From Ireland to Bruton to play cricket...

St Vincent’s Castleknock College pupil, Ben, has swapped Fingal in Ireland for Bruton, having been granted a scholarship by King’s Bruton to represent a partnership with Fingal cricket in 2023, extending to the Leinster Youth Scholar, a Cricket Scholarship for the Summer Term. King’s benefits from outstanding cricket facilities, and participation throughout the School is very strong across both boys and girls. The School has four cricket pitches, a two-lane indoor cricket centre and a brand new pavilion opening in May 2023. During the Summer Term, King's is running eight cricket teams, including a team in the U18 Boys National T20 competition, along with 21 fixtures for the 1^st X1 over Ben's 90-day placement.

The partnership has been spearheaded by Fingal Cricket Development Manager, Brian O’Rourke, who is pleased to see the connection with King’s Bruton in 2023:

“This is another excellent opportunity for young Fingal players to spend time in an intensive academic and sporting educational setting. My thanks go to Mr Crump and the team at King’s for their generosity in time, spirit and finance to make this scholarship a possibility. I know that Ben will represent us well, and through time, will look back on being part of something very special for young Fingal cricketers”.

Gerard Reardon, Principal Sports Officer for Fingal County Council, was delighted to see yet another remarkable opportunity for a young Fingal cricketer.

“My team and I send our best wishes to Ben for his placement at King's. We also commend the efforts of our CDM Brian O’Rourke and the staff at King's, led by Ben Crump, to come together to make these opportunities possible. Five years ago, no one could have predicted these types of opportunities would be there for our students, in any sport. We hold cricket as a shining example as to what can be achieved coming out of the pandemic”.

Ben Crump, Head of Cricket at King’s Bruton, was pleased to be expanding the partnership with Fingal, and welcoming Ben in April.

“King’s Bruton is excited to develop links with young cricket talent in Fingal which we believe to be a great opportunity for both the pupil and the School. We have welcomed Ben into our school community, and will ensure he has an unforgettable and positive, life-changing experience like all our pupils do”.

Ben, who plays his cricket for Phoenix CC, was honoured to be selected for such a prestigious scholarship adding “I am excited to join my teammates at King’s. Thank you to my parents for allowing me to take up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to Cricket Leinster for trusting me to represent our Fingal community, and of course, to Mr Crump, for selecting me to represent his scholarship programme at the School”.

For more information on cricket at King's Bruton contact Ben Crump [email protected], or cricket in Fingal, contact Brian O’Rourke at [email protected].