Downpatrick Cricket Club awards

30 March 2022

DOWNPATRICK Cricket Club recently held their awards dinner in Denvir’s Hotel, which is where the club was originally formed in 1849.

Club chairman Jack McIlheron welcomed Jareth McCready as guest of honour.

Jareth retired from playing cricket at Downpatrick due to injury. He then became an umpire and has just been appointed to the ICC international umpiring panel.

This season Ireland will play India, South Africa and New Zealand in a series of T20 and one-day internationals.

Mr McIlberon said that after a few difficult years due to covid and the unavailability of some players, he was happy to report that senior cricket would once again be played at the Strangford Road ground.

It was announced an overseas player had been appointed, as well as Jeff Maguire as youth development officer whose role will be to develop and enhance cricket for young people.

Jeff will also take the game to local schools to try to make cricket a successful competitive sport within the PE curriculum for both boys and girls.

It is also the club’s intention to develop a women’s softball cricket team and further information on this will be published in the local press and on social media outlets soon.

Charlie Hutton, who has been appointed as the new club captain, said it was an honour to be captain of the club that he has been a member of since childhood and that his ambition was to get the club back to the top of cricket in Ireland.

Paul Tate is now the director of cricket and coach. He has been a key member of the club as a player and with his knowledge and experience he will encourage and guide younger players.

The chairman thanked Correna Coburn for taking on the role of club secretary/treasurer and agreed with her statement that “if everyone did a wee bit then the job of rebuilding the club wouldn’t be so hard”.

The chairman said he was looking forward to the start of the season, to welcoming new players and meeting the challenge of ensuring the club succeeds for others to enjoy.

Awards were presented to Daniel Carson, James Ferguson, Charlie Hutton, Marty Gartland and Jeremy McCready. An entertaining after-dinner speech was given by club president John Thompson.

Anyone interested in wanting to play cricket should contact the club through its Facebook page or a club official.

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