<![CDATA[Irby CC - What\'s On]]>

<![CDATA[Irby CC - What\'s On]]>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:54:25 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[The First XI Have a Setback as the 2s March On]]>Mon, 10 Jun 2024 09:24:08 GMThttps://www.irbycricketclub.com/whats-on1/the-first-xi-have-a-setback-as-the-2s-march-onIt wasn't all glory and happiness this weekend at Mill Hill Road as both front and back pitch suffered defeats to their respective visitors. Meanwhile debutants impress on the road for the 2nd XI

Photo Provided by Robert Shaw

It was Never Going to be Plain Sailing

The First XI host Prescott and Odyssey, their closest competitors in the league as it stood, with both sides sharing the top spot in the table. Whoever the victor would supersede the other, claiming the number one spot and setting the course for the rest of the season. Just the week before, the Irby lads excelled with the bat after a slow start with the ball, dominating the Burscough side and chasing a mighty 207 for the loss of just one wicket.

It was looking like a nice day, the clouds had parted and the stand-in skipper Tom Crawford had a decision on his hands, for he had rarely won the toss. He stuck Prescott in to have a bat, perhaps he had an idea of starting quickly with the ball and chasing down a low score would be greatly beneficial for the side. The 1st XI started well, Ollie and James keeping impeccably tight lines with the ball and penning the openers down. Very few runs past and it appeared the openers couldn't get it off the square, perhaps the first time they had been truly challenged this season. The first breakthrough came from Geen, edging off to Casey. Then next spinner Mallon takes the top edge of the other opener and the game seemingly cracked wide open. This was until a huge partnership from batters three and four built. The ball was flying to all boundaries and the Irby side were run ragged. Bowlers changed hands but nothing was headed the Viking's way, batter number three surpassing 50 then 100, number four surging past his 50 as well. The pair had steadied the Prescott ship, which sailed past 200. Their wickets finally fell, Afridi with an excellent catch on the boundary to dismiss the centurion whilst an LBW took the scalp of the other from Mallon. The visitors scrambled to 221 and the game was on.

Perhaps a large total on a pitch that wasn't as easy as it first looked, Irby found themselves in to bat and they quickly got to their work. This was until a lapse in concentration resulted in a bizarre dismissal of opener Umer, caught wandering back to his crease in a run out not too dissimilar to Johnny Bairstow in the Ashes series of last year. The visitors were fired up and wickets began to fall quicker than the hosts would have hoped. A great stand from Hussain, the only standout bat for the Irby side with 62 runs to his name, but it wasn't to be on this day. Irby fell short by 81 runs, missing out on any bonus points due to the elective 'field first' earlier in the day. Will it prove a costly mistake in the long run?

Irby CC 1st XI drop to third place, below Burscough, who achieved their bonus points even in heavy defeat the week before. The race is on for the Vikings to climb back to the top to secure promotion back into the L&DCC.

Irby 2s are on Top

Another stellar display from the 2nd XI sees them secure their position at the top of Division 2. The Vikings embraced the long travel up to Churchtown to face up against their 1st XI which saw them win the toss and elect to field. It was a trademark excellent start with the ball, Ben Wilson and Oscar Wilkes keeping the openers busy with excellent economies. With two wickets apiece it was time for 2nd XI star with the ball Delaney and debutant McGuinness to break the game open. Delaney with 2 and McGuinness with 3, the hosts were in trouble. With excellent catching and two great runouts, Churchtown fell to a low score of 75.

Irby came out with the bat, keen to capitalise on the great performances of the previous few weeks. De Silva and Bennett to open the batting, who did most of the damage before Bennett was trapped LBW. Gareth Jones came next, smartly finishing things off and allowing the 2nd XI to cruise to another strong victory in their new division.

It's a home game next week for the 2s as they face Prescott & Odyssey's 2nd XI. Can they look to continue their reign at the top of the leaderboard?

Irby 4s Face an Overseas

Another set of bizarre circumstances saw the Irby 4th XI have to deal with an overseas player in their league when tackling Formby's 3rd XI this weekend. Skipper Bough lost the toss and were stuck in to field on a tough Irby back pitch. The visitors made a good start but Irby kept strong, with juniors Miles and Thompson claiming the openers. It was a good day with the ball for Thompson, as he continued to impress taking a further 2 wickets to take his tally to 3 for the day. In came the Formby overseas at 6 (due to league rules) and bludgeoned his team to 127 before Formby declared after 45 overs.

Arguably a little steep due to the nature of the track, the Irby lads set to work on knocking off the score. Simon Delaney and Jack Edwards with excellent stands with the bat unfortunately proved futile. The hosts collapsing to 60 all out and Formby claiming a strong victory by 67 runs. It's not the end of the world for the 4th XI, as the average points system has only lowered the 4th XI total by a small amount. They sit comfortably in the centre of the table, just two places below the 3rd XI.

The 3s had a gap in their playing schedule this week, but look to improve on their poor form next weekend as they travel away to Maghull.

]]><![CDATA[All-Stars and the Weekend Double-Header]]>Fri, 10 May 2024 09:48:10 GMThttps://www.irbycricketclub.com/whats-on1/all-stars-and-the-weekend-double-headerAn exciting weekend awaits Mill Hill Road.

All-Stars is Back

The beloved All Stars programme is back with a bang. Every year we're blown away with the reception we get from this programme, with parents signing their kids up faster each year. It's perhaps almost as tough as getting a Taylor Swift ticket! (almost). The programme hosting U9s - U11s begins tonight at 6pm. Car parking is available on site and everything opens from 5:30pm. Please try not to arrive earlier than this, although we're keen to see you, we might still be setting up!

Saturday Fixtures

The first week of the year where all four teams are in action! The First XI have one major change heading into the weekend, with the skipper Cam unavailable to play, Tom Crawford last yearsClub Captain will take the reins for the weekend. Hopefully he can conjure some of the great energy from last years final few games of the season and continue on with Cam's great start to his tenure. After a great knock last weekend, Harry Wilkes will be stepping up to fill his shoes at the top of the order. It won't be a tall ask for Harry however, the last time he was called up he scored his maiden 50 for the 1st XI.

The 2s remain at home this weekend to play Aigburth. The squad although changing quite a bit again this week, have stayed strong with reliable batting and excellent fielding. Catches win matches s they say, Irby 2s have not disappointed. In the side this week are a few new faces... Bruno Jones steps up from the 3s whilst Matt Garret makes his first start of the season along with Ishan De Silva.

With that being said, the strengthening of the 2nd XI could only mean we have another strong week for the 3rd XI. After their gap week, they're looking to hit the ground running once more. Asad Ali and Chris Davidson enter to add strength to both bowling and batting. Rohith and son Arjun are promoted from the 4th XI after Rohith's stunning display with the ball last week. We also have first games of the year from Jay and Rich where just like Asad and Chris, will add strength to both batting and bowling.

The 4th XI have experienced the most change. Primarily in their batting department we'll see Kian Bough lead a strong and experienced side to face Northern's 5th XI away. Star of the midweek T20 James Miles will be featured in the batting lineup along with the skipper himself. Max Thompson also continues his good form with ball and bat.

You can check out the full squads by scrolling through the team sheets at the top of the page.

Sunday First XI Cup

To round off the weekend the 1st XI have their first cup match of the season versus Merseyside Commonwealth at home. There's a slight alteration in the team chemistry for the weekend game, with 2s skipper Nathan Wilkes taking the reins with a strong mixture of performing players from both the 1st and 2nd XI. TJ, Farhad, Harry and Ishan will come up whilst we see the regular faces of Oliver Wilson and Nabeel Tahir amongst others. It'll be a debut performance for the 1st XI for Will Miles, a fantastic achievement and we're sure he will be a regular in the playing XI in the years to come.

]]><![CDATA[This Weekend at Irby CC]]>Wed, 01 May 2024 16:13:43 GMThttps://www.irbycricketclub.com/whats-on1/this-weekend-at-irby-ccFind out more about where are teams are travelling and who we're playing this May Bank Holiday weekend.

1st XI Play at Home

After a real strong start to the cricketing season away at Skelmersdale the 1st XI are facing New Victoria at Mill Hill Road. This will be the first game of the season at home for the 1st team, with Skipper Cameron looking to guide his side to another dominant victory. The team will remain unchanged for the weekend. With batters Rafi, Nabeen and Cam looking to capitalise on their runs scored the weekend prior. It is with hope the side will impress with the ball as well as they did last season too, bowlers James Geen, Oliver Wilson, Tom Crawford and Rob Mallon all pencilled in.

The Two's Travel

The first of many far away games for the second XI take them to Haydock CC. A slightly more varied side to that of the week prior, when the side took down Bedford Park with ease. New signing Farhad Tarar along with the experienced Gareth Jones replace Asad Ali and Paul Smith. One debutant out and another in as it may seem. Farhad impressed with the bat last Saturday, 48* has secured him a place in the two's for this weekend. With a stronger batting line-up and a more spin heavy attack, let's see if they can continue their strong start on Saturday.

The 4th XI Play and the 3rd XI Wait On.

It's gap-week for the 3rd XI as the 4th XI take on Maghull. Maghull were the first team to welcome Irby into the Liverpool Comp, taking on our 3rd team back in 2023. We're looking forward to hosting them for the 4th XI's first game of the season this weekend. Due to the lack of game for the 3rd XI, a naturally stronger 4th XI side has emerged. This will be skipper Kian's first taste of captaincy this weekend. With one debutant in Arjun Kayak, the team hope to hit the ground running.

]]><![CDATA[March-ing into the 2024 Season - What’s on in March.]]>Mon, 04 Mar 2024 16:38:23 GMThttps://www.irbycricketclub.com/whats-on1/march-ing-into-the-2024-season-whats-on-in-marchThe ice is finally melting away and we are steam-rolling toward a bright and sunny spring. With cricket on the horizon you can find plenty of pre-season activity on at the club - here’s what’s happening this month.

Irby Seniors

This year has been the earliest the club have started the indoor winter nets. It may be thanks to the activity throughout the winter playing the indoor intra-club tournament leaving some players keen to get the ball rolling. With that being said, training has now dropped from its original two-hour sessions (6-8pm) to just the one hour(7-8pm) at Birkenhead Park Cricket club. Adults can enjoy an hour of netting at all standards and levels. If you’re a returning member for another year of action, then March may finally be the time you crank the old bowling arm or dust off the pads. If you’re a new player looking for either a change in scenery or a challenge, then Irby may be the place for you! Drop us a message on our socials or send us an email from the contact page for more info.

March marked not only the start of our season prep, but also our social calendar, kicking us off with an incredible quiz night that made a great start to us raising the funds for some new club equipment.

Whilst there now isn’t another social until April, we do have the Irby CC ‘Get Set’ weekend. This is a great opportunity to help out our club by prepping for the new season. Previous years have included painting fences, the decking, sorting out our new changing room on the front, temporarily surfacing the drive and much more. It’s a great couple of days where socialising is just as important as getting some great work done.

The Get Set Weekend will be the 29th and 30th of March.

Irby Women’s

The Irby Women’s have had a fantastic start to the calendar year. Just this weekend they placed 2nd in the L&DCC Women’s cricket tournament and have earned themselves a spot in the finals. Huge congratulations to them and we can’t wait to see how they do in a few weeks time!

The ladies train weekly at Bebington High School (Friday’s 7-8pm). Just like the men’s training, Irby encourages all players, of all ages and abilities to take part in this fantastic sport. It’s a lot of fun to take part in cricket, a challenge to fitness without the constant intensity plus a great way to improve your hand-eye coordination. Cricket offers a lot both on and off the pitch as well, the women’s playing XI have a great social side to add with the on-field success.

If you fancy a new challenge, why not come along and give it a go? Contact the club for more information today to find out more.

Irby Juniors

Just like last year's successful campaign, this year we are hosting free U9 softball sessions at Bebington High School. Due to the great success of this event, we have fortunately increased the available spaces for any willing young cricketers to take part in this great evening. Last Friday was the first session, continuing for a further four weeks. If you are interested then please contact the club for more information, but be quick!

A few weeks back we posted on our socials about our All-Stars, which is another great Friday programme held at the club during the summer months. It is continually a sold out programme and our team work tirelessly to train and entertain the juniors that attend the nights. It is a sight to behold on a Friday evening in the summer, seeing the volume of people that flock to the club for a great cause. If you are interested and haven’t registered your interest, please get in touch with the club. A reminder: this is a busy event and the window of opportunity to register your child comes and goes very fast, please keep an eye out on our social media for when we release the details.

Just like our seniors, the juniors have also begun netting. Birkenhead Park Cricket Club also hosts our junior section on a Tuesday evening from 6-8pm. This will continue until the end of the month where hopefully we can then look to venture outside.

Club Events

As we ramp up toward the season opening we are overhauling a lot of things behind the scenes. For current members, you will see a slight change in registration, with our new membership card system coming into effect to offer discounts to all members at the bar. The Irby CC website has been updated to contain all the new pricings for this year to purchase memberships and more. Plus, members will also be asked for their help in registering for the new league setup within our 1st and 2nd XI. It won’t require every member to assist, however a handful of players will need to sign up using Play Cricket to the Southport and District league setup. What do you need to do? Not much, just await an email notification and follow the steps.

On our social media pages you will be seeing a fresh look this March. We are hoping to progress into a more targeted, focussed and streamlined approach with our posts. We’re aiming to have content out every day on at least one platform, with the exciting news of our YouTube channel launching officially at the end of the month. We have been working on the method throughout the winter and we’re hoping our hard work will pay off during the summer.

Don’t forget to order your Irby CC playing kit for this year, it does take a while to manufacture the material, so please ensure you place your order well in advance to ensure you have everything you need.

]]><![CDATA[Welcome to the Irby Website for 2024]]>Sat, 24 Feb 2024 18:03:51 GMThttps://www.irbycricketclub.com/whats-on1/welcome-to-the-irby-website-for-2024Hey there! Welcome to the new layout for the Irby website for 2024. You may have noticed that we moved from Pitchero in 2023 to this site and we're pleased to be continuing on our path for the 2024 season as well. The move was made to enable more control of the site, to allow ease for members to purchase products from our store and for us as a cricket club to improve our communication. We're hoping that the change is a positive one...

As we go through the year we're hoping to keep the site as up-to-date as possible, with this page here and another blog page we're hoping to keep the news flowing for all aspects of our club. From Junior cricket to Senior, we do hope you have an excellent playing season. Stay tuned on this space for more information.

Not long now until the 2024 season!]]>