Malahide Cricket Club
Cricket
T20I
Malahide
Score:
40
/ 60
Overview
Malahide is a pretty town just outside Dublin, bounded to the east by the Irish Sea and to the north by the Broadmeadow estuary. The town itself and the grounds of its castle, in which the cricket club is situated, are well worth exploring before or after play. Much of the set-up for international fixtures at Malahide is temporary. The stands, toilets, catering, bars, even the changing rooms are all assembled solely for Ireland games. There is little in the way of permanent infrastructure here outside of those fixtures. While the temporary stands and the Portaloo’s may be unprepossessing, the backdrop is lovely. Looking over the field of play to the hospitality marquee, with trees and hills in the distance, is the quintessence of club cricket. To see international standard cricket played in such a setting is a real treat. Take the chance to do so soon because, with a permanent stadium on the other side of Dublin set to be built and become their home in the late 2020s, Ireland may not be playing here for many more summers.
Score Summaries
Atmosphere & Experience: 7
Having watched a relatively by the numbers T20I between Ireland and England, which had a sense of borderline-tedious inevitability from the early stages as the visitors’ out-bowled and out-batted the home side, I’m conscious that, thanks to the lack of tension, I may not have seen the best of either the Irish or the travelling fans. That said, the Malahide set up has a lot of charm. It has the feel of a well-attended and well-appointed county cricket out ground festival. A lot of attention has been paid to making this a family friendly event, with inflatable cricket games and face-painting for kids. Everything seems to run smoothly, from bag searches to seating. Maybe it isn’t exhilarating, edge-of-your-seat fare but it’s refreshingly pleasant to spend a few hours sat under (mostly) blue skies, in a ground bounded on all sides by greenery behind which rolling hills rise up in the distance.
Seats: 7
If it’s a big fixture, arrive early to ensure you can get a seat close to behind the bowler’s arm. The enormous sight screens, coupled with the amount of prime viewing space given over to the hospitality marquee, the commentary box, and the changing facilities means there’s a dearth of decent seating available to the average punter. The seats in the temporary stand are fairly comfortable but are fully exposed to the elements so wrap up warm because the breeze off the Irish sea is unforgiving, and bring a waterproof because the rain can be equally merciless. If you do manage to secure a prime seat, the views are great. The modest dimensions of the ground mean you’ll feel close to the action and the lack of cover allows for an unobstructed perspective of the entire field of play. Fold-out chairs set up underneath the large tree at one end of the ground are a good option if you arrive early enough to sit close to the front and want to lean into the cricket festival feel of the place.
The pricing is also very reasonable at €35 for general admission.
Catering: 6
There’s a good variety of food on offer, considering this is a makeshift set-up. The Pakistani dishes available at the Kinara food truck look divine. The wood fired pizza from D Fire is pretty good. There’s good coffee available, backed up by decent pastries and an egg and onion sandwich with tomato that tastes way better than that combination of ingredients has any right to. Bars serve a reasonable selection of beers and soft drinks. That said, there are two big issues. The first is that the relative paucity of concessions compared to the size of a sell-out crowd at Malahide leads to some very long lines. The second is the pricing. €15 for a margherita and €8 for a pint of Gibney’s Irish Stout is steep, even by stadium standards.
Facilities: 3
Stood in the seemingly interminable queue for the toilets between innings, a light Irish drizzle dampening you only a little but yet somehow enough to chill you to the very core of your being, with only a rickety Portaloo or an al fresco plastic urinal awaiting you, you’d be forgiven for thinking that 3/10 might be an overly generous score.
Getting There: 9
Malahide is readily accessible from Dublin by bus and DART. Buses can also get you directly to the airport. Bus stops and the DART station are located only a couple of minutes’ walk from the main exit. If you have time, visit Malahide castle before the start of play and enjoy the delightful, verdant walk through the grounds to the cricket club.
Getting Away: 8
Malahide is a small enough ground that the DART station doesn’t become too overwhelmed after matches thanks to the modest crowd size, although you may find it you have to wait a while to get on a bus. If you’re in a rush, a taxi to the airport will set you back around €30.