Lisburn Cricket Club ready for new season

During the winter the clubhouse has been completely refurbished, which was due after a burst pipe had caused damage at the height of the cold weather, and recently brand new artificial surface nets have been laid in the corner of the playing area.

An immense amount of work has been put in by the Lisburn C.C management committee members during the off season and now all is required is some continuing good weather to start proceedings. The players have practice facilities second to none at their disposal and with the first match due on April 24, the First team is looking forward to the new season with great expectancy.

The First squad begin their season with a friendly in Bournemouth this weekend, April 16 and 17. The connection with the Bournemouth club being through the Hampshire influence of the Irvine brothers, whose elder brother Sean plays for the county.

There is however, a problem with the early part of the season; Craig Irvine the all rounder has been selected for his home country Zimbabwe in the forthcoming World Twenty/20 competition being held in the West Indies at the beginning of May. He may also be involved in the Zimbabwe 50 over squad in the weeks following the World Twenty/20 and this could cause Lisburn a large problem.

Having chosen not to employ a full time professional for the first time for over 30 years, the absence of Craig could be very significant and Lisburn may be forced to employ a professional on a temporary basis until the Zimbabwean is available.

However, Craig's brother Ryan has had a good season back home and he should be a force to reckon with, with both bat and ball. Alongside captain and Irish international Greg Thompson, fast bowler and vice captain David Simpson plus off spinner Henie Van de Merwe, Lisburn are not short of talented performers.

They will need all the class they can muster as they have a difficult start to the season. April 24 sees a visit to the Park for league champions North Down and on May 1, C.I.Y.M.S. are the opponents. The third league match is against newly promoted Downpatrick at Strangford Road on Bank Holiday Monday and on May 8, Limavady are the visitors for the first round of the Irish Cup; a fixture to savour.

The next 10 days will see the Lisburn players using their new practice facilities to prepare for the season. Seconds captain Richard Booth and Thirds skipper Moore Hillis are also looking forward to the oncoming season.

Senior practice will now take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6pm until 8pm, while the youth practice fro the Under 15 group commences on Monday April 26 from 6-8pm. Wednesday April 28 sees the other two youth groups, the Under 11 and Under 13s from 6-8pm beginning their practice under the supervision of Richard Simpson Snr and an extensive team of Lisburn coaches.