News Home Armagh suffer in the heat as Muckamore win. Armagh lost their fourth consecutive match in Division One Section One of the Ulster Bank Senior League as promotion hopefuls Muckamore sealed a comprehensive victory to underline their title credentials. With no match the previous Saturday after the Cliftonville game was washed out; Armagh were raring to go and took to the field in good spirits despite being disappointed to lose the toss as conditions were perfect for batting with a fast pitch and quick outfield. Armagh’s opening pair of Harry Doyle and Mark Stinson started well and had the opposition’s quality opening batsmen in all sorts of problems. Full report Armagh compete well but Carrick cruise to cup success Armagh put up a strong showing at Middle Road in the Challenge Cup 2nd Round tie but were eventually no match for their Premier League opponents who were able to make their class and top level experience show when the game was tight. Armagh should however be able to take plenty of encouragement from some of their efforts with bat and ball. Armagh’s team saw two changes from the previous week, with Stuart Lester and Matthew Steenson replacing the unavailable Andrew Bratten and the unfortunate Michael Villiers who was injured in practice. Full report THIRDS SHINE ON THE MALL Armagh Thirds continued their recent good league form with an emphatic 102 slaughtering of Instonians Thirds on a sun drenched Mall last Saturday. Armagh Skipper Keith Wilson had no hesitation on batting after winning the toss in perfect conditions and with a strong batting line up bolstered by the return of Charlie Singrey playing his first home game for two seasons, the decision appeared correct. Full report Agonising defeat for brave Armagh Armagh remained without a win in Division One Section One of the Ulster Bank Northern Cricket Union but only after they gave early league leaders a massive fright on The Mall and almost claimed a famous victory only to fall narrowly short by a mere eleven runs. Full report Results from 15th May Firsts lost at home to Bangor by 11 runs, the thirds went down by 7 wickets in the cup to North Down and the fourths also fell at the first hurdle losing out by 4 wickets to Ballymena. Armagh win the 2009 NIACUS Colts Cup. Armagh triumphed over Muckamore by the convincing margin of 6 wickets on Bank Holiday Monday in the long awaited rain-delayed final of the Colts Cup at Laurelvale against highly fancied Muckamore. However, after conquering three Premier League sides and being superbly prepared in the build up to the final, Armagh were confident of their chances on the day. Captain Matthew Brownlee had led from the front throughout the campaign and he had no hesitation to invite Muckamore to bat after he had won the toss. Full report Armagh suffer heavy away defeat at Derriaghy The poor start of the season continued for Armagh as a great disciplined fielding effort was eventually wasted by a batting collapse that led to a comprehensive 100 run defeat at the hands of Lisburn side Derriaghy. Full report! Armagh stumble to home defeat in league opener. Armagh’s return to Division One Section One of the Ulster Bank League got off to a disappointing start when they lost by six wickets to Saintfield. The two sides had been locked in the exciting title race in Section Two in 2009 when Armagh prevailed; but apart from the first and last ten overs of the game Saintfield dominated and were good value for their victory. Full report New NCU Website The new NCU can be found @ http://www.northerncricketunion.org/ Outdoor Training Outdoor practice will hopefully kick off this week, weather permitting. Wednesday nights at 6pm for the under 15s and Thursday night at 6.15pm for seniors. Ladies Training Ladies training will get under way on Monday 26th April @ 6.30pm on The Mall. Any new player is welcome to join in. Tough test lies ahead for Armagh in 2010 The spring sunshine heralds the start of another local Cricket season with Armagh 1st XI making a welcome return to Division One Section One of the Ulster Bank League after their one year absence. The 2009 season turned out to be a tremendous success in the club’s 150th Anniversary season as the 1st XI won the Thomas Stewart Memorial Trophy as the winners of Division One Section Two as well as claiming a famous away victory at Muckamore in the Challenge Cup. The season ahead will pose plenty more challenges for the city side as the early outlook on Section One suggests that it will be a massively competitive league and going into the season without the services of an overseas professional is sure to make things difficult for Armagh. However, new captain for the 2010 season Gareth McCarter would prefer not to look at the negatives. “We know that promotion brings about a whole new set of challenges for this season but that was what we had looked forward to coming out of Section Two and back into the second tier of NCU Cricket. We can’t afford to feel sorry for ourselves because we don’t have a professional because if we work hard and get our basics right then we can compensate for that. It’s a massive test for sure, but we have got to believe that we have the ability to compete against these better players and stronger teams.” Armagh’s success in their promotion season was based on a strong bowling attack dismissing teams then chasing down the targets set and they will hope to be able to repeat this pattern in 2010. Mark Stinson will have a big role to play with the new ball while David Bullick will as ever play a solid role in restricting scoring while taking wickets. Harry Doyle will hope to build on a promising end to last season plus last seasons leading wicket-taker Stuart Lester will undoubtedly have a major role to play. With the bat a lot will be expected of Colin Russell after his terrific 2009 campaign when he passed the magical 500 run mark and he will hope for plenty of support from Michael Villiers, Philip Doyle, Matthew Steenson and Andrew Bratten. Armagh also welcomes back Dean Lester, Alan Whitcroft and Gareth Robinson to the panel which should certainly add some depth to the squad. Armagh kicked off their season with a challenge match against Waringstown at the Lawn on Sunday 18th April, but the 1st XIs opening league fixture is a crucial one at home to Saintfield this Saturday April 24th starting at 1pm. Armagh were all smiles as they celebrated league success in 2009, but what will the new season hold? Armagh 2nd XI also have a new league to deal with in 2010 after they suffered relegation at the end of the 2009 campaign. However, new captain Paul Scowcroft hopes to lead a talented collection of young players to a successful season in Division Two Section 3. Keith Wilson will lead the Third XI who will hope to repeat and perhaps even improve upon last seasons solid league campaign whereas Ryan McCarter will captain the 4th XI ably assisted by the evergreen all-rounder Arnold Courtney as they seek to help Armagh’s promising junior talents develop into senior cricketers. Those junior talents continue to progress regularly from the Armagh CC youth system ably steered by Club President George W. Breakey. While there is plenty to play for in 2010, last summers inclement weather means that two competitions are awaiting completion. The Under 11 XI have a League Plate semi-final to look forward to while the under-17 Colts XI captained by Matthew Brownlee will play in the Colts Cup Final against Muckamore at Laurelvale on Mayday. The Armagh boys managed to defeat three Premier league sides on their way to the final in what has been a magnificent run. Hopefully the sun shines on all at Armagh CC over the summer! Mall left waterlogged after freak weather Freak weather at the start of Spring has left The Mall under water with the cricket season less than a month away. It will be a race against time to get wickets prepared in time for the first game on the 24th of April at home to Saintfield. Pics! Darts Tournament In Club rooms Armagh Cricket Club will be running a darts tournament on Sat 13th March starting at 5PM. The entry fee will be £5 whilst there are prizes of £100 for 1st place, £50 for 2nd and £25 each for the beaten semi finalists. Everyone is welcome to play or if you do not wish to chance your arm, come on down for some craic! New captain at Armagh Cricket Club for 2010 season Armagh Cricket Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Gareth McCarter as the new 1st XI captain for the 2010 season. 1st team wicketkeeper McCarter has plenty of captaincy experience from two years in charge of the 2nd XI as well as some success leading Armagh Under 17’s and the Royal School Armagh 1st XI. Gareth was also the 1st XI captain for their tremendous win away to Muckamore in the 2009 Challenge Cup and will undoubtedly hope to lead the city side in more memorable victories this summer. This change has had to come about as the club regrettably cannot bring back last season’s club captain and professional Charudatta Kulkarni for the 2010 season. Unfortunately the continued poor summer weather has led to a drop in turnover for the bar and the economic recession has meant that the club has not been able to source a major sponsor for either the 2009 or 2010 seasons; meaning that it was not economically viable for the Armagh Club to bring Kulkarni back to Armagh for his third season. “Naturally we are extremely disappointed that we can’t bring Charudatta back for the 2010 season” admitted new captain McCarter. “He played a massive part in our 2009 Ulster Bank Division 1 Section 2 win with his captaincy and positive influence. However, Charu appreciates the tough position that we find ourselves in and hopes to be able to return to Armagh in the future and that is something we can look forward to. In the short term, this will obviously make things tougher for us to survive in Section 1, but with hard work and a good attitude as well as plenty of strong players in the squad we can certainly hope to hold our own.” Armagh’s first fixture is scheduled for Saturday 24th April on the Mall when they host fellow promoted side Saintfield. Pre-season practice starts on Wednesday night at the Royal School Sports Hall; juniors from 6pm-8pm and seniors from 8pm-10pm. Indoor Nets Date Set Armagh Cricket Club will begin their preparations for the 2010 season in earnest when pre-season training begins on Wednesday 24th February at the Royal School Armagh. Junior training will be from 6pm-8pm and senior practice will take place afterwards from 8pm to 10pm. All players are encouraged to attend with the season only two months away. Junior practice will cost £1 per session to cover equipment costs; and youngsters aged between 9 and 15 are very welcome to come along with fun sessions designed to suit all abilities. For further information, contact George Breakey or Gareth McCarter Players MeetingThere will be a players meeting next Friday night (12th Feb) in the Pavilion at 8pm. All players are urged to attend. 2010 Cup Draws The firsts have drawn Carrick away in the 2nd round of the NCU Challenge Cup after being given a bye in round one. It will take place on May 22nd. The seconds have drawn Templepatrick away in the NCU Intermediate Cup second round. Meanwhile Armagh Thirds are also on the road this time to North Down in the NCU Lindsay Minor Cup first round and the Fourths entertain Ballymena in round one of the same cup. 2010 Fixtures All the fixtures for the four senior teams can be found under the fixtures page. Under Age Cup Draws Made The Colts (u17's) will face CIYMS away in round two of the Colts Cup where as the u13s travel to Muckamore in round one of the Banogue Cup. Finally the clubs youngest side, u11s, entertain Lisburn at home in round one of the Quoile Cup. Membership Due Membership for the new season is due before the end of February. The prices can be found under the club info link to the left of the page. Just drop it in an envelop with your name on it, and either place it behind the bar or give it to any committee member. Archive News 2008 2009 2010 | 
