Interview: Irish Senior Cup
Memories of the 2013 ISC Final
10 minute read ☕️
📷 by Deryck Vincent
Ahead of the trip to Bready for the Irish Senior Cup Final vs. Balbriggan, we caught up with three members of the winning 2013 team – Bill Coghlan, Eoghan Delany & Andrew Poynter – to get their thoughts on that special day, and the 2025 final.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to the 2013 ISC Final?
[AP] The atmosphere was amazing, really loud. As all the spectators had to sit in the same stand as Malahide was hosting Ireland vs England not long after the final. So the noise all came from one part of the ground and sounded 10x louder than normal.
[BC] Lifting the trophy with my mum, my dad, my girlfriend at the time, now wife, Alannah, and all my friends and family being there and wanting photos after the game, and my old man spraying bottles, handing out bottles of bubbly, and people spraying them all over me and all over everybody else.
[ED] The ground and the way the stands were set up. Malahide was hosting the sellout England fixture about two weeks after, and they had the stands set up. All the supporters were herded into the one stand by the old car park, and it really got them to band together, put their voices together and it created an incredible atmosphere that you just wouldn’t get at any other club match. That was unique and something that sticks out to me to this day.
Can you walk us through the atmosphere on the day – both in the dressing room and out in the middle?
[AP] Inside the team I think we were all a bit nervous as Merrion were a good side and we hadn’t played in the Irish senior cup final before. We got new t-shirts to warm up in so that made everyone happy.
[BC] I remember the day being quite relaxed. We had a number of very experienced cricketers on the team. Obviously a good bit of nerves around the changing room, but the place looked great. They were preparing for the Ireland-England international match, so it just added to the sense of a big occasion on the day, with the stands being up and the advertising hoardings being up. So there was a great sense of excitement and nerves all jumbled in together.
[ED] The atmosphere in the dressing room, I think it was calm. I don’t remember an awful lot about the day before I went out to bat. I can’t even remember who won the toss! We tried to keep things as normal as possible. We had a good season up until that point, so we just didn’t want to make a big deal about this one game. Even in the game it was that way. At halftime, I felt Merrion were under par because we actually fielded brilliantly. Walking out to bat I remember being really excited because I wasn’t a great watcher back then. So to be able to walk out into the middle and finally play some part, put my stamp on the game and support AP, who was just having one of those dream days. Yeah, it was something I was just thankful to get out there and do it.
Looking back, who in the team had the biggest impact on the day, either on or off the pitch?
[AP] Zander van der Merve bowled really brilliantly, taking four wickets. We fielded really well as a unit, as the ground was massive, lots of hard yards by the guys on the boundaries to save 2s. With the bat, we had a solid opening partnership from Dom and Billy. But bigger match-winning ones, such as 89 between Andre and me, and 97 with Eoghan and myself, they both got 42. It was probably the best I ever batted in my life and was a real catalyst for getting back into the Leinster Lightning team and Irish squad.
[BC] On the day was Zander, our pro with the ball, with a four fer and with the bat was Andrew Poynter. He got a magnificent hundred when we were chasing. That’s a knock that I’ll remember for a very long time. Off the pitch was the role that my dad played. I had picked up an injury playing for Leinster Lightning in the few days previous. So he was injecting me and giving me some heavy-duty oral medication every hour, every hour and a half. So I was coming off, and he was looking after me.
[ED] Obviously AP. He played one of the greatest innings, probably one of the greatest hundreds the club has ever had, and he did it his way as well, which was great. All the usual Poynter shots, the usual Poynter tempo. The other person is Andre Botha, ironically. He bowled his 10 overs, he batted number three, and then I just remember he put in a trojan effort on the far boundary in front of the stand. He covered so much ground up and down, he must have saved upwards of 15 to 20 runs.
How did you prepare for a match of that scale?
[AP] I don’t think I did a lot differently; I always was someone who needed to hit balls in the week to get the best performance at the weekend.
[BC] Our captain, Eoghan Delany, who was a really fabulous captain, his big thing was keeping everything really simple and keeping everything the same. Why change things for a final when we’ve prepared a certain way to get there in the first place? Keeping everything the same, training and the match day in the lead-up to it were very much the same as we’d been doing all season. So that was that.
[ED] I prepared as I would typically do during the week, trained as much as I could. The night before, we had the club fundraiser, the race night, and I had three pints at that. Nerve-settlers, I suppose you’d call them. I decided, look, I’m just going to do what I would normally do at any other club fundraiser, try and enjoy it, have a bit of craic with other club members, and go home, sleep well, and play a game the next day. It worked perfectly that year, and I tried it again the following year, it didn’t work so well in the 2014 final, but 50% success rate, and I’m unlikely to be testing it out any further with two kids to look after these days!
If you had to sum up the 2013 team in three words, what would they be?
[AP] Experienced, Fun & Successful.
[BC] Experienced, Motivated, Resilient & Competitive. Four words.
[ED] Put It Right, as I said above. We needed to make the club proud again, and to be able to put a run in for the Irish Senior Cup and finally win it. The first team from the second tier, and the first team in the club’s history. That was the icing on the cake in terms of that.
Do you see any similarities between the 2013 team and the current squad?
[AP] They have way more players playing representative cricket currently. But they have spent the majority of the season winning games like we did in 2013.
[BC] Similarities in that there are a number of representative cricketers both today and in the 2013 team, internationally and inter-provincially. The mindset of the team today is so different in terms of how they play; this carefree attitude is something that wasn’t around in the 2013 team. So, similarities would include good team camaraderie and effective team bonding, for sure. But in terms of the way the lads go out and play now, the game has completely changed over the past 10-12 years.
[ED] I suppose the main one that really stands out to me having played extensively in both is that both teams are/were on the cusp of winning trophies. For the 2013 team the next three years was unprecedented in terms of success, we won the Irish Senior Cup, The Leinster Senior Cup & T20 cup the following year, then we won the league for the first time in six or seven years, and again in 2016. I feel (and hope) this team currently is probably poised to do similar
How do you think the match-up against Balbriggan will play out?
[AP] Balbriggan have some very good and dangerous players, despite their league place not showing that. They will be well-drilled with Andre Botha as their coach and are coming off the back of bowling the Hills out for 19. If we can get some key players out early, I think we will be too good.
[BC] Two very good sides, two very good coaches coaching each side and match winners with bat and ball on each side. My attitude towards finals is that anybody can win on the day, regardless of their previous form leading up to it or the players available or unavailable for whatever reason; a final is anybody’s game. It’s going to be really good, and it’s going to be really competitive. Early wickets for both teams will be absolutely key to determining the outcome and hopefully a Clontarf win.
[ED] No doubt it’s going to be a tough game; they have probably underperformed in the League this season so far, and that’s why they find themselves in the bottom half. Still, you don’t make it to an Ireland final, by chance, they have beaten some very good teams, they’ve got a very good side pretty well balanced definitely in terms of the bowling line up, age profiles wise they’re pretty similar to so in terms of athleticism in the field they’ll be jumping around and giving it their all.
I believe we are a bit more balanced in the batting than them with a few more big names who fired throughout the season and won us games, you can see that in the number of centuries we have scored.
What advice would you give to the players stepping out in Saturday’s match?
[AP] Try your best to enjoy the day and treat it like any other game. Play with a smile on your face. Back the preparation you have done and your own ability.
[BC] Just soak it in and enjoy it. This is only the fourth time Clontarf have been in an All-Ireland final. Some players will have played 20, 30, 40 years and have never been in one of these finals. So just soak in the day, enjoy every minute of it.
[ED] The one thing I’d say is keep doing what you have been doing. It’s a bit of a cliche but I’ve played in a lot of finals, what’s good enough to win a regular run-of-the-mill League match on a Saturday is probably often going to be just as good enough to win an ISC Final.
Quick fire questions… Which teammate from 2013 would you not want to room with on tour, and why?
[AP] Zander, as I wouldn’t have any gear left.
[BC] Zander, because I would be going home with no clothes on.
[ED] I think straight off the top of my head, there’s an obvious answer to this one. But I think it would have to be Robert ‘Bobbo’ Forrest. The loudest man you’ll ever encounter in any sports team.
And… Who was the funniest or biggest character in the dressing room that year?
[AP] Billy C, always good craic in a rain break.
[BC] Biggest, I’d say Bobbo was packing a few pounds and maybe Dom Rigby also, purely because of his age at the time and Bobbo’s diet was just pretty poor. In terms of the funniest, I would say I am by far the funniest.
[ED] This is a nice bit of symmetry here because he’s back with the team for the last few seasons as an assistant coach. Bill Coghlan has always been the life and soul of any party that has been held in Clontarf. Over my time playing, he’s always been great fun. Nowadays it’s very much at the forefront of his mind in terms of getting the lads ready, as well as ensuring they retain a sense of fun and enjoyment. At the end of the day, we’re all just having a bit of fun with our mates.
Finally… One word to describe the feeling when the winning runs were hit in 2013?
[AP] Clontarf – reason being: after the game, seeing the happy tears and smiling faces of our members really hit home that it wasn’t just about us playing the game. It meant so much to so many, as we hadn’t won the competition before.
[BC] Relief.
[ED] I remember jumping ecstatically and punching my fist at the stand, running onto the pitch to hug Poynts. I suppose in the immediate aftermath, sheer elation. Yeah, elation is the word I’d use. But since then, it’s kind of been done, you know, job done. To have it ticked off in my career, you know, I’m the only player on the team now, and it’s been a massive weight off my shoulders to have done that, and whatever happens in my career from here on out, at least I can always say I’ve won the ISC. It will also drive me on Saturday to want to add another one, not only to my cabinet, but also to get the first one in the cabinet for all those other guys. It’s just a weight off your shoulders to have that one ticked off.
Buy your bus tickets for Bready here. Return tickets are €40 for adults or €20 for youth/students. Arrive at the club before 7:15am to check in and the bus will depart at 7:30am sharp.
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