Above: our fantastic home, The Green, pictured on Friday afternoon.
After a spell of glorious weather over the past couple of weeks – and especially the last few days – it’ll come as no surprise that the cold and rain are due to return, bringing us back to a much more seasonal start to the season.
BUT… not before we (hopefully!) squeeze in a couple of early games, as The Hills make the journey north for a double-header weekend. They’ll take on our lads in a 40-over clash today, followed by a 20-over game tomorrow – both with 1pm starts.
It’s a youthful line-up to kick things off, with new skipper Tyron Koen still waiting on the arrival of overseas pro Mickey Copeland, due to land on Friday 18th. Peter Davison and Stuart Nelson are still tied up with winter sports, but new signing Kian Hilton is in the mix and looking forward to his first knock on his new home patch.
As always, much will depend on the talismanic Ally Shields – still buzzing after Newcastle’s League Cup win and ready to spark our own trophy-winning resurgence! A proven run-scorer, we’ll also be leaning on his skilful off-spin after the disappointing news that Aditya Adey won’t be returning from Australia this year.
Team to play The Hills
M Aahil, T Crothers, L Crothers, J Corbett, J Dines, K Hilton, T Koen (c), J McClure-Dalzell, S Saul, A Shields, J Shields
Ahead of the new season, the Chairman shared this message:
“Good luck to all playing in pre-season friendlies over the next couple of weeks and welcome to TK and Kian making North Down debuts today. Hopefully we’ll see the benefits of all the hard winter training come to fruition. On that note, thanks to everyone organising and coaching during the close season, plus those that have the ground looking amazing so early in the year. Final thanks to all those giving up valuable time serving on Exec and sub-committees – the club simply wouldn’t exist without all your efforts.”
Speaking of the ground – the grounds team have been flat out getting the place looking great. They’ve made the most of the recent sunshine to get the Green in tip-top shape. They know tougher weather’s coming, but as always, we can rely on first-class conditions to work with. Top job, lads.
And in other big news, we’re absolutely delighted to confirm the signing of Durbanite Kiara Fisher – our first ever female overseas player/coach. A brilliant addition and a big moment for the club. There’s still a bit of admin to finish off, but we’re hoping to confirm her arrival date soon. We’ll catch up with Kiara on the website once she arrives to get her take on the move and the season ahead.
And finally… the youth season kicks off (did it ever really stop?) with a Launch Night on Friday 15th April. All returning members are expected to take part in our sponsored walk to Billy Neill via the Greenway, helping raise vital funds to get the season up and running. Then it’s back to the Green for a burger and a few fun drills to shake off the winter rust.
For new members, it’s the perfect chance to meet the coaches, get a feel for the club, and gear up for another big summer of cricket, skills, and fun.
Welcome to the 2025 cricket season…
