Halverstown Cricket Club's future uncertain amid search for new home

Cricket in mid and south Kildare has been kept alive for over 140 years by Halverstown Cricket Club, the last 30 of which have been in the beautiful setting of the Harristown Estate in Brannockstown. However, the lease on the ground expires at the end of 2027 and concentrated attempts to find a new ground have been unsuccessful to date. 

“We are very grateful to the extraordinary generosity of the Beaumont family over a long period of time, but we have outgrown the facility and have been searching for a new ground”, said Chairman Des Drumm. 

The club was asked over two years ago by Cricket Leinster to be the tenant of a cricket pitch in the planned new park in Sallins. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding, Kildare County Council was unable to accommodate cricket facilities in either the near or longer term. Following this rejection Halverstown engaged in extensive discussions regarding a ground share with another Kildare sporting club but unfortunately this too has been unsuccessful. Thus, after two years of searching the cricket club is yet to secure a long-term home.

Honorary Secretary Stuart Conroy said that the closure of the cricket club would be a very sad day for Kildare, particularly given the strides it has made in recent years. 

“We have developed youth cricket from a standing start and now have over 100 youth members, both boys and girls. We have 5 youth teams, both boys and girls, and have just started a women's team. The club has two teams playing in the Cricket Leinster league and a thriving social team. We coach 16 primary schools, who compete annually for the Halverstown Cup and have brought cricket to over 800 youngsters in these schools since 2023. We have coached in Piper’s Hill College, which has subsequently reached two Leinster Schools’ Finals. The club ground has been used by schools in the area and without a new home, schools’ cricket in Kildare will end. It would be a bitter blow to lose all this - and unfortunately it is a very real prospect”, he added.

Des Drumm noted that despite the boom in cricket in recent years, several clubs have been lost to the game since the 1990s, including Athy in Kildare.

 “The availability of land is a key issue for cricket, since it needs at least 5 acres for a ground, relatively flat and well drained. We are willing to either buy or rent. We want to stay in mid/south Kildare, where we have spent the last 140 years, but the pressure on land here is considerable. Nevertheless, we will continue to look. You cannot walk away from all that history. We are Ireland’s oldest cricket club outside Dublin, and we have certainly never been stronger from a membership perspective. We just need a ground for them! We welcome any reasonable suggestions and Stuart or myself can be contacted via our website or by emailing, info@halverstowncc.net ”