The University of Manchester Cricket Club was formed in its' current guise when the Victoria University of Manchester merged with UMIST in October 2004. Since then, the club had lots of success, with 1st XI and 2nd XI winning their leagues in 2006. This culminated with the club winning the Athletic Union Award for the most improved club. The following year, the 2nd XI continued their winning streak by winning their league again and reaching the quarter finals of their respective BUSA knockout competition. This was also the first year that the club entered a 3rd XI into a BUSA competition.
2008 was a year of unprecedented success for the club. The 1st XI, under the leadership of Alexis Fuller, were runners up to UWIC in the national indoor competition, before carrying on in the summer by winning promotion to the BUSA Northern Premier League and winning the BUSA trophy competition, defeating a Loughborough side containing players who had played 17 matches of first class cricket. The 2nd and 3rd XI consolidated their positions in their respective leagues, with the 4th XI winning the majority of their matches against local opposition. It was particularly pleasing that the club fielded a 5th XI for the first time.
2009 saw the club build on the previous year's success, with the 1st XI staying in the Premier League after heroic performances against Nottingham and Birmingham, and the 2nd XI, captained by Alan Clarke, won every league match they played to be promoted emphatically. The 3rd XI were again solid in their league while Richard Paton's 4th XI won several games. The club fielded six teams, with the 5th XI finishing runners-up in the inaugural Intramural League, and the 6th XI placing third.
2010 was a year which saw the club grow even more, with a 7th XI being fielded for the first time. The 1st XI were unfortunately relegated from the Premier league, but took heart from the fact that they were extremely competitive against teams from UCCE’s, who fielded players with first class experience. The 2nd XI continued their unbeaten streak, gaining a second consecutive promotion to 1A. The 3rd XI consolidated their position in their league, regularly outperforming various 1st XI’s from other universities. James Walton Gould led the 4th XI to promotion at the first attempt, with this year being the first year that the club has fielded 4 BUCS XIs. The 5th XI won the majority of their matches whilst the 6th XI dominated the intermural league, winning the league comfortably. The year concluded with a successful tour to Amsterdam, where opposition included the Dutch international captain Peter Borren, who sent deliveries from a variety of members flying all over Amsterdam.
2011 continued the sterling work of the previous seasons. The 1st XI consolidated their position in the Northern Premier, and the 2nd XI built on their back-to-back promotions by surviving among many other 1st XIs. The 3rd XI were the success story of the season, winning the league under their inimitable captain, James Tuplin. The 4th XI followed their promotion with a solid season and our 5th XI, making their debut in the BUCS leagues, performed admirably. The 6th XI had an excellent season against local teams and other university sides (including their first ever away trip), and the 7th XI had a good season in the intermural league.
2012 is a year which we can look forward to with great optimism. All of our teams have a real chance of success this year as the club continues to grow. It should be a fantastic year ahead.