"The likes of Mikey O’Reilly, Scott Ruttle, David Vincent, Matthew Humphreys and Theo Dempsey bring heaps of talent to both the bowling and batting and we’re really excited to see them display their skills on their debut.

"Gavin Hoey will no doubt be the player to watch with his aggression with bat and tricky leg spinners with ball.

"We are retaining Nicolaas Pretorious and Michael Hogan who will once again play a huge part in our top order.

"We’ve worked very hard pre-season and are really looking forward to the first game on Saturday."

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Trinity players in Varsity Match

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Trinity players in Varsity Match

TWO former Trinity players, 2016 and 2017 captain Will von Behr and fast-bowler Padraig Flanagan, were on opposite sides in the Varsity match this week at Fenner’s.

Von Behr is playing for Oxford and Flanagan for Cambridge, where they are both pursuing post-graduate studies.

They are the first Trinity graduates to play in the Varsity match since the only previous one, T B Jones, in 1874.

Von Behr won an Irish Senior Cup medal with Merrion in 2017, while Flanagan previously played for Railway Union and YMCA.


In 2007 he was the winner of the find-a-fast-bowler competition run by Cricket Leinster – subsequent winners included internationals David Delany and Josh Little.

By making their first-class debuts Von Behr and Flanagan become the 124th and 125th Trinity cricketers to reach that level.

Details of the previous 123, and much more about the club’s records and history, are in a 240-page book out next week called ‘Trinity Cricketers’ Almanack’.

Published to mark the bicentenary of cricket in College Park, the book can be purchased from www.Trinitycricket.com.

Flanagan is the 25th Irish-born cricketer to play for Cambridge – including two in this century, Michael Taylor and Ben Wylie.


Twelve Irishmen have played for Oxford, most recently Jason Molins, while others made first-class appearances for Cardiff MCCU (Andrew Balbirnie and Matthew Foster), Durham MCCU (Greg Thompson and James McCollum) and Loughborough MCCU (Robert McKinley).

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DUCC lose to Malahide

On a beautiful May bank holiday Saturday in College Park a large crowd saw what turned out to be a comprehensive victory for Malahide over the students. Malahide batted first and Trinity initially held the upper hand before a large stand from the Ford brothers say Malahide post a commanding total. In response Trinity lost regular wickets and despite a promising stand between Dean Brogan and captain Lorcan Tucker they fell well short

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Trinity beat Terenure

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Trinity beat Terenure

The first game of the 2018 season saw DUCC beat Terenure at College Park. The fruits of the winters work were seen as an improved pitch saw Trinity post nearly 250 runs following a team effort with the bat. Lorcan Tucker and Matthew Strony scored 50's and Andrew Delaney saw DUCC through to a competitive total. Trinity defended this and the result was a victory by 53 runs

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