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Cricket in Ireland
Ireland compete against Essex at Castle Avenue
CountryIreland
Governing bodyCricket Ireland
National team(s)Ireland (men's)
Ireland (women's)
Club competitions
International competitions

Cricket in Ireland is governed by Cricket Ireland, which maintains the Ireland men's and women's cricket teams. Like several other sports in Ireland, cricket is organised on an All-Ireland basis. Following the team's success in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the sport's popularity increased in Ireland.[1] The country was, until 2017, an associate member of the International Cricket Council and played in tournaments like the World Cricket League and ICC Intercontinental Cup, which are qualifying rounds for associate teams to the Cricket World Cup and the ICC World Twenty20. Ireland qualified for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 ICC World Twenty20. In the 2011 World Cup, they beat England in the group matches.

In 2017, domestic cricket in Ireland was recognised as first-class cricket and, in recognition of their progress as a cricketing nation, Ireland was granted Full Member (and hence Test) status for the men's national side. Ireland played their first men's Test match against Pakistan in May 2018, losing by 5 wickets. Ireland's women played a Test match prior to full membership. This was in 2000, against Pakistan women.

History

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Early history

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Cricket has been played in Ireland since at least the 17th century, when Oliver Cromwell issued an edict banning it.[2] It is believed to have been introduced to Ireland by the British, although recent research claims that Irish troops in the British Army shaped the game's evolution, by introducing terms and gameplay from the old Irish game of Catty.[3] The earliest known reference to a match in Ireland is the August 1792 fixture in Dublin between the British garrison and an "All-Ireland" team,[4] the garrison team winning by an innings.[5]

Irishmen who were British soldiers, probably of the Royal Artillery, in cricket gear, Waterford, May 1909

Cricket was being played in the towns of Kilkenny and Ballinasloe in the early 19th century, with the Ballinasloe club established in 1825. In the 1830s, the game began to drop down; many of the clubs which were founded in the following 30 years are still in existence today.[6] The first Irish national team played in 1855 against an English national team in Dublin.[7] In the 1850s, the Englishman Charles Lawrence was responsible for developing the game in Ireland through his coaching.[6] In the 1850s and 1860s, Ireland was visited for the first time by touring professional teams. Ireland's first match against Marylebone Cricket Club was in 1858.[6] The game increased in popularity until the early 1880s.

Two changes in the late 1800s-early 1900s damaged the popularity of cricket and cricketers in Ireland. The first was the outbreak of the Land War in the late 1800s resulting from the mistreatment of tenants by absentee landlords when landlord and tenant were alienated. The second was a ban placed in 1901 on the playing of "foreign" games by the Gaelic Athletic Association, which was not lifted until 1970.[6] Anyone playing foreign games such as cricket would be banned from the extremely popular Irish games of hurling and Gaelic football as it was popularly referred to as a 'garrison game' enjoyed primarily by the occupying British forces and the landowning Protestant oligarchy they protected.[8]

Irish teams toured Canada and the United States in 1879, 1888, 1892, and 1909. On top of this, Ireland defeated a touring South African side in 1904.[6] Their first match with first-class status was played on 19 May 1902 against a London County side including W.G. Grace. The Irish, captained by Sir Tim O'Brien, lost convincingly by 238 runs.[9]

Modern era

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The 2005 ICC Trophy was hosted by Ireland. After Ireland's successes at the 2007 Cricket World Cup, cricket experienced a popularity boom in Ireland, with participation reaching record levels.[10]

Participation

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According to the Cricket Ireland strategic plan for 2021–2023,[11] 52,000 people in Ireland play, officiate or administer cricket or are involved in school programmes. This is compared to 13,000 people in 2007.

There are more than 120 active cricket clubs on the island. Women and girls make up 19% of participation numbers. Immigration to Ireland has boosted participation with 70% of people involved through Leinster being of non-Irish origin.

27,000 children participated in school programs in 2019.

Governing body

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Main article: Cricket Ireland

The Irish Cricket Union (ICU) – the governing body of Irish cricket – was officially founded in 1923, although its predecessor had been active since 1890.[6]

In 2007, it announced that it would undergo major structural changes in order to bring it in-line with the main cricket governing bodies.[12]

In 2008, the Irish Cricket Union was formally dissolved and replaced with Irish Cricket Union Limited,[13] which would go by the trading name of Cricket Ireland.[14] A new governance structure was implemented, with the Board of Directors comprising a Chair, six nominees from four Provincial Unions and five independent directors. All Board members are non-executive and act in a voluntary capacity.[15]

Warren Deutrom has served as CEO since 2006.[16]

National Teams

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Men's National Team

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Main article: Ireland cricket team

The Ireland cricket team is the cricket team representing all Ireland (i.e., both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). They compete in Test, ODI and T20I competitions in international cricket. Ireland was granted ODI status after finishing second in the 2005 ICC Trophy, while also qualifying for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the first time they had done so. They were awarded Test status in 2017.[17]

Difficulty with retention of players

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In the period before and after obtaining ODI status, Ireland lost a number of their most talented players to England. This was due to Ireland's lack of professional wages and an inability to play Test cricket. Since gaining Full Member status, a senior player has not left the play elsewhere internationally.

Dublin-born batsman Ed Joyce had played with some success as part of Ireland's ICC Trophy team and became a key member of the Sussex side in England's County Championship; he also previously captained Middlesex in the 2004 season. Joyce decided to declare to for England in 2005 in order to try to play Test cricket,[18] he was called up in 2006 and made his ODI debut against Ireland.[19] Joyce never played a Test for England and returned to play for Ireland in 2011. He retired in 2018 and is now Head Coach of the Ireland Women's team.[18][20]

Talented batsman Eoin Morgan who earlier represented Ireland in tournaments including the ICC World Cup and the ICC World Twenty20 qualified and played for England, making no secret of his desire to play Test cricket. He played 16 Tests for England and captained the ODI team to victory in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[21]

Former Ireland seamer Boyd Rankin also joined England in 2013 before returning to play for Ireland until retiring in 2021.[22]

After the World Cup, Irish cricket experienced a dip in success with poor results in the 2007 Friends Provident Trophy as many players were unavailable. The Irish cricket team was an amateur side at the time and most of the players had full-time jobs with commitments conflicting with cricket.[23] After the World Cup there were delays in paying the players which resulted in them ignoring the press in protest to their treatment after an Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya.[23]

Warren Deutrom, the chief executive of the ICU, had stated that it wanted to "seek actively to place Irish players into top-level cricket, by developing relationships with [especially] county cricket which will incorporate appropriate player release for Irish international duty, and feeder systems for developing Irish cricketers".[12] The reorganised ICU's sought to make closer links with the English counties, encourage the development of age group cricket, and to introduce a professional element into the Irish game. They also want to take the Irish cricket team on winter tours more often.[12] In an attempt to prevent the game losing players to counties or other commitments such as jobs, it was suggested that central contracts should be introduced.[24]

English county competition

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See also: County cricket

Ireland, along with Scotland, has at times played in competitions for English county cricket sides, including the Benson & Hedges Cup and the Friends Provident Trophy (previously the C&G Trophy). Since there is no nationality restriction in county cricket, non-Irish players have competed for Ireland in these matches. For example, Hansie Cronje of South Africa competed for Ireland in the 1997 Benson & Hedges Cup,[25] and more recently New Zealander Jesse Ryder played for Ireland in 2007.[26] In 2004 Ireland beat Surrey by five wickets in the C&G Trophy.[27]

For the 2006 season, the C&G Trophy was reorganised to include a round-robin stage instead of being entirely knock-out. Whereas Ireland had only one match guaranteed in the tournament before, they now had more fixtures against English county sides. For the 2006 tournament, they were bolstered by the signings of Saqlain Mushtaq and Shahid Afridi, the two overseas players they were allowed when competing in English domestic competitions. Ireland recorded one win in their nine matches.[28] Their victory was over Gloucestershire on 30 April by 47 runs.[29]

The C&G Trophy changed its name to Friends Provident Trophy for the 2007 season. In 2007, Ireland played in the Friends Provident Trophy against nine English county sides. Of those nine matches, they lost six and the remaining three matches were abandoned due to rain. They finished bottom in the South Conference of the trophy.[30] For the 2008 season, the round-robin section of the trophy was changed from two divisions to three; Ireland was in the newly formed Midlands Division. In 2008, Ireland played eight games in the Midlands Division, winning one match with one no result and six losses. They finished fifth in the division which had five teams.[31] Ireland's four wicket victory over Warwickshire on 16 May was Ireland's first win in the competition against a county side for two years.[32] Captain William Porterfield anchored the innings with 69 runs.[33]

Domestic cricket

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Inter-Provincial Series

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The Inter-Provincial Series ('Interpros') was introduced for the first time in 2013 as part of Cricket Ireland's strategy to attain Test status by 2020. It featured three teams representing their respective provincial unions: Leinster Lightning, North West Warriors, Northern Knights. Munster Reds were added to the T20 competition in 2017[34] and then the List A competition in 2021.[35] Connacht Cricket Union do not take any part in these competitions.[36]

First-Class

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The multi-day competition is called the Inter-Provincial Championship. In October 2016, the International Cricket Council agreed to award the competition first-class status as part of efforts to elevate Ireland to becoming a Full Member.[37] The competition was not held in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic and has yet to return.[38] Leinster Lightning have been the most successful team in the competition, winning six of the seven seasons.[39]

List A

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The one-day competition is called the Inter-Provincial Cup. At the same time that the ICC awarded first-class status to the Inter-Provincial Championship, List A status was also conferred on the Inter-Provincial Cup.[37] Leinster Lightning have been the most successful team in the competition, winning eight of the ten seasons.[39]

Twenty20

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The 20 over competition is called the Inter-Provincial Trophy. The competition also received official Twenty20 status in October 2016. Leinster Lightning have been the most successful team in the competition, winning seven of the ten seasons.[39]

Contracts and Eligibility

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In a Cricket Ireland press release, High Performance Director Richard Holdsworth explained the process for the provinces to award contracts for the Interpros.[36] He said that each team would be allowed to award sixteen contracts. These contracts would not involve regular salaries for reasons of budget, but they would include match fees and help with expenses such as travel and gym memberships.

To be eligible for a contract, a player must either be an Irish national or play for an Irish club in one of the five cricketing provinces. Holdsworth said that the Interpros should provide a direct pathway into the Ireland side, but that retired internationals like Nigel Jones and Albert van der Merwe would still be eligible. Teams are allowed to play up to two non-Irish nationals in the Championship matches.

Each province would first have the opportunity to sign players from their own province, such as a Leinster-based player playing for Leinster, but players would also be able to play for non-local provinces if they preferred. He also said that provinces would be allowed to bring in players from outside their squads who are excelling in club cricket.

Club cricket

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Club cricket is organised on a provincial basis, with each of four major provinces – Leinster, Munster, Northern and North West – organising its own senior leagues and cups.

Clubs within the Connacht Cricket Union, the smallest and newest provincial union, generally compete in Munster Union competition.

Irish Senior Cup

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Main article: Irish Senior Cup (cricket)

Since 1982, Cricket Ireland has organised the 50-over Irish Senior Cup on an all-Ireland basis. The competition has held a similar format since its inception – featuring 32 teams: ten clubs from each of Leinster, the North and North West, and two from Munster, producing a five-round knockout. At times entries have exceeded 32 teams, requiring the need for preliminary games.[40]

Waringstown are the most successful team in the competition's history win six titles.[41] CIYMS are the current holders, they beat Lisburn in the 2022 final.[42]

All-Ireland T20 Cup

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The All-Ireland T20 Cup is the national club T20 competition in Ireland - bringing together the best T20 teams in club cricket across the provinces.

The men's competition began in 2017 and features the winner of each of the four Provincial Unions’ T20 club competition playing off in four team knockout format. The semi-finals and the final are played on the same day.[43] CIYMS are the current holders of the Cup having beaten Cork Harlequins in the 2022 final.[44]

The women's tournament began in 2021 and features a preliminary final between the winner of the NCU's and NWCU's T20 club competition to play in the final against the winner of Leinster's T20 club competition.[43] Merrion beat CIYMS in the 2022 final and are the current holders of the Cup.[45]

Trans-national

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In 2019, Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association announced the creation of a Twenty20 league competition, the Euro T20 Slam, involving two new city-based franchises per nation. In April of that year, it was confirmed that the as yet unnamed Irish franchises would be based in Dublin and Belfast.[46]

The first season of the Twenty20 franchise-based league was scheduled to start in August 2019 but was postponed due to unforeseen reasons.[47] Cricket Ireland again announced postponement of the competition in 2021.[48]

International cricket grounds

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There are four international cricket venues in Ireland that have been approved by the International Cricket Council to host international cricket.

Ground Club City Provincial Union Capacity First Used Test ODI T20I
Castle Avenue Clontarf Cricket Club Dublin Leinster Cricket Union 3,200 1999 — 25[49] 3[50]
Stormont C.S.N.I. Belfast Northern Cricket Union 7,000 2006 — 34[51] 27[52]
The Village Malahide Cricket Club Malahide Leinster Cricket Union 11,500 2013 1[53] 22[54] 16[55]
Bready Bready Cricket Club Magheramason North West Cricket Union 3,000 2015 — 1[56] 12[57]

Cricket Ireland is also committed to the creation of a fifth international ground in Abbotstown, West Dublin.[58] In January 2023, Cricket Ireland was given the go ahead by Minister for Sport Catherine Martin to proceed with development in Abbotstown on the Sport Ireland campus. CEO Warren Deutrom said he expected work on pitches to begin in 2023 in order to be ready to co-host the 2030 T20 World Cup alongside England and Scotland.[59]

There is currently no international ground in either of the Munster or Connacht Cricket Union areas.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bank of Ireland welcomes home the Irish Cricket team from their first World Cup and celebrates their achievements". Archived from the original on 16 September 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  2. ^ McNally, Frank. "An Irishman's Diary". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Cricket on solid local footing". independent. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Cricket in Ireland: 1792 to 1850". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  5. ^ Bowen, p. 267.
  6. ^ a b c d e f A brief history of cricket: Cricket in Ireland, Cricinfo Retrieved on 3 November 2008.
  7. ^ "1,000 matches: CEO Warren Deutrom on the growth of cricket, his hopes and his biggest frustration". Cricket Ireland. Archived from the original on 6 December 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  8. ^ "Cricinfo - Ireland - History". Static.espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  9. ^ f5558: London County v Ireland: Ireland in England 1902, CricketArchive Retrieved on 5 November 2008.
  10. ^ Andrew McGlashan (25 June 2007), An impossible balancing act, Cricinfo.com Retrieved on 13 November 2008.
  11. ^ "Creating a Cricket Island – Cricket Ireland's Strategic Plan 2021-2023". www.cricketisland.ie. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  12. ^ a b c ICU sets out major changes, Cicinfo.com, 8 October 2007 Retrieved on 11 November 2008.
  13. ^ "New era for Irish cricket". cricketeurope.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  14. ^ "ICU becomes Cricket Ireland". cricketeurope.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  15. ^ Ireland, Cricket (February 2023). "Independent Non-Executive Directors Candidate Brief" (PDF). CricketIreland.ie.
  16. ^ "Warren Deutrom appointed Ireland chief executive". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Ireland awarded Test status after 10-year quest". 22 June 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ^ a b "Ed Joyce announces retirement from all forms of cricket | Cricket Ireland". www.cricketireland.ie. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Full Scorecard of England vs Ireland Only ODI 2006 - Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  20. ^ McCormack, Richie. "Ed Joyce confirmed as permanent Ireland women's head coach". OffTheBall. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  21. ^ "Eoin Morgan Profile - Cricket Player England | Stats, Records, Video". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  22. ^ "Ireland seamer Boyd Rankin announces retirement". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  23. ^ a b Andrew McGlashan (1 September 2007), Tough at the top, Cricinfo.com Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  24. ^ Andrew McGlashan (23 December 2007), Early promise gives way to uncertainty, Cicinfo.com Retrieved on 11 November 2008.
  25. ^ Hanse Cronje, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 10 November 2008.
  26. ^ Ryder no-show for Ireland, Cricinfo.com, 28 May 2007 Retrieved on 10 November 2008.
  27. ^ Last chance for the giant-killers, BBC Online, 30 April 2005 Retrieved on 10 November 2008.
  28. ^ Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy – Points Table, Cricinfo.com, 2006 Retrieved on 10 November 2008.
  29. ^ Ireland spin their way to upset, Cricinfo.com, 30 April 2006 Retrieved on 10 November 2008.
  30. ^ Friends Provident Trophy, 2007, Cricinfo.com, 2007 Retrieved on 10 November 2008.
  31. ^ Friends Provident Trophy, 2008, Cricinfo.com, 2008 Retrieved on 10 November 2008.
  32. ^ Porterfield leads Ireland to win, BBC Online, 16 May 2008 Retrieved on 10 November 2008.
  33. ^ Porterfield helps down Warwickshire, Cricinfo.com, 16 May 2008 Retrieved on 10 November 2008.
  34. ^ "Munster will play in T20 Interpros". www.cricketeurope.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  35. ^ "Munster added to 50 over interpros". cricketeurope.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  36. ^ a b "Intercontinental Champions' Cup - Second champion confirmed - PlanetCricket Forums". Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  37. ^ a b "Ireland domestic competition awarded first-class status". ESPNCricInfo. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  38. ^ "Interpros to return next month". cricketeurope.com. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  39. ^ a b c "News | Cricket Ireland". www.cricketireland.ie. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  40. ^ "News | Cricket Ireland". www.cricketireland.ie. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  41. ^ "Irish Senior Cup Winners 1982-2021 – The ACS". Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  42. ^ "CIYMS turn up the style to defeat Lisburn and win Irish Senior Cup". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  43. ^ a b "News | Cricket Ireland". www.cricketireland.ie. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  44. ^ Morton, Johnny (22 August 2022). "CIYMS celebrate All-Ireland trophy joy". News Letter. Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  45. ^ Irel, Cricket; August 2022, Cricket World Sunday 21. "Rebecca Stokell blasts a century as Merrion take All-Ireland T20 Cup honours". Cricket World. Retrieved 3 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  46. ^ Sharma, Harsh (2 April 2019). "Euro T20 Slam finalises the six participating cities". Insidesport.in. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  47. ^ "Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands set to launch Euro T20 League". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  48. ^ "Ireland to face Netherlands in T20 series". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  49. ^ "Castle Avenue, Dublin Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  50. ^ "Castle Avenue, Dublin Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  51. ^ "Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  52. ^ "Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  53. ^ "The Village, Malahide, Dublin Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  54. ^ "The Village, Malahide, Dublin Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  55. ^ "The Village, Malahide, Dublin Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  56. ^ "Bready Cricket Club, Magheramason, Bready Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  57. ^ "Bready Cricket Club, Magheramason, Bready Cricket Team Records & Stats | ESPNcricinfo.com". Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  58. ^ "Ireland to host ODI tri-series in May". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  59. ^ "Deutrom: New stadium just what Irish cricket needs". 29 January 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

Bibliography

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  • Bowen, Rowland (1970). Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development. Eyre & Spottiswoode.
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