‘Volunteerism’ key to Cork Harlequins’ success story

Newly-crowned Cricket Ireland Club of the Year Cork Harlequins put their success down to their “ethos of volunteerism” and a family-oriented feel at the club

Sat, 11 Mar, 2023 - 07:35

TJ Galvin

Newly-crowned Cricket Ireland Club of the Year Cork Harlequins put their success down to their “ethos of volunteerism” and a family-oriented feel at the club.

Quins were named Club of the Year at the Irish Cricket Awards at the Marker Hotel in Dublin on March 3.

In 2022, Harlequins won an unprecedented treble of the Munster Senior Cup, Premier League, and T20 League. They also progressed to their second consecutive All-Ireland T20 final, losing out to CIYMS. Several players have won representative honours for Munster.

The club, situated two kilometres east of Cork Airport in the picturesque rural area of Farmer’s Cross, was formed in 1925, originally as a hockey club.

In 1967 the cricket section was founded and the two sports have complemented each other nicely as there is very little crossover in playing time and consequently the facilities at the grounds are in use 12 months of the year.

Each sport has separate committees, and the cricket club’s secretary, Chris Hickey, says that in the last ten years the cricket club has gained a much firmer footing. Membership has grown from 70 to over 150 and the campus has its own recently refurbished bar and a kitchen area.

“We’ve grown from one team, we had three teams for quite a while,” says Hickey. “Now we have five adult teams. Last year a fifth development team was put into the Munster Cricket Union leagues.”

The future for the club is also looking bright as they have a thriving academy section with up to 60 kids involved — boys and girls. Harlequins hope to develop a women’s team in the future.

“Every Monday evening they train in the academy in Farmer’s Cross and then there are blitzes and various other activities throughout the season.”

Judged by participation levels alone, cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world. Spread largely, for better or worse, by the proliferation of the British empire, the game has thrived.

At a time when immigration has become such a divisive topic in Ireland and across Europe, Harlequins have embraced diversity and inclusion and have thrived as a result.

There are 15 different nationalities involved in the club which, Hickey says, has given the club a very cosmopolitan feel.

They have also been very active in the local community, including supporting players in direct provision at the nearby Kinsale Road Accommodation Centre.

Hickey says those players are part of the fabric of the club.

“At this stage we almost don’t think of them as being in direct provision, they’ve been with us that long. They’re part of the fabric of the club. They’ve been with us now for about six years. It’s wonderful because it enables the integration of people into Irish society.”

Much like a GAA club, there is a family-orientated feel to the club with lots of fathers and sons playing together. Cork Harlequins are run entirely on a voluntary basis. There are no paid professional players, in contrast to many of the teams they would come up against. The 12-person committee give up their time on a voluntary basis to do their bit to help Harlequins develop and get better.

“Voluntarism is at the core of everything we do,” says Hickey. “The ethos of volunteerism (is what makes us successful). The fact that so many people do so much work, a lot of it unsung at times, to make the club better. There’s a strong sense of community within the club.”

The club hasve been very successful in raising funds through grants and initiatives to develop facilities at the campus in Farmer’s Cross. All senior games are played on grass wickets. Harlequins have invested heavily in equipment and infrastructure, purchasing sightscreens, a heavy roller and full square covers and are continuing to invest in the outfield.

Recently they partnered with Douglas Community School to develop an indoor three bay training facility — the first of its kind in Munster. This enables the players to train through the winter.

“The players now have the opportunity to train all year round,” says Hickey.

“Once the playing season is finished in September, they get a few weeks break and then they have the opportunity to train for 20 weeks over the winter period. Traditionally that’s the time when you can hone your skills.

“When you’re in the middle of the season and playing matches you shouldn’t be really changing too much about your technique or your skills. That’s improving the standards. So much so that other clubs are now coming to us and looking to hire and use the facilities which we’re more than happy to do.”

An Irish cricket success story, inclusivity and diversity are a core tenet of Cork Harlequins.

With 15 different nationalities represented, the club are reflective of the modern Ireland. All the while still being grounded in an ethos of voluntarism and community.