Cliftonville Cricket Club may have amalgamated with Academy some seven years ago but it was the 30th anniversary of the original club’s NCU League title that was celebrated last week.

Indeed, Cliftonville won the old Section One three years in a row from 1995-97, sharing the trophy with Lisburn in 1996. But Warren McCully and Michael Turkington were not going to let the anniversary pass without assembling the cast of those memorable years together again.

Cliftonville in 1995 

Five months in the making it turned into a fabulous success for the ‘family club’ as every member of the 1995 team was present with the Patterson brothers Andy and Mark flying in from London and professional Kamal Merchant driving up from Dublin.

The evening started with Turkington welcoming his former team-mates, families and supporters  before Jim Munn recalled the build-up to their hat-trick of successes with a review of the 1993 season – when they won promotion from Section Two for the first time in more than 20 years – and 1994, the year Merchant and Andy Clement arrived  in Greenisland. Between Merchant, Clement and Mark Patterson they took 105 wickets that season. It was only enough to finish fourth in the table – but the foundations had been laid.

Alan Neill and Michael Turkington

Before dinner, Merchant took the microphone and said that Andy Patterson was the ‘best young player’ he ever saw and told an 18-year-old Kyle McCallan he would win 50 caps for Ireland. (He underestimated by 177).

Back in those days, low scores, bowlers being allowed to bowl 15 overs and ‘two-nighters’ – remember them – were commonplace and it was 20 points for a win with batting and bowling points, which proved decisive in 1996.

The memories came rolling back as that 1995 season was recalled by skipper Alan Neill, with Merchant in particular consistently having ridiculous parsimonious figures, such as one for seven and (his best that year) six for 12, on both occasions from 15 overs! His final tally for the season was 54 wickets at 8.83 while Kyle took 30 at 17 and opener Barry Cooper was top run scorer with 640 at 35.

Kyle McCallan and Kamal Merchant

The season still came down to a last day decider against Lisburn at Wallace Park, with the home side 10 points ahead in the league table. Famously, the headline in the News Letter that morning was “It must be Lisburn”, over a report written by yours truly. As I found out last week, no team-talk was required from Neill before the match. My article was just pinned up on the dressing room wall!

When Cliftonville were 20 for three, my prediction was looking good but a stand of 42 between Andy Patterson and Simon Winters put the visitors back on track. However, mid-innings they lost four quick wickets and they still needed 15 off the last two overs for the win and the league title. In the last over, Mark Patterson, by now a professional with Surrey, flicked Derek Heasley to the boundary and Cliftonville were champions for the first time since 1938.

Remarkably, it was a repeat scenario the following season when the teams met again on the last day, this time at Greenisland and after Cliftonville had made 143 for six, they had to take only six wickets to claim the title outright.

Andy Patterson and Michael Turkington

When they reduced Lisburn to 107 for five, the home team were favourites but Neil Doak – the batsman of the year averaged 55 for Ireland that summer – would not be moved. He finished 62 not out, Lisburn won by five wickets and the title was shared on 310 points each!

Merchant had an expensive season – 33 wickets at 14! – but the all-rounder of the year was McCallan who scored 605 runs at 37.8 and took 43 wickets at 13.5, including a best of seven for 13 in the Challenge Cup against Dunmurry.

Kyle, who was by now an Ireland international at the age of 21, took over the captaincy in 1997 and at one stage Cliftonville were 70 points clear at the top of the table before retaining it with a game to spare.

Fittingly, McCallan had the last word on a memorable night. He gave an emotional tribute to the late John Solanky, who played in the 1993 promotion-winning season, and who was responsible for the early success of himself, the Patterson brothers, McCully and Brian Anderson.

Cliftonville 2025

He also singled out Merchant, “90 per cent of my wickets were because Kamal was bowling at the other end” and BA (Anderson) who “invariably got the pros out”.

The future Ireland captain concluded: “It was a real family club. We loved each other doing well but succeeded by making sure we were the best one next time. I certainly wouldn’t have had my personal success or where I am today but for my experiences at Cliftonville.”

Other players from the treble-winning teams there on the night included, Alistair Speer, Conor McCully, Stephen McChesney and Jonny Terrett.