Photo Credit: Cricket Ireland
The four squads have been announced ahead of tomorrow’s first day of the Inter-Provincial Trophy festival at Pembroke Cricket Club. After wrapping up the Inter-Provincial Cup earlier this month, will Leinster Lightning ‘do the double’ for the second consecutive year?
The Inter-Provincial Trophy is the hotly-contested – and highly-anticipated – T20 competition in the peak domestic men’s series. With a T20 World Cup scheduled for October this year, pressure is mounting on players to perform on the biggest domestic T20 stage in order to book their places to play on the biggest world T20 stage.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE FESTIVAL
With spectator capacity capped to 100 at the venue, Cricket Leinster has advised that tickets have sold out for the event and there will be no admittance at the gate on the day.
So, to follow the matches if you don’t have a ticket:
1. Livestreaming: watch each match on Cricket Ireland Live
2. Livescoring: visit our Match Centre, which has scorecards, statistics and highlight clips
THE SQUADS
Leinster Lightning
George Dockrell (c), Lorcan Tucker, Rory Anders, Andrew Balbirnie, JJ Garth, Jamie Grassi, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Kevin O’Brien, David O’Halloran, Simi Singh, Tim Tector.
The inside word from the team:
Peter Chase and Jack Tector are the notable absentees from the 12-man squad that will compete in the first IP20 Festival of the season. Peter Chase has been struggling with his achilles and heel over the last eighteen months and yesterday saw a specialist. It looks like Chase will be out of action for the foreseeable future and the Lightning wish him well.
Tector meanwhile has taken the news of his omission from the squad very well according to Head Coach Nigel Jones. “As you’d expect with Jack, he understands the situation and he’s very aware that he has to go away, and score runs to put his hand back up for selection. Opportunities are there to be taken but doors are never shut on anyone.
“We’re excited by the squad we’ve named for the first T20 festival,” continued Jones. “We’re confident that we’re doing the work and the mind will be right come that first game on Friday. It’s important after a successful IP50 campaign that we don’t bring that with us in terms of baggage and expectation.
“We’ve a nice mix of young, hungry talent with some senior pros and I’m hoping that we get to see a blend of both performing and stamping their name on a game of cricket this weekend.”
Munster Reds
Tyrone Kane (c), PJ Moor, Murray Commins, Jack Carty, Greg Ford, Matt Ford, Fionn Hand, Mitchell Thompson, Joshua Manley, Theo Dempsey, Seamus Lynch, Mike Frost, Aaron Cawley.
The inside word on the team:
How the Reds must rue the absence of Gareth Delany and Curtis Campher heading into this first IP20 Festival. Both players are tailor-made for this format, and leave a big hole in the squad.
However, as shown in the last IP50 match against North West Warriors earlier in the week, the Reds still possess some exciting (and big-hitting) talent. Murray Commins, Tyrone Kane, Matt Ford and Fionn Hand demonstrated how destructive this side can be on their day.
When the Reds beat the Lightning a few years ago in an IP20 Festival match it was seen as a major upset. A few years later, and with a re-modelled squad, a Reds win is no longer seen in such terms. They are a highly competitive squad and will push every opposition side hard. A very explosive side to watch when they click.
North West Warriors
Andy McBrine (c), William Porterfield, Stephen Doheny, Shane Getkate, Nathan McGuire, Ross Allen, William McClintock, Graham Kennedy, Craig Young, Varun Chopra, Graham Hume, Kyle Magee, Jared Wilson.
The inside word from the team:
It’s probably no surprise that the North West Warriors have named an unchanged panel for this weekend’s first T20 Festival at Pembroke after their impressive win in Cork on Tuesday. Gary Wilson’s charges have been in Dublin since then, and the 12 who were at the Mardyke, plus Ross Allen who will travel down tomorrow, will hope to make their mark in the opening round of T20 fixtures.
Conor Olphert remains sidelined through injury with Stuart Thompson also unavailable but that will present more opportunities for the likes of Kyle Magee, Varun Chopra and Jared Wilson. The batting looked very solid against the Reds, especially given the solid start from the top order and Head Coach Wilson will be hoping for more of the same over the three days.
Northern Knights
Harry Tector (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, David Delany, Luke Georgeson, Jeremy Lawlor, John Matchett, Graeme McCarter, James McCollum, Ruhan Pretorius, Carl Robinson, Neil Rock, Ben White.
The inside word from the team:
Harry Tector will captain the team in the T20 format for the first time. Also included in the squad are Mark Adair, Graeme McCarter and Ben White; players who were involved in Ireland’s recent tour of the Netherlands. MTB Northern Knights will be without Paul Stirling this weekend as the 30-year-old is currently in England playing for Middlesex in the Vitality Blast. David Delany is named in the squad for the first time this year having recovered from a knee injury.
Speaking ahead of the opening Inter-Provincial Trophy matches, Johnston said: “We can’t wait to get going in the T20 format this weekend. A number of the guys have enjoyed successful T20 campaigns with their respective clubs, scoring big runs and taking plenty of wickets. The three teams that we will face are going to be up for the challenge too, so we are going to have to make sure that we execute our game plans if we are to leave Dublin with maximum points on Sunday night.”
