 The 2023 AGM will take place on Thursday 25th January at 7.30pm in the clubhouse. The slight delay in this has been due to unforeseen accounting and auditing reasons. Full notice and agenda will be sent 2 weeks prior in the New Year.
As ever, I make a plea for as many members to attend as possible and for those looking to make a contribution to put themselves forward for roles and management committee. We need help specifically with a Membership Secretary role and a Sponsorship role. Also, if anyone would like to be considered for any of the 2024 skipper roles then now is the time to say. If anyone is interested in getting more involved or if you want anymore information then speak to the Club Sec – Nathan Wilkes who will be happy to help. We’ll be announcing some plans we are putting in place for next season from a facilities and playing perspective, so I look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible. In the meantime I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
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The club were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of former Life-Member Jim Penwill last week at the age of 84, who passed peacefully in his home in Greasby.  After a bout of rain and a blanket of thunderstorms swept across Merseyside on Saturday morning, it was looking like questionable conditions for playing cricket, with some questionable pitch protection methods in play - but for most teams it brightened up enough for a cautious game of cricket to ensue.  In this week’s roundup you’ll see the first team put in a solid bowling performance, but just fall short with the bat, the second team have the most Hollywood underdog victory over top of the league bootle, whilst the third team shift gears and cruise to victory, and the fourth team find themselves lead in style to victory by their skipper.   Irby once again fall foul to a rainy weekend, with saturday fixtures grinding to a halt as the storms rolled in. But it was quarter final weekend for the 2nd XI and with an unmovable fixtured date, the fate was decided on a bowl off.
Things were shaken up this week at Irby, from unexpected wickets to repeat batting performances. Let's take a look at what happened this week with the Vikings.  The 1st XI were at home this week, hosting Southport Trinity CC at Mill Hill Road with some roster switch ups, including a Saturday captaincy debut from Rob Mallon. The team put in an incredible effort on the field, managing to limit Southport to 142 runs, with a stellar contribution from spinner Smit Mehta with 6 wickets.
Despite a valiant effort helmed by Ishan De Silva who scored 45 runs, the team fell short this week, but look ahead to next week where they will face off against Norley Hall CC There was not one, but two Saturday captaincy debuts this week. TJ took the reins of the 2nd XI, with regular captain Nathan receiving his first team call up. In spite of this shake up, the second team managed to maintain their no-loss hot streak against Prestatyn with an all-round contribution from their batsmen, with a notable performance from Steve Venables who added 52 runs to the tally. The side declared with just shy of 200 runs on the board, but despite their skilled bowling attack that contained solid performances from the likes of Sean Delaney (3 wickets), the home side held strong and managed to carve out a draw. Unfortunately the 3rd XI couldn't manage to maintain their winning ways this week whilst hosting Alder at Mill Hill Road. There were some unusual and unexpected performances on the pitch, such as captain Roy Crawford, ditching the gloves and getting a wicket whilst bowling, after also notching 49 runs at the crease, alongside Andy Leigh taking up the gloves and getting a stumping of his own during the fixture. This week the 4th XI managed to steal a win on the road, with an all round team effort contributing to a comprehensive win, with Ryan Anderson and Kyle Vernon taking 7 wickets between them, as well as Andrew Whalley and Matthew Penn managing to knock more than 30 runs each with the bat. The Valkyries this week managed to carry on their incredible run of form, leaving them sat unbeaten at the top of the soft ball league table after a commanding victory over Wallasey on Thursday. Additionally this Sunday saw the quarter finals of the Mike Leddy Cup make its way to Birkenhead park as the joint 3rd and 4th XI cup team looked to advance to the semi finals. Fortunately for the opposition, the fixture was rained off (as pictured by the light drizzle above) after only 10 overs, despite the commanding start by Irby that had their opponents 42-2. There were multiple promising performances which I'm sure will be transferred into this coming week's fixtures for more victories as the club heads into its 75th anniversary weekend. This Saturday at Mill Hill Road the 2nd and 4th XI play host to Bootle and Caldy respectively, the 3rd XI are travelling to Bootle this week, whilst the 1st XI make their way to Norley Hall after a midweek face-off with Parkfield Liscard in the next round Echo Cup. But before all of that the Valkyries have back to back fixtures at the start of the week, looking to maintain their impeccable run of form against Fleetwood Hesketh, and also Neston, who sit just below the Valkyries at the top of the table. This Friday also marks the commencing of the club's 75th anniversary celebrations, so keep your eyes peeled here and on our social media over the next few days for more information and ticket details! After a big win last night for the midweek 1st XI and a quarter final for the 3rd XI next week, hopes are high for this weekend's fixtures.  Key Performances Lead to 1st XI Cup Win
Last night saw the Irby CC 1st XI take on Alder CC in the first round of the Liverpool Echo Knock Out Cup. The sun was out and the temperature still high as the 1st XI bravely took to the field in this t20 fixture after winning the toss and electing to field first. Despite the heat, the side bowled tremendously, managing to restrict Alder to a score of 133 before swiftly retaking to the field to chase down their opponent's total, with the opening duo having a partnership surpassing 100 runs, with Cameron Rusbridge-Burns making a stellar contribution of 71 runs, and Smit Mehta adding a further 42 runs at the other end. Whilst they gave a convincing performance, the game was not yet finished by the time their wickets fell, with Sean Delaney and Ishan De Silva coming in to seal the deal in what turned out to be a commanding victory for the side in the first round of this cup. A Look Ahead for the 3rd XI After splashing onto the scene in their new league at the beginning of this season, the 3rd XI look to continue making a name for themselves next weekend as they take on Birkenhead Park Cricket Club on Sunday 25th June in the quarter final of the Mike Leddy 40 over cup. Looking Towards this Weekend This weekend the league fixtures carry on, with the 1st XI at home to Alder CC looking to carry over their performance from Wednesday. The 2nd XI are travelling away to Hightown St Marys this week, hopeful to add another win to the column after a dominant 130 run victory over Fleetwood Hesketh last Saturday. The 3rd XI are still keen to take on the top spot in the league and go for gold as they take on Wavertree, whilst currently sitting third in the league. Finally, the 4th XI look to gain traction and carry on climbing the ranks in the same league, they're currently sat in 8th, with their fixture at home this week against Sefton Park CC, to whom the 3rd XI narrowly lost last weekend. That's it for this week's roundup of club news, with the weather looking glorious and the fixtures in full swing we're excited to see players, members, family and friends down at Mill Hill Road this weekend to enjoy the fixtures. Best of luck to all of our teams this weekend, go well Vikings! The 2023 season, Irby Cricket Clubs 75th anniversary season, is now firmly underway, and we welcome you all to join us this coming summer for what I will describe as a ‘new beginning for the club’ in our first season as a full member of the Liverpool & District Cricket Competition. We will welcome lots of new clubs to Mill Hill Road for the first time and there will be lots of cricket for members to participate and spectate. We have the 4 senior Saturday teams competing this season and there will be plenty of opportunities for playing members, old and new to play local cricket.  Irby's 3rd and 4th XI stormed to victory this weekend after getting their L&DCC league off to a flying start.   April is upon us and we're back outside. Have a read below to look at our training dates/times to see when you can come and join us for a net...
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