Cricketing in Ireland is one of the most popular sports in the country. Depending on the match, you may see viewership in the hundreds of thousands. Cricket has been growing in popularity steadily in Ireland since around 2012, and it’s no surprise that the nation boasts some fantastic cricketing talent.
Today, we’re going to look at some of the top Irish cricket clubs, and what they did to get where they are today. Let’s get started.
- Clontarf
Established back in 1876, we will see that these incredibly old clubs are a recurring theme of county cricket. They moved to their present ground in 1896, and attained senior status only around a decade later in 1908. They are currently housed at the Clontarf Cricket Club ground.
They have taken home the Irish Senior Cup once back in 2013, and have one the Leinster Senior League 13 times. The Leinster Senior Cup they have taken home a whopping 14 times.
Clontarf are definitely one of the top Irish cricket clubs
- Cork County
Established only a couple of years before Clontarf in 1874, Cork County have their home ground at The Mardyke. They play in the Munster Cricket Union, and are the only team from outside Leinster to play in the Leinster League. In 2009, they were granted permission to compete in the 2010 season of the Leinster League.
They were promoted to Division 1 back in 2014, so we are seeing the peak of their performance now.
- North County
Though much younger than the other teams so far, having been established in 1985, North County are nevertheless one of the top clubs in Ireland. They have their home at The Inch ground in Balrothery, in County Dublin. They play in Division 1 of the Leinster Senior League.
They have welcomed a number of international professionals at the club, such as Malcolm Nofal. Nofal represented the club in 2018, and Yassar Cook in 2019.
- Pembroke
The oldest club on this list so far, founded in 1868, Pembroke is another of the best cricketing clubs in Ireland. Their home ground is at Sydney Parade, and the club fields six men’s teams. They took home the Irish Senior Cup in 2019, and have won the Leinster Senior Cup as many as 13 times.
- Malahide
Finally, we have Malahide, even older than Pembroke being founded in 1861. The club boasts over 400 members, and they won the Senior Irish Cup in 2001. Since then, they have won a variety of cricketing titles, including the Leinster Senior League, the National Irish Cup in 2013, and the Leinster Senior cup on two occasions.
Ireland’s division 1 has some of the top cricketing talent in the country, and indeed some contenders for the future world stage. These are doubtless some of the top Irish cricket clubs, and we can only expect to see more from them in the future in terms of this top talent. No matter where you’re from, you have to appreciate the skill on display here.