Phoenix Cricket Club facts for kids
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| Personnel | |
|---|---|
| Captain | Adam Chester |
| Coach | Tyrone Kane |
| Team information | |
| Colors | Black, Red and Green |
| Founded | 1830 |
| Home ground | Phoenix Park |
Phoenix Cricket Club is a sports club in Dublin, Ireland. It has many teams for different ages and genders. These include six men's teams, two women's teams, and youth teams for boys and girls. There is even a special "Taverners" team for players over 40!
Contents
Club History: Ireland's Oldest Cricket Team
Phoenix Cricket Club is the oldest cricket club in Ireland. It was started way back in 1830. A man named John Parnell founded the club. His son, Charles Stewart Parnell, who became a famous Irish leader, was also a member for a short time. The club was founded about five years before Dublin University Cricket Club.
For almost its entire history, the club has been based in Dublin's beautiful Phoenix Park. There was a short period from 1835 to 1838 when they played elsewhere. During those years, Phoenix played their home games near the Grand Canal. In the 1930s, 1940s, and 1970s, Phoenix was the top cricket club in the Leinster area.
How Phoenix Cricket Club Started
Before 1834, club members met and practiced right in Phoenix Park. But in 1835, the club moved out of the Park. They played matches in open fields south of the canal.
Two important early members were Lord Dunloe and Lord Clonbrock. They were also members of the famous MCC in England. These two, along with V.E. Alcock, helped the club grow a lot. Over its first 20 years, it became known as the "Premier Club of Ireland." The people who founded the club were later given "Life Membership" for their hard work.
In February 1838, the club moved back to Phoenix Park. The club kept growing, and more people joined each year. They played about 20 to 25 matches every year. However, in 1846, the road through Phoenix Park was made wider. This meant the club had to move again. A new spot nearby was suggested. The "Board of Works" paid for the move because the club had already spent a lot of money. Phoenix Cricket Club has been at its current ground since 1847.
Playing Cricket Against Other Countries
The first time an Irish cricket team toured North America was in 1879. They played thirteen games against the Philadelphia cricket club. Ireland won ten games, two were draws, and they lost only one.
South Africa visited Ireland for the second time in 1901. At this time, there was a disagreement about how to pick the Irish team. As a result, two main Dublin clubs and some Northern clubs refused to let their players be chosen. The Irish team that was finally picked had ten players from Phoenix and one from Leinster.
By 1902, the argument about team selection was over. A team was chosen to play a practice match at the Phoenix ground in May 1902. This team then went on a short tour in England. Their first match was against W. G. Grace's London County team, and the Irish team won! They lost their third match at Oxford but won the last match against Cambridge.
Winning Trophies and Growing Stronger
The Leinster Senior League was created in 1919. Even though Phoenix had fewer members because of the Troubles (a difficult time in Irish history), their team was still very good. For a long time, captains were chosen for each match. But in 1932, W. R. Allen became the first captain to lead the team for a whole season.
In 1930, Phoenix Cricket Club celebrated its 100th birthday. They played a special match, but rain affected the game.
The years from 1950 to 1970 were not as successful for the club. The team was getting older. They won two cups in the 1950s, but they didn't win any major trophies in the 1960s.
In the late 1960s, a very strong team started to form. After 22 years, Phoenix won the John Player Senior Cup in 1973. In 1974, they won the first Wiggins Teape League. The next year, 1975, was amazing! They won the "Grand Slam," which means they won all three of Leinster's top trophies. For ten years, the Phoenix 1st team used only about fifteen players. During this time, they won many titles:
- 1973: John Player Senior Cup
- 1974: Wiggins Teape Competition
- 1975: Leinster Senior League / John Player Senior Cup / Wiggins Teape Competition
- 1976: John Player Senior Cup
- 1977: John Player Senior Cup
- 1978: Leinster Senior League / John Player Senior Cup
- 1979: Leinster Senior League / John Player Senior Cup
By 1980, when Phoenix C.C. celebrated its 150th birthday, the club had four men's teams. They also had two schoolboy teams (under 13s and under 15s) and two women's teams.
The first women's team was formed in 1975. It was the first women's cricket team in all of Ireland! In 1989, Barbara Schmidt became the first female president of an Irish cricket club.
In recent years, Phoenix C.C. has focused on teaching new players about cricket. They want to continue the long and proud history of Ireland's oldest cricket club. Fans of the club are sometimes called "The Flamers." They even have a club anthem, which is a changed version of the song "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles.
Club Achievements
Phoenix Cricket Club has won many important competitions:
- Irish Senior Cup: 2 times
- 1986, 2024
- Leinster Senior League: 15 times
- 1921, 1922, 1924, 1925, 1936, 1942, 1943, 1949, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1985, 1987
- Leinster Senior Cup: 15 times
- 1937, 1938, 1939, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982
Current Players
Here are some of the players currently on the Phoenix team. Players with international caps (meaning they have played for their country) are shown in bold. Players who can play for Ireland because they live there or have dual nationality are marked with an asterisk (*).
| Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting Style | Bowling Style | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batters | |||||
| Ben Thompson |  Ireland |
Right-handed | Right arm medium | ||
| Johit Munjal |  India* |
Right-handed | Right arm medium | ||
| Levon Shields | Ireland |
Right-handed | Right arm off-break | ||
| Ashley Bain | Ireland |
Right-handed | Right arm off-break | ||
| Andrew John | Ireland |
Right-handed | Right arm medium | ||
| Eknoor Singh |  Australia |
Right-handed | |||
| All-rounders | |||||
| Tyrone Kane | Ireland |
8 July 1994 | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast | |
| Shane Getkate | Ireland |
2 October 1991 | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast | |
| George Dockrell | Ireland |
22 July 1992 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| Wicket-keepers | |||||
| Adam Chester | Ireland |
Right-handed | Captain | ||
| Nicolaas Pretorius |  South Africa* |
8 August 1989 | Right-handed | ||
| Bowlers | |||||
| Amish Sidhu | India* |
5 October 1996 | Right-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | |
| Ben White | Ireland |
29 August 1998 (age 26) | Right-handed | Right arm leg-break | |
| Devender Ranolia | Ireland |
Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | ||
| Ashley Bain | South Africa* |
Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium | ||
| James Maginnis | Ireland |
Right-handed | Right arm medium | ||
| Daniel Sugrue | Ireland |
Left-handed | Right arm medium | ||
| Theo Dempsey | Ireland |
1 January 1995 | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast | |
Cricket Coaching at Phoenix
Every year, the club offers coaching for players of all skill levels. Junior players (kids) have coaching sessions in the afternoon on weekdays. Adults have their coaching in the evenings. Other club members and coaches from different teams also help with the training.
The Phoenix Cricket Ground
The Phoenix cricket ground has a special building called a pavilion. It also has a cricket pitch (the "square"), full practice nets, a bar, changing rooms, and a car park for visitors.
