Pembroke Cricket Club History

The club was founded in 1868 and is located at Sydney Parade, Park Avenue, just outside the old village of Sandymount in the prosperous Dublin suburb of Ballsbridge. The grounds were part of the lands of the Pembroke Estate from which the Club took its name. In 1983 the Club bought out the ground from the Estate and now is the joint owner in conjunction with Monkstown Rugby Club.

The Club fields six men's teams in league and cup competitions (the seventh XI made its cup debut in 2002 and leagues one and only season so far in 2004). There are also three ladies teams and schoolboy league teams at Under Eleven, Thirteen, Fifteen, Seventeen and Nineteen age groups. The First XI have a proud record winning the Leinster Senior Cup in its Inaugural Year, 1935 and on twelve occasions since. It has regularly provided players to the Irish Team of whom S.F. Bergin, with fifty-three caps between 1949 and 1965 is the most famous. Our 1999 captain, Peter Davy and his twin brother John were both capped for Ireland. In 1999 Peter Davy scored 132 for Ireland against the MCC at Lords. Most recently both Allan Eastwood and Andrew Balbirnie have been capped.

All the other teams in the Club have had success in league or cup competitions over the years. The Club particularly values its youth policy and encouragement of Schoolboy Cricket; most of the better players who have represented the Club over the years have begun on the under age teams.

The Club has also been fortunate with its overseas players, both professional and amateur, including three New Zealanders Chris Kuggeleijn, Alan Stimpson and Richard Hastie; South Africans Wim Jansen, Ian Solomon and Walter Masimula and Australians Luke Jackson and Owen Gilchrist. In addition the Club regularly welcomes players from the UK and other countries while working in Dublin.

The Club has a healthy social atmosphere, a full bar, a hard working committee, and many other members who give of their time voluntarily for all manner of things from coaching to organising social functions. The Club has a record of touring, of which the highlight was probably the 125th Anniversary Tour of Australia in 1992/1993