Story Irish Domestic Season 2012 - Leinster clinch the title!

[Aislabie]

Cricket Ireland > Provincial
All-New Domestic Structure Announced
Provincial teams to compete in first class and list A competitions

Today is a big day for Irish cricket: for the first time, they have been recognised by the ICC as being well ahead of the pack, and have been granted permission to create a first class domestic structure. For the first time in twelve years, the ICC has elevated a new domestic structure to first class standard - the last such competition being Bangladesh's National Cricket League. Now, with support from partners RSA and Volkswagen, the Irish dream of Provincial competition can become a reality.

Ireland have proved time and again that they are a top 10 team, and have at last been recognised as such.​

The first competition, running in June and July, will be the RSA Provincial Shield. Each province will play the others once over the course of six four-day matches, and the winner will be crowned "Champion Province". Unfortunately, this instalment of the Shield will not involve many of Irish Cricket's best names who will be busy playing for their counties, but there will still be a number of regular internationals competing: players like Andr? Botha, John Mooney and Alex Cusack will take to the field against Trent Johnston and Kevin O'Brien. The talent pool will be further boosted by the three overseas players each province is allowed to play at a time: young talents like Sean Abbott (Australia), Kieran Noema-Barnett (New Zealand), and Glenn Querl (Zimbabwe) to name but a few are already set to come and play in Ireland.

But, even bigger than the shield will be the inclusion of the Volkswagen Super40 on the domestic calendar. The four provinces will be joined by a team from Scotland, and will enter battle in a series of one-day matches throughout August. This time, all of Scotland's elite players have been granted special dispensation from their counties to be involved, so we will see the Shield players joined by familiar faces like Paul Stirling, Boyd Rankin, and Eoin Morgan, who is set to play in the Super40 as a local player.

It remains to be seen just how much of a success this short domestic season will have, but the important thing for the first year has to be quality, not quantity.
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Credit to Dragon Fire for the epic logos

 

[Prithvi]

Sounds awesome, since you used a term 'local' player, I guess OS will be allowed as well. In that case, I'd love to see Gaylpso hit Ireland as well.

 

[Aislabie]

Cricket Ireland > Provincial
Provincial Overview
First we travel to the west of Ireland to see the Connacht Colts.

First up we travel to the province of Ireland with the least cricketing heritage: Connacht. Often Anglicised to Connaught, the smallest and least populous of Ireland's provinces is known mainly for its propensity for Gaelic sports like hurling than for English alternatives like rugby and cricket.

The Connacht Colts have signed a squad that is heavy on all-rounders.

Ben Ackland|Andre Botha (c)|Andrew Britton
George Dockrell (1)|Allan Eastwood|Ryan Haire
Gary Kidd|Graeme McCarter|John Mooney
Eoin Morgan (1)|Kevin O'Brien (1)|Greg Thompson
|
Danza Hyatt

|Imrul Kayes

|Phil Mustard

(1)
Glenn Querl

|Junaid Siddique

|Tom Triffitt

*(1) = Available for Super40 only.

Clearly, they could be genuine contenders in the Super40, with George Dockrell, Eoin Morgan and Kevin O'Brien at their disposal, but their real challenge will come from the RSA Shield. Clearly, a lot is going to depend upon Andre Botha, veteran of both of Ireland's World Cup campaigns. His first class career has spanned over a decade, and he has notched up a batting average of a tad over 40 to go with an excellent bowling record. If Connacht are to raise any eyebrows in the longer formats, much weight will rest on Botha's 36 year old shoulders.

Connacht's best overseas recruit is probably Glenn Querl. The young Zimbabwean has experience of the local conditions from his two years playing for the Unicorns. Recently, he also burst onto the scene in Zimbabwe with devastating effect, finishing the seven game Logan Cup season with an astonishing 45 wickets at 12.88 including five five wicket hauls. The Colts will be hoping that he can find the same sort of form in Ireland, because if he can, the Connacht team will be difficult to beat.

Veteran all-rounder Andre Botha will lead the Connacht Colts in 2012.​

Fixtures

RSA Provincial Shield
June 15-18 - Away match against Leinster
June 29-July 2 - Home match against Munster
July 13-16 - Away match against Ulster

VW Super40
July 28 - Home match against Leinster
August 4 - Away match against Ulster
August 12 - Home match against Munster
August 19 - Away match against Scotland

So, can Connacht take either competition, or will they be restricted to the lower echelons of the domestic ladder? Follow them to find out.
​

 

[Umair7]

Connacht Colts-Good Team They Have Got

 

[Aislabie]

Cricket Ireland > Provincial
Provincial Overview
A look at how the Leinster Lions will be shaping up.

Leinster, in the east of Ireland, has a rich cricketing pedegree. Home to the Clontarf ground in Dublin, they will hope to live up to the pedigree of their surroundings to bring home some silverware.

The Leinster Lions' squad is relatively inexperienced - only Tim Murtagh has a contract.

Andrew Balbirnie|Alex Cusack (c)|Nigel Jones
Dom Joyce|Niall McDonnell|Chris Murtagh
Tim Murtagh (1)|Andrew Poynter|Stuart Poynter
Reinhardt Strydom|Stuart Thompson|Roger Whelan
|
Sulieman Benn

|Liam Dawson (1)

|Jahurul Islam

Xavier Marshall

|Kieran Noema-Barnett

|Abdur Razzak

*(1) = Available for Super40 only.

The Leinster squad looks quite weak for the one-dayers - Alex Cusack, the thirty-one year old veteran of 44 ODIs is primarily a bowling allrounder. His fantastic bowling average is just a shade over 23, and he has a five-wicket-haul to his name. He will also be relied upon in the batting department: Andrew Poynter being the next most recognised local batsman. He will be hoping to add to his three list A half centuriees and show more the kind of form that has seen him slot in at number three in the Irish batting lineup for the past few years.

Coming from slightly warmer climes is explosive Kiwi all-rounder Kieran Noema-Barnett whose penchant for big hitting will serve him well in the middle order. He averages over a six an innings in one-dayers for Central Districts. Added to that, he bowls some useful medium pace which could provide very useful to complement Cusack and Nigel Jones - althoug the bowling attack is clearly lacking any sort of pace whatsoever.

Alex Cusack will be hoping to provide runs and wickets for Leinster.​

Fixtures

RSA Provincial Shield
June 15-18 - Home match against Connacht
July 6-9 - Away match against Ulster
July 20-23 - Home match against Munster

VW Super40
July 28 - Away match against Connacht
August 5 - Home match against Munster
August 18 - Away match against Ulster
August 26 - Home match against Scotland

Can Leinster defy the odds and be successful this season? We'll see...
​

 

[Aislabie]

Cricket Ireland > Provincial
Provincial Overview
Heading south for a tour of the Munster Maulers dressing room.

Southern province Munster is large but sparsely popular. Steeped in tradition, it is also lucky enough to boost a strong sporting culture that the Maulers will be hoping to add to with some strong cricketing showings.

The Maulers are a team chocka-block full of domestic talent, but with most of it on leave for the Shield, how will they cope in the longer format?

Jeremy Bray|Kenny Carroll|Thinus Fourie
Shane Getkate|James Hall|Trent Johnston
Ed Joyce (1)|Dave Langford-Smith|Kyle McCallan (c)
Niall O'Brien (1)|William Porterfield (1)|Gary Wilson (1)
|
Tom Beaton

|Kevon Cooper

|Terry Duffin

Ronnie Hira

|Douglas Hondo

|Michael Lumb (1)

*(1) = Available for Super40 only.

The Munster Maulers will be a force to be reckoned with in limited overs cricket this year. Their top order will boast top Irish talent in Porterfield, O'Brien, Wilson and Joyce, but with all of them on leave for the shield Trent Johnston's bowling will be vital in keeping the runs down to a chaseable level. With over fifty Irish ODIs to his credit, and nearly 100 first class wickets at just 20 apiece, he certainly has the pedigree to succeed.

He's probably best known for being forced out of international cricket because of his hair, but Douglas Hondo remains a top-class bowler. In partnership with Trent Johnston, his job will be to close out the top order batsmen of opposition teams. He has 13 years' experience of doing exactly that.

Veteran Kyle McCallan is out of retirement to lead Munster.​

Fixtures

RSA Provincial Shield
June 22-25 - Home match against Ulster
June 29 - July 2 - Away match against Connacht
July 20-23 - Away match against Leinster

VW Super40
July 29 - Home match against Scotland
August 5 - Away match against Leinster
August 12 - Away match against Connacht
August 25 - Home match against Ulster

Can Munster live up to their quality on paper? We will find out...
​

 

[Dipak]

Looks great. Gonna follow this. btw, Tom Beaton is Aussie, right?

Maulers are a great team, boasting the best Irish batters in Porter and Joyce.

 

[Aislabie]

Looks great. Gonna follow this. btw, Tom Beaton is Aussie, right?

Maulers are a great team, boasting the best Irish batters in Porter and Joyce.

Yeah, Beaton is Aussie

 

[6ry4nj]

My da's people are originally from Tiobraid Arann (county Tipperary) so, go Munster!!

 

[RPHKR]

Go Maulers! They're awesome on paper.

 

[Aislabie]

Cricket Ireland > Provincial
Provincial Overview
Finally, we cross the border into Ulster and Northern Ireland.

The far north province of Ulster is home to Northern Ireland. Although noteworthy for its political turmoil and terrorism, Ulster is also Ireland's sporting heartland with the strongest rugby franchise and club cricket league. But how good are the newest Ulster sports team, the Shamrocks?

Ulster's Shamrocks are a strong team with a good balance of youth and experience.

Peter Connell|Phil Eaglestone|Ian Fisher
Hamish Marshall (1)|Fintan McAllister|Rory McCann
Boyd Rankin (1)|James Shannon|Max Sorensen
Paul Stirling (1)|Albert van der Merwe|Andrew White (c)
|
Sean Abbott

|Chamu Chibhabha

|Xavier Doherty

Jeetan Patel

|Jeet Raval

|Luke Wright (1)

*(1) = Available for Super40 only.

Ulster seem to have managed to select the perfect blend of talent for both formats. They have an explosive one-day team with Marshall, Rankin and Stirling, but the rock for the Shield side will be Andrew White. His talent goes largely unnoticed, yet as well as his 56 ODI appearances, he has a very impressive first class pedigree: his 1357 runs have come at 54.3, including a century every 7 innings. With the ball he chips in as well, averaging a respectable 34 per wicket.

A young import few of you will recognise is all-rounder Sean Abbott. In the Big Bash League this year for Sydney Thunder, he took a bagful of wickets as well as chipping in with opportune runs. In the field he particularly stands out: a safe pair of hands and a bullet arm make him a captain's dream. He will just be hoping to improve his career record - his three appearance in the Sheffield Shield have born little fruit.

Andrew White will express his understated style as captain.​

Fixtures

RSA Provincial Shield
June 22-25 - Away match against Munster
July 6-9 - Home match against Leinster
July 13-16 - Home match against Connacht

VW Super40
August 4 - Home match against Connacht
August 11 - Away match against Scotland
August 18 - Home match against Leinster
August 25 - Away match against Munster

How well can Ulster do this season - their squad has the potential to go all the way...
​

 

[Rohit Doshi]

Why cant I see any images below fixtures? It shows me broken

 

[Aislabie]

Why cant I see any images below fixtures? It shows me broken

Dunno - works fine for me.

 

[WubbaLubbaDubDub]

Dont post it as attachment Hence he is not been able to see

vBulletin Message
Invalid Attachment specified. If you followed a valid link, please notify the administrator

 

[Aislabie]

Works fine for me.

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