Clontarf CC Hits London & Sunbury: A Whirlwind Five-Day Tour of Cricket, Culture and Community
Five days, three teams, lots of supporters and countless unforgettable moments – Clontarf Cricket Club took London and Sunbury CC by storm for an epic multi-squad tour. From stepping onto the sacred turf at Lord’s to thrilling final-over finishes against our wonderful hosts, here is the complete day-by-day recap of a truly memorable trip.
Before diving into the action, a massive note of thanks must go to everyone who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make this trip such a resounding success. At Lord’s, our gratitude goes to Karl McDermott, Eoin Morgan and the London Spirit staff. At Sunbury CC, huge thanks to Chair Colin, Chair of Youth Ian, the Grounds team, the Surplus to Supper catering crew, and all the Sunbury bar staff and volunteers who welcomed us with open arms. We also owe a massive debt of gratitude to Ruth, Andy, Giles and all the youth parents and volunteers for their help with transport, along with all the umpires across our six matches. Within Clontarf CC, special thanks go to our scorers Samuel and Tony, Youth tour organisers Ropu and Jennifer, Senior tour organisers Micky and Samuel, and Social Media team Dave, Éabha, Sophie, Ruth, Tom, and every parent who submitted photos. To the sponsors of the Youth Tour: McKeon Bros., Clevercloggs, City Bin, Brown Brothers Locksmiths & Tasty Options – thank you!! Finally, to all our players, parents, and supporters for playing in a brilliant spirit and making this trip so special.👏
Day One: Lord’s, mascots, and Stumpy on the sacred turf
The tour kicked off with a smooth journey from Dublin to London in a real episode of Planes, Trains & Automobiles. After meeting tour mascot Tarbh and checking in to their hotel, the Youth squad made their way to Lord’s for a Hundred double-header to watch some of the world’s finest players in action.
The rest of the day was a whirlwind of special experiences. Emily, Molly, Hugo, and Dan stepped up as mascots for the coin tosses, several players joined Cricket District for a massive garden cricket session, and others soaked in the atmosphere of the Lord’s Pavilion while snapping selfies with Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone. To cap off an extraordinary opening day, former CCC groundsman Karl allowed the group onto the main Lord’s pitch once the action had ended. Between photo ops and cartwheels, an impromptu game of stumpy broke out on the famous outfield to wrap up a brilliant start to the tour.
Day Two: Sightseeing and arrival at Sunbury
Sunday gave the Youth tour party a chance to recover from the excitement of Lord’s and take in some of the sights of London. Players and supporters spent the morning exploring Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the RAF Museum, Soho, Camden Market, and St. Paul’s Cathedral amongst others. Following an afternoon of sightseeing, a quick coach trip brought the group to their base at Sunbury, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Senior squad to prepare for three action-packed days of cricket.
Day Three: A scorching opening round at Sunbury CC
Cricket officially got underway under hot skies, with all three Clontarf sides taking on their Sunbury counterparts.
In the Girls’ match, Sunbury chose to bowl first, and our team posted a strong total of 134/6 from 20 overs. Lily retired on 45 off just 28 balls, while Hannah retired on 33 alongside a solid contribution from Aysha. The bowlers then delivered a sharp performance in the field, led by Emily’s figures of 2/3 – including a double-wicket maiden. Julia and Robyn grabbed a wicket apiece to secure a fantastic opening victory.
Under a scorching afternoon sun, the Boys kicked off their tour in dominant fashion. Sunbury batted first and set a target of 107/7, restricted by relentless bowling from Neil (2/8), Rory, and Hugo. The run chase was over in a flash as opening batter Oscar smashed an explosive 50 before retiring off just 16 balls. Supported by Freddie and Luke, the team cruised home to an eight-wicket win.
In the Mens’ fixture, Clontarf elected to bat first and posted a formidable 219/9, headlined by a magnificent century from Bilal (106) with key support from Arpit and Rizwan. In reply, Chris led the bowling attack with 4/51 alongside wickets for Amir and Sam, but Sunbury produced a strong chase to seal the win with overs to spare in a brilliant contest.
Day Four: Dramatic chases and an emotional return
Day Four delivered more high-quality cricket, plenty of drama, and a warm homecoming on the pitch. Off the pitch, Clontarf weren’t the only visitors at Sunbury, as the MCC were in town to take on the Sunbury Men’s First XI. We were delighted to be invited to fill a table at the match lunch, where the cheese board was apparently out of this world (according to Samuel). Dick Forrest entertained everyone in the room with jokes, stories, and anecdotes – all while sporting a pink cowboy hat!
In the Boys’ second match of the series, Sunbury came out strong, batting first to post 178/3 despite economical bowling from Neil (0/6 off two overs) and wickets from Hugo and Antares. Dan H top-scored with an unbeaten 29, while Oscar and Hugo chipped in, but the chase eventually fell 62 runs short against a disciplined Sunbury attack.
Our Girls delivered an outstanding all-round performance. Bowling first, Aysha claimed a double-wicket over, supported by wickets from Preet and Hannah, to restrict Sunbury to 108/4. The chase was controlled from start to finish as Lily top-scored for the second match running with a brilliant unbeaten 30, hitting four consecutive boundaries in the 16th over. With Hannah L scoring 29 and Aysha adding 16, our side wrapped up an impressive eight-wicket win.
In the Mens’ game, Sunbury posted 205/8 in the first innings, with James taking 2/41 while Chris and Nathan picked up a wicket each. The innings featured two fantastic catches from Lucy, after an early injury to Sam had seen Andrew take over captaincy duties. Rebuilding the chase, Andrew top-scored with a magnificent 59 – including three sixes and seven fours – on his return to his former home ground, though CCC were eventually bowled out for 138.
Day Five: Hat-Tricks, hard-fought chases, and fond farewells
The final day of cricket brought some incredible individual milestones and some thriller finishes before the team headed for home.
The Boys faced a tough start, losing three early wickets before Freddie anchored the innings, retiring on 29 with five boundaries. Dan H (16*) and Oscar (12) pushed the total to 119/7. In reply, Oscar, Antares, and Ross took a wicket each – with Ross finishing as the pick of the attack (1/25) – but Sunbury chased down the target with seven wickets in hand.
Batting first, the Girls set 106/6 from 18 overs, anchored by Laura’s unbeaten 24 alongside runs from Aysha and Preet. The second innings produced the dramatic highlight of the tour as Molly claimed a spectacular hat-trick, finishing with figures of 3/10. Early breakthroughs from Robyn, a direct hit run-out by Lily, a maiden from Preet, and tight death bowling from Emily, Hannah, and Aysha restricted Sunbury just six runs short of the target to cap off a brilliant series win.
In the Mens’ match, Sunbury set a massive target of 274 before being bowled out by the Clontarf attack, with Arpit taking 3/45 and Chris grabbing 2/52. A special mention goes to James, who captained the side in his final match for Clontarf before returning home to New Zealand. Our men put up a heroic run-chase that went right down to the final over, with Navneet scoring a quality 57 and Chris completing a fine match with 54. Clontarf fell just six runs short in a brave 268-run effort.
To wrap up an unforgettable trip, Micky and Ropu made several presentations to our hosts at Sunbury CC to thank them for their incredible hospitality and tireless work in making the tour possible. It was the perfect ending to a fantastic five days of cricket, camaraderie, and club spirit!
