CSNI youngsters come of age in breakthrough season

This was the year when potential became achievement for CSNI. For several seasons there had been a feeling that the talent was there, that the younger players were close to turning promise into something tangible. In 2026 they did exactly that.

The Stormont side captured the NCU Challenge Cup and also reached the final of the Irish Senior Cup, underlining both their quality and growing maturity. The boys became men, and a team once regarded as one for the future showed it was ready to deliver in the present.

Their biggest strength was depth. No fewer than eight batters passed 350 runs across the season, with Ashwin Hebbar leading the way in spectacular fashion. The Indian all-rounder amassed 795 runs at an average of 53, including two centuries, five fifties and a magnificent unbeaten 207. His strike rate of 125 also reflected the authority with which he scored.

Marc Ellison added 633 runs, including 173, while Ryan Hunter continued his development with 569 runs at 43.77. James West also made 569 and showed growing consistency at the top level. Captain Stuart Thompson contributed 494 runs, with Harry Dyer adding 491, while Jake Collingwood made 404 and Adam Leckey 382. It meant CSNI were rarely dependent on one or two individuals and possessed the batting depth required to compete on several fronts.

The bowling figures were arguably even more impressive. Leckey and West finished as the two leading wicket-takers in the NCU, both claiming 46 wickets. Leckey’s haul came at an average of 17.87 and included three five-wicket hauls, while West averaged 20.67 and took a best of five for 35.

Behind them, Dyer took 31 wickets, Collingwood 28 and Finn Lutton 24, giving CSNI an extraordinary five bowlers with 20 or more wickets. That strength in numbers proved crucial during a demanding campaign in which they challenged deep into multiple competitions.

Winning the Challenge Cup represented a major breakthrough and tangible reward for years of patient development. Reaching the Irish Senior Cup final offered further evidence that CSNI were now capable of competing with the best sides beyond the NCU. There will naturally have been disappointment at not adding a second trophy, but the broader significance of the season was impossible to miss.

CSNI have spent recent years assembling and developing a talented young group. In 2026 that group arrived. With batting depth, a prolific bowling unit and a squad increasingly comfortable in high-pressure matches, the foundations are firmly in place for this to be the beginning rather than the culmination of their success at Stormont.

CSNI BATTING

Top Run Aggregates
# Name Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s
1 A Hebbar 21 20 5 795 207* 53.00 636 125.00 2 5 63 44
2 MP Ellison 19 19 1 633 173 35.17 805 78.63 1 4 69 13
3 R Hunter 17 15 2 569 103* 43.77 652 87.27 1 3 68 11
4 J West 25 25 1 569 70 23.71 572 99.48 - 3 81 21
5 S Thompson 24 20 6 494 58 35.29 623 79.29 - 1 40 24
6 Harry Dyer 26 22 6 491 85 30.69 1233 39.82 - 2 65 12
7 J Collingwood 26 20 1 404 61 21.26 941 42.93 - 3 43 11
8 Adam Leckey 24 21 3 382 41 21.22 685 55.77 - - 31 10
9 Finn Lutton 24 15 4 171 33 15.55 180 95.00 - - 17 7
10 AJ Cowden 19 10 4 140 26 23.33 272 51.47 - - 9 -
11 Jordan Neill 6 6 - 95 32 15.83 234 40.60 - - 7 2
12 M Rae 3 3 - 81 64 27.00 74 109.46 - 1 7 5
13 M Kennedy 21 10 5 52 13* 10.40 88 59.09 - - 2 -
14 L Fisher 5 2 2 27 26* - 28 96.43 - - 3 1
15 J Neill 2 2 2 15 8* - 10 150.00 - - - 1
16 D Kennedy 1 1 1 14 14* - 17 82.35 - - 2 -
17 J Kennedy 5 2 1 6 5* 6.00 10 60.00 - - 1 -
18 Chris Elliott 1 1 - 4 4 4.00 3 133.33 - - 1 -
19 O Dyer 11 3 1 2 2* 1.00 9 22.22 - - - -
 

CSNI BOWLING

Top Wicket Takers
 
# Name Mat Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI Ave Econ SR 5WI wds nbs
1 Adam Leckey 24 161.3 9 822 46 5-37 17.87 5.09 21.07 3 78 10
2 J West 25 176.2 5 951 46 5-35 20.67 5.39 23.00 1 31 2
3 Harry Dyer 26 168.2 7 868 31 3-11 28.00 5.16 32.58 - 10 1
4 J Collingwood 26 116.5 2 766 28 3-33 27.36 6.56 25.04 - 68 1
5 Finn Lutton 24 137.1 8 692 24 4-44 28.83 5.04 34.29 - 34 5
6 M Kennedy 21 38.1 2 214 13 7-31 16.46 5.61 17.62 1 6 -
7 M Rae 3 20.2 2 48 10 5-25 4.80 2.36 12.20 1 6 -
8 Jordan Neill 6 25.2 - 163 6 3-25 27.17 6.43 25.33 - 18 1
9 A Hebbar 21 28.1 - 183 5 3-34 36.60 6.50 33.80 - 7 -
10 O Dyer 11 5 - 61 2 2-43 30.50 12.20 15.00 - 7 -