The biggest weekend in Irish club cricket is upon us with the Finals of the Evara Irish Senior Cup and Evara National Cup competitions to be held at Clontarf across the next two days.
The host venue this year is Clontarf Cricket Club which is celebrating its 150th anniversary.
Connor D’Arcy, President of Clontarf CC, said:
“It’s very special for us to welcome Cricket Ireland here to host both finals. We’re 150 years old as a club, but since it started in 1982 we’ve only won the Irish Senior Cup once. So, we know what a special day it is for the clubs that are competing for the Irish Senior Cup and the National Cup – and it’s really special for us to be able to host them on their big day.”
EVARA IRISH SENIOR CUP
- When: Sunday 16 August 2026 (start 12pm)
- Where: Clontarf Cricket Club, Dublin
- Entry: Free
- Teams: Pembroke v CSNI
- Watch: Livestream available on Cricket Ireland Live on Youtube
The Evara Irish Senior Cup is the premiere club cricket competition in Ireland, bringing together the top club sides across Ireland to compete in a 50-over a side knockout competition.
First played in 1982, the competition today sees teams compete for the ‘Bob Kerr Trophy’ and 21 different clubs have won over the competitions’ 43-year history.
The Dublin-based Pembroke Cricket Club, despite having a history of developing a stream of top international talent, has only won the Cup once in its history (2019), however, are hot favourites to claim their second title this year.
The Belfast-based CSNI have had a very strong campaign in 2026, although the club have never won the Cup in their current structure (North of Ireland CC won the Cup in 1982 before the club merged with Civil Service CC to become CSNI).
Jack Tector, from Pembroke, said:
“Like every game we’ve played, we’ve had great supporters that have come up and got behind us for each round, so you can see how much it means to them. There obviously will be nerves around. But I think if trying to keep everyone relaxed, enjoy the day, we’ve been playing very good cricket throughout the summer. So just trying to bring that momentum into the final and hopefully we can produce our best cricket on the day.
“We’ve actually been without the Irish players for a number of the rounds, so it’s been particularly satisfying. To see. guys step up at different times. So, we’ve probably used near on 20 players throughout the campaign. So, everyone’s had to step up at different times.
“It would be a massive day for everyone at the club. Already I’ve had messages from people who are going to be flying back, club members, even one from Australia who’s booked his flights for the game so you can see what it means to everyone. So hopefully as a playing group we can give our best performance and lift the cup on the day for everyone involved at Pembroke.”
Stuart Thompson, from CSNI, said:
“We’re not doing anything special in terms of training-wise. We’re not trying to change anything we would normally do in the approach to a game. If we stick to our routines, it should feel a lot more normal. It’s a young squad. We’ve got a lot of young players that have come up through our ranks, which is something that we’re very proud of. And there’s a few old heads in there as well, so we’ve got the very edge of the spectrum in both. The dynamic’s good in the change room, a lot of fun in there and a bit of wisdom from the old guys.
“The club have won trophies in the past and it’s been maybe five or six seasons since we’ve delivered so to hopefully deliver an Irish Cup and a Challenge Cup all in one season would be huge. It turns an already very good season into a memorable one.”
EVARA NATIONAL CUP
- When: Saturday 15 August 2026 (start 12pm)
- Where: Clontarf Cricket Club, Dublin
- Entry: Free
- Teams: Glendermott v Ballyspallen
- Watch: Livestream available on Cricket Ireland Live on Youtube
The Evara National Cup is the peak club cricket competition amongst second-tier clubs in Ireland, where teams compete in a 40-over a side knockout competition. First played in 2012, the competition seen eight different clubs lift the cup. Neither side has lifted this trophy before.
Stuart Kennedy, from Ballyspallen, said:
“The final is massive for the club, as far as I’m aware, it’s the first final in the club’s history. I’ve played my whole life at Ballyspallen – everyone, bar maybe one or two players from the squad, grew up there and played there for their whole lives, it’s a real close bond in the team. One person’s heads go down, we know to back them up and everything, so it’s a real, real family team.
“It’s a privilege, really. I never thought I’d be asked to be captain of the Club. Circumstances changed in the middle of the season. I said, yeah, I’ll have to take it on. To make it to the final with the same team I grew up with playing my whole life, it’s massive for me, really. It’s a huge honour.
“Yeah, we know Glendermott is not going to be an easy team to play. We will give it our all and play against them as best we can. The players constantly put in the dedication, showing up to trade and putting in the work, showing up on final day and giving it all, I can’t. And a massive thanks to supporters showing up every day and the atmosphere they create.”
Trevor Britton, from Glendermott, said:
“I’m so proud, the captain of Glendermott in its 100th year. There’s two North West teams in the final, which is massive for the Union. This will be the first time the Cup will be held bt a North West club.
“At the start of the year, we said the National Cup Final was one of the ones we would push for, and the players stuck together. We travelled far, we had to go to Nenagh first round. It was a good team bonding weekend, and it was a tight game, but we pulled through.
“We’re in good form at the minute. We’ve won six on the bounce there. We’re top of league and Ballyspallen second, so it’s going to be a good contest. It’s two good teams. It should be a good final.
“When you’re younger you want to play an Irish Cup final – now, this is the moment. There’s people here who’s never got an Irish Cup final and that’s what I’m telling my boys. Enjoy the moment. Don’t let it pass you by.”
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Irish Senior Cup winners:
- Waringstown (6)
- North County (5)
- Limavady (3)
- Lurgan (3)
- North Down (3)
- Brigade (2)
- Downpatrick (2)
- Leinster (2)
- Merrion (2)
- Phoenix (2)
- The Hills (2)
- CIYMS (1)
- Clontarf (1)
- Donemana (1)
- Malahide (1)
- North of Ireland (1)
- Pembroke (1)
- Railway Union (1)
- St Johnston (1)
- Strabane (1)
- Balbriggan (1)
National Cup winners:
- Rush (4)
- Malahide (2)
- Carrickfergus (1)
- Derriaghy (1)
- Muckamore (1)
- North County (1)
- Railway Union (1)
- County Galway (1)
SPONSORS
As Ireland’s largest private homebuilder, Evara has already delivered more than 3,000 homes in the Greater Dublin Area and is nearing its target annual output of 1,500 homes. Backed by global investment firm TPG, the company is investing €2 billion to deliver more than 7,000 new homes over the next five years.
In 2026, Cricket Ireland and Evara, Ireland’s largest privately-owned homebuilder, announced a new multi-year sponsorship deal that will support women’s cricket and the all-Ireland Irish club cup competitions – the Evara Irish Senior Cup, Evara National Cup, and the Evara All-Ireland T20 Club Cup (men’s and women’s versions).
