Our History
Pembroke Cricket Club was founded in 1868 and is located at Sydney Parade, Park Avenue, on the outskirts of the village of Sandymount. The grounds were part of the lands of the Pembroke Estate from which the Club took its name.
Pembroke has six Men’s teams, three Women’s teams and Youth teams at Under 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19 age groups. All our teams have gained success at League and Cup level with the Men’s 1st Team winning the Leinster Senior Cup in its Inaugural Year (1935) and on twelve occasions since. In 2019 Pembroke became the Cricket Ireland Club of the Year with the Men’s 1st Team winning the Premier League and the All-Ireland Cup, the Men’s 3rds winning the league, the Under 13 Boys winning the Leinster Cup and the Under 11’s winning the Leinster League and Cup and the All-Ireland Cup.
We have regularly provided players to Irish international teams at all levels from S.F. Bergin, with fifty-three caps between 1949 and 1965 to Kim Garth, Vice-Captain of the Irish Women’s side, and Andy Balbirnie, Captain of the Irish Men’s side in all three formats.
Pembroke particularly values its youth policy and one of the features of our Senior Men’s and Women’s teams is the amount of young players that have come through our coaching system. Over the years we have been fortunate to have long-standing members such as Henry Tighe, John Brennan, Emmett Whaley, Harry Rogers and Barry Tucker looking after our youth programme. The current head of Youth development is Bill Whaley.
The Club has also been fortunate with its overseas players, including New Zealanders Chris Kuggeleijn, Alan Stimpson, Richard Hastie, Jono Hickey and Alex Ridley; South Africans Wim Jansen, Ian Solomon, Walter Masimula and Shaheen Khan (our current professional); Australians Luke Jackson, Owen Gilchrist, Jono Cook , Daniel Solway and Nick Cutler.
The Club has a healthy social scene, a full bar, a hard working committee, and many members who give 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.
Pembroke members have served as Presidents of the Leinster and Irish Cricket Unions and as longstanding holders of various secretarial posts in Cricket Leinster.
Of course we are blessed with one of the most stunning grounds in Dublin, and our sunny wall is just the perfect place for relaxing, catching the rays ,watching some cricket and meeting friends old and new.
You will always be assured of a welcome at Sydney Parade.
Aidan Dempsey – Down Under in 1993