Richard Boyd
CAI Head of Cricket

Cricket at Coleraine Inst has been making great progress over the past five years and this summer proved to be yet another successful season for the school. With Richard Boyd as Head of Cricket, substantial investment in facilities and greater links between school and club over this period, the school is very much back on the map in terms of cricket in Northern Ireland. The school won the Under 14XI plate and the Ulster Schools’ 1stXI Plate, were runners up in the Under 13XI Slemish Cup and, as a school, had their highest place finish in Ulster Schools’ cricket.

The Under 12 team led by Mr Boyd and Mr Millen had an encouraging start to their cricketing careers.  A group of over 20 players trained on a regular basis over the summer term and showed great commitment. The side was very competitive and had some excellent victories against Sullivan, BRA and two comprehensive wins against Ballymena Academy. The team also had a great day at the North West tournament held at Lisneal College. Harry Caskey, Matthew Robinson, Charlie Carmichael, Cameron Leighton and Callum Stevenson were the standout performers amongst the group. Two exceptional individual performances of note were Harry Caskey taking 5 wickets for just 1 run and Charlie Carmichael with 6 wickets for 8 runs in the two fixtures against Ballymena Academy. 

The U13 squad was coached by Mr Haggan and Mr Overend and also had an excellent season. The group finished runners up in the Slemish Cup and had outstanding league and cup victories over Sullivan, Ballymena Academy, Holy Cross and a nail-biting draw against BRA in the league semi-final. The spine of the team was made up of Marcus Poskitt, Matthew Hutchinson, Harry Friel, Pierce Crowe and Junaid Ashgar all of whom made important contributions during the season. The highlight was defeating Limavady Grammar in the Slemish Cup Semi-Final. Although the team lost out to a strong Foyle College side in the final, the boys can be extremely proud of their efforts this season.

Under the guidance of Mr Gaston and Mr Hamilton, the U14 squad was the most successful team in the school. Varun Chopra, Ross Moore, Scott Mitchell, Neil Graham, Adam Wallace, Matthew Mooney and Gabriel Quigley all stood out. The side lost out narrowly to Ballymena Academy in the cup but defeated their rivals on two other occasions during the season. The team also had convincing wins over Down High, Friends, Campbell College and Limavady Grammar.  In the Plate final against Bangor Grammar, Varun Chopra took 7 wickets for 9 runs, including a hat trick and then scored 27 not out with the bat to lead his side to a 10 wicket victory. This group will have strong ambitions to compete in the latter stages of the Colts Cup next year.

The Colts, coached by Mr Nicholl and Mr McGregor, had a frustrating season. A number of fixtures were postponed due to poor weather and Duke of Edinburgh commitments from opposing schools. Scott Torrens, Ally Telfer, Matthew Leighton, Ross McVicker and Conor McLean were the mainstay of the side and helped it remain competitive. Hopefully this group will get more cricket next year as they embark into the world of Senior Cricket.

The 1stXI led by Mr Knox and Mr Palmer had a very impressive season. They had comprehensive wins against BRA, Ballymena Academy, Ballyclare High and Carrick Grammar. The team lost out to RBAI in the  Schools’ Cup in a very competitive encounter at Coleraine Cricket Club in April but went on to finish the rest of the season unbeaten. Rishi Chopra, Matthew Douglas, Stephen Hutchinson and Matthew Smyth were the team’s star performers and they laid the platform for a number of victories. The 1stXI defeated Bangor GS by 9 wickets in the Schools’ Plate final in impressive fashion at the end of June. This victory was the team’s third final in as many years and it is great to finally be rewarded with some silverware for all their efforts.

Congratulations to Marcus Poskitt, Varun Chopra, Scott Torrens, Matthew Smyth, Matthew Douglas and Rishi Chopra who have all been training with North West squads over the winter period and are in contention to represent the school at Interprovincial level during the summer. The school would like to take this opportunity to wish the boys every success and this is again evidence of the school's progress over the past five seasons.

Overall, this has been a short but exciting and successful season for the school’s cricket club. Thanks to the boys for their enthusiasm, hard work and commitment over the summer term and to the dozen coaching staff who give up their own valuable time to ensure cricket at Coleraine Inst continues to flourish. We wish the boys every success as they continue to represent the local cricket club over the summer and we look forward to continued progress for Coleraine Inst cricket in 2015.

Photos:

Coleraine Inst Under 13 Squad – Slemish Cup Final Runners Up

Coleraine Inst Under 14 Squad – Ulster U14 Plate Winners

Coleraine Inst 1st XI v Bangor GS – Ulster Schools’ Plate Winners 2014