Fearless Cork Harlequins shaking up the old order

You could be forgiven for thinking this run to the All-Ireland T20 final has come from nowhere. However, like the best overnight success stories, this one was a decade in the making

The Cork Harlequins side who beat Merrion in the All-Ireland semi-final.

For Merrion Cricket Club, it was supposed to be their turn to benefit from what has become somewhat of an annual Leinster-champions-beating-Munster-champions All-Ireland T20 semi-final.

However, Cork Harlequins refused to follow the script and when Senan Jones whacked the last ball of the game for six, the Ballsbridge men were stunned, the Munster champions chasing down the 154 runs needed to reach the final.

With three former Ireland internationals in the side, as well as three more players who played in the inter-provincial championship this year, the Dubliners are full of players who have seen a lot in the sport over the years — but it’s hard to imagine they’d experienced anything quite like this.

While the gravity of the upset may be up for debate (“some people say it’s a major shock, I’d say it’s a little bit of a shock,” says Quins coach Ted Williamson) few people outside of Farmer’s Cross would have thought this result was on the cards.

The context: as well as competing in Munster competitions, Cork Harlequins also play in the Leinster league where they ply their trade in Division 4 — the same grade as Merrion’s third XI.

Even more remarkably, Sunday’s clash in Rathmines against North-West champions Brigade will be the first time a Munster team plays in an All-Ireland final.

After some barren years with wins — let alone silverware — often hard to come by, from the outside looking in, you could be forgiven for thinking this burst of success has come from nowhere. However, like the best overnight success stories, this one was a decade in the making.

“It started about 10 years ago where the same bunch of people, genuinely good people, were involved in all facets of the club,”

Williamson outlines ahead of the All-Ireland final against the Derry club. “From youth coaching, from organising teams, to doing the grounds, from committee members, parents giving lifts, it’s like a big family.”

As the club started a rebuilding job, they opted to throw some of their young players coming through the ranks into the deep end — and on Sunday, a Cork Harlequins side with an average age of 21 will repay that faith.

One of the success stories of the policy is team captain Matthew Brewster, given the responsibility of the leadership role at just 20 years of age having already been part of the first team for a number of years.

“It was tough going in as a 16-year-old going into adult cricket, you were thrown into the deep end a bit,” Brewster recalls. “There was a group of four or five of us the same age put in at the same time but we knew that we weren’t expected to perform straight away, the club was going to give us time to develop.

Cork Harlequins captain Matthew Brewster

“We put pressure on ourselves because we wanted to perform but there was no pressure from the club so it meant the lads had a good run at it and we had to learn on the job. It made a big difference to us with where we are now. We are probably two or three years ahead in our development compared to other clubs.”

While it has paid off, the youth policy was a risk that not everybody agreed with taking, mind.

“We’ve got stick over the years for going down the route we’ve gone which is throwing 15- and 16-year-olds into the first team, by not being too fussed about results,” Williamson says, adding that getting the teenagers to line out with the more experienced players was key to their development at that age.

Patience was always part of the plan, one which was always meant to benefit the club in the long-term; this was not some get-rich-quick scheme.

“If you invest in these guys which we’ve done, and keep the majority of them together, there’s nothing stopping them having continued success year after year and I think that’s the sign of a really good side.” Let that be a warning to the competition: Cork Harlequins are not just visiting the top level, they are here to stay.

“Win or lose, the people are very level and they are very clear about the club and what it is all about and the values of the club,” Williamson says.

“The greatest thing about this is nothing will change.”

- Cork Harlequins v Brigade will be streamed on the Cricket Ireland Live YouTube channel