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| Team information | |
|---|---|
| Home ground | Circular Road |
C.I.Y.M.S. Cricket Club is a cricket club in Belfast, Northern Ireland, playing in the NCU Premier League. C.I.Y.M.S. is an acronym for Church of Ireland Young Men's Society, a body initially established for young men belonging to the Church of Ireland, but the society is now open to men and women of all religions and denominations. [1]
The club was founded by members of the Church of Ireland Young Men's Society whom were working in a soup kitchen by Belfast City Hall. [1] In 1964, CIYMS moved from central Belfast to a new ground at Circular Road, Belfast. The ground-breaking ceremony was overseen by the Church of Ireland bishops Mitchell of Down and Dromore and Eliott of Connor [2]
In 2015, CIYMS won the NCU Senior Challenge Cup for the first time. [3] In 2019, CIYMS won the All-Ireland T20 Cup. This also enabled them to take part in the 2020 European Cricket League, becoming Ireland's first entrant. [4] However, they were unable to play due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain cancelling the tournament. They won a play-off in 2020 against YMCA Cricket Club to compete the next year but this was also cancelled. [5] CIYMS would eventually be able to compete in the 2023 European Cricket League after winning the All-Ireland T20 Cup in 2022, despite a broken down bus delaying their arrival to Spain for the tournament. [6] [7] They finished third behind France's Dreux and England's Hornchurch though CIYMS' Jason van der Merwe was awarded the MVP trophy. [8] CIYMS qualified for the 2024 European Cricket League. After winning their group and progressing to the Championship Week, [9] they were eliminated following a loss to Jersey's Old Victorians. [10]