Cricket Club Issue 48 | Page 37

Irby Irby CRICKET CLUB Irby CC is based on Mill Hill Road in Cheshire and their first team currently competes in Division 2 of the Cheshire Cricket League. They are led by the team of President G Kinsey and Chairman Gareth Lea and the club is looking to progress under their guidance. This season their first team put together a steady campaign as they compiled a league record of eight wins, four draws and nine defeats from their twenty-two matches with the other fixture being abandoned. This saw them finish in a safe mid-table position with 283 points on the board. This should provide the club with a solid platform from which to build as they look ahead to their 2019 campaign. As long as they are able to retain their current group of players and can perhaps make one or two quality additions they should be well positioned to push on up the league. Irby CC is not a club to focus solely upon their senior set up and this is reflected by the fact that they also run a youth section. This part of the club looks to provide young players from the local area with an opportunity to play the game in a safe and enjoyable environment whilst helping them to reach their full potential. It is important for any club looking to be successful over a sustained period of time to be able to produce their own talent and this is an area they appear to have covered. It will certainly be exciting to see how their youngsters can progress in the coming years. In order to help make sure that they enjoy a smooth transition into the senior game, they also run a 2nd XI. This allows them to gain experience of adult level cricket even if they are not yet considered ready for first team action which can be an important step in the development process. Another benefit of running an extra side is that it allows the first XI to benefit from far greater strength in depth. If they are ever left short on numbers they have the option of calling up replacements with a limited amount of disruption. There is much to admire about the fine set up that Irby CC currently has in place. If they continue in the same manner they should be able to look forwards to a bright and successful future for many years to come. www.sportip.biz 37