Welcome back to our Meet the: series! As we dive deeper into our monumental 150th Anniversary season, we are turning the spotlight on two faces who have traveled across the globe to make Castle Avenue their summer home.
Our overseas pros don’t just light up the First XI on Saturdays; they are the driving force behind our thriving youth sections during the week. Fresh off professional domestic seasons back home—Robyn with the Titans in South Africa and Sam with the Wellington Firebirds in New Zealand—they sat down to talk cricket, coaching, and their mutual obsession with a certain Irish culinary delicacy.
Grab a coffee, and get to know our 2026 overseas superstars.
First Impressions & The Castle Avenue Welcome
DP: “Robyn, Sam, welcome to the clubhouse hot seat! Leaving your home behind for summer in Dublin is a massive move. What were your very first impressions walking through the gates at Castle Avenue, and how has the welcome been?”
Sam: “The ground looked fantastic from day one, and the pitch looked like an absolute dream for batting. Everyone involved with the club has been brilliant. The lads have been incredibly welcoming and have helped me out with whatever I’ve needed—mostly Jack McGreal, who was on a relentless mission to find me a bike to get around on!”
Robyn: “This is actually my third season back, and honestly, there’s a reason I keep coming back. I just love the atmosphere around the place. The club is buzzing with youth and so much young potential. It’s a joy to step into an environment where people care so deeply about their cricket.”
Trading Franchise for Leinster Cricket
DP: “You both play at a seriously high level back home. Aside from adjusting to the unpredictable Irish weather, what are the biggest differences you’ve noticed in the style of cricket and pitch conditions here?”
Robyn: “Irish conditions are very different to what I’m used to in South Africa. With more rain about, the wickets can be a bit slower but also surprisingly bouncy, which has forced me to develop my back-foot game compared to the skiddier pitches back home. We also face a lot more spin and medium-pace here, whereas South Africa is packed with big, scary pace bowlers. Navigating all that spin has been brilliant for my game, and it’s experience I’ll definitely take back with me.”
Sam: “To be fair, the conditions are actually quite similar to back home, which made settling in a lot easier. The pitches here are excellent for batting, though I’ve had to adjust to some of the much smaller boundaries at some of the away clubs! The standard is great—it’s been really fun playing against top-tier cricketers, the kind of quality we all saw in the recent Ireland vs. India series.”
Shaping the Next Generation
DP: “A massive part of your role is working with our juniors. What do you enjoy most about coaching the Clontarf kids, and what’s the number one piece of advice you try to drum into them?”
Robyn: “I absolutely thrive on the energy the juniors bring to training—it completely lifts me up! My biggest piece of advice, especially at a young age, is to play fearlessly and just enjoy it. On the batting side, I want kids to focus on hitting out and finding their power game first; we can worry about tightening up the technique later. Cricket is a tough, unforgiving game, so if you aren’t having fun, you’re doing it wrong.”
Sam: “I love getting to know all the kids and watching them grow their skills week by week. The main thing I try to teach them is belief. If they concentrate and truly believe in themselves, they will succeed in this game.”
Life in Dublin & Culture Shock
DP: “Let’s talk life outside the boundary ropes. Have you managed to do much exploring, and have you experienced any major culture shock or classic Dublin slang?”
Sam: “Yeah, I’ve managed to get out a bit and sample the local food. On my very first night here, Jack, John, and Fionn took me straight down to San Sab and introduced me to a spice bag. I’ve been going back for them ever since!”
Robyn: “Dublin is a great city. My first year in Ireland was down in the Hills, which was beautiful but very countryside, so I much prefer being central here and being right near the coast. Back home, I’m completely landlocked in a city, so running at sea level means I can actually breathe! I’m well used to the Dublin slang now, I know all about ‘good craic,’ and I genuinely love a pint of Guinness. Oh, and Sam’s right—the kids here are utterly obsessed with spice bags, and I have to admit, I don’t mind one myself now either!”
The 150th Anniversary & Season Goals
DP: “It’s our milestone 150th year as a club. Looking at the squads, what are you most excited about achieving before the curtain falls on the 2026 season?”
Robyn: “Being part of the club for its 150th year is an incredible honor. The anniversary ball a few days ago was a perfect example of what makes this place special—seeing the legends of the past mixing with the youth of today to share memories. On the pitch, the Women’s 1st XI is targeting a top-two finish, a spot we’ve really made our own over the last few years. I’m also heavily invested in seeing our 2nds maintain their unbeaten run, and ensuring the 3rds give our young players their first positive taste of senior women’s cricket.”
Sam: “While our season hasn’t completely gone to plan just yet, the goal remains clear: we need to keep pushing hard for wins as a team and make sure we secure our spot in the top six.”
The Great Skill Robbery
DP: “Final quick-fire question: If you could borrow one cricketing attribute from anyone else in the club changing room, what would it be and who are you taking it from?”
Robyn: “That’s a tough one because the women’s section is packed with talent. But since I’ve been dismissed a couple of times playing the sweep lately, I’m stealing Lucy Barry’s sweep shot. She is incredibly powerful and can manipulate the ball anywhere behind or in front of square with it.”
Sam: “Easy. Gormos’ bowling.”