Background

In 2009, there were no junior teams at Dundrum CC. There was a nascent Junior Section with a core of 20 or so youngsters attending informal training sessions and, crucially, one person with a vision of a Junior Section that would grow, thrive and develop players that would go on to represent the club at senior level.

The decision to engage an overseas player to help with coaching the juniors, as well playing for the 1st XI, proved to be a landmark for the Junior Section. The club is indebted to Manny Fernando, Dellon Udugamasooriya (from Sri Lanka) and Rohit Kakede (from India) for all their hard work, dedication, friendship and overall contribution to the juniors.

Above all, however, the club is indebted to Jeff Maguire for his vision, sustained commitment, tireless hard work and persistence in converting the dream to reality. Without Jeff's dedication and his ability to persuade others to contribute their time and efforts, the Junior Section would have remained a good idea that never took flight.

First Steps ...

In 2010, the club entered an Under 13 team in the league and cup competitions and also arranged a small number of Under 11 friendly games. Not surprisingly for a new entrant, Dundrum U13s struggled in that first year but there were glimpses of talent and ability and more than enough encouragement for the future. A draw in the last U13 match of the season was both heart-breaking (for the parents especially) and heartening in that it showed the team had improved and was capable of competing.

In contrast, the U11s won their first game and so recorded the first-ever victory by a Dundrum junior team.

Gathering momentum ...

In 2011, the club entered U13 and U15 teams in the league and cup competitions. After a humbling loss in the first game, the U13s showed their resilience by delivering an excellent all-round team performance to record an emphatic win and the club's first Junior league victory. They went on to win again and, importantly, to be more competitive against stronger and more-established teams. The U15s recorded their first wins in their first season and showed an ability to dominate teams when on song, but also displayed a more mercurial side that resulted in some frustratingly tame losses.

Current Season

In 2012, and for the first time in its history, the club has entered junior teams in the league and cup competitions at U11, U13 and U15 levels.

In addition, the club has restructured the way in which the junior teams are to be managed in order to spread the burden among several people. Thus, each junior team now has a nominated Coach and Team Coordinator who will be responsible for organising and delivering coaching in accordance with the Coaching Plan (please see the Coaching Section for more details) and also for the administration of the team and its fixtures.

The Team Coordinator role will encompass everything from arranging and re-arranging fixtures, to team selection (in conjunction with the selection panel), to checking availability, to organising transportation and through to ensuring appropriate equipment, etc, is on hand.

Minis

The Minis (originally ages 5 - 10 and now ages 5 - 8) have been a consistent, and ever increasing, feature of the Junior Section. The growth of this group within the Junior Section has encouraged the club to enter an U11 team in the league and cup for the first time and we can now offer a clear path of progression through to representative cricket at U11, U13, U15 and, eventually, senior levels.

The club has designed a game-based approach to training the Minis: rather than coaching specific cricket skills and techniques, the Minis play a variety of games that gradually introduce related skills. The emphasis is on the "ABCS" (Agility, Balance, Coordination and Speed) and follows the Long-Term Athletic Development (LTAD) guidelines promoted by the ECB. Above all, the focus is on fun and enjoyment with skills being acquired as a by-product.

Team details for 2012

Under 15s

Coach / Team Coordinator:   Jeff Maguire   T: 437 51442   M: 07730 334479   E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Graham Cup

Under 15 League, Division 2 Section B

Under 13s

Coach / Team Coordinator:   Dan O'Donoghue   T: 437 51258   M: 07789 658859   E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Banoge Cup

Under 13 League, Section 3

Under 11s

Coach / Team Coordinator:   Mark Davis   T: 437 51618   M: 07955 993882   E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Quoile Cup

Under 11 League, Section 3

Please refer to the Fixtures & Results section for a complete list of 2012 fixtures.