Photo Credit: Sportsfile
Mark Adair and Orla Prendergast were the big winners at the 13th Business Plus Irish Cricket Awards held today in Dublin, as they were respectively named Men’s and Women’s International Player of the Year for 2024.
Adair, 28, had an outstanding year, playing all three formats and showing a remarkably consistent run of form over recent years, which included being named in the ICC Men’s T20I Team of the Year in 2023. See player profile.
His performance highlights in 2024 include:
- Test cricket: 2 matches
- Bowling: 10 wickets at 15.50, with best bowling of 5-39
- Batting: 39 runs at 19.50, with highest score 24*.
- ODI cricket: 5 matches
- Bowling: 9 wickets at 34.77, with best bowling of 4-50
- Batting: 45 runs at 9.00, with highest score 21.
- T20I cricket: 14 matches
- Bowling: 25 wickets at 17.04, with best bowling of 4-31
- Batting: 157 runs at 15.70, with highest score 49.
Prendergast, 22, has won this Award for the second straight year. In 2024, Orla not only starred with bat and ball, but also stood-in briefly at Ireland captain for the first time. See player profile.
Her performance highlights in 2024 include:
- ODI cricket: 12 matches
- Bowling: 9 wickets at 23.00, with best bowling of 3-25
- Batting: 360 runs at 35.42, with highest score 122*
- T20I cricket: 18 matches
- Bowling: 21 wickets at 12.90, with best bowling of 4-22
- Batting: 544 runs at 36.26, with highest score 80.
Each winner received an engraved award designed to the iconic Irish brand, Waterford Crystal – an organisation that is proudly extending its generational links with cricket.
Full Award winners list
- Business Plus Club of the Year: Pembroke Cricket Club
- Butlers Club Player of the Year – Men: Scott Macbeth (Brigade CC)
- Butlers Club Player of the Year – Women: Lara Maritz (Holywood CC / Balbriggan CC)
- Failte Solar Emerging Talent Award – Men: Scott Macbeth (Brigade CC)
- Macron Emerging Talent Award – Women: Christina Coulter Reilly (Clontarf CC)
- Club Cricket Official of the Year – in honour of Paul Reynolds: Alan Neill
- ITW Groundskeeping Team of the Year: Stormont Groundskeeping Team
- Lord’s Taverners Ireland Volunteer of the Year: Sarfraz Ramay
- Certa Smash It/It’s Wicket! Activator of the Year: Stuart Conroy
- KB SportsHub Coach of the Year: Mark Olphert
- Cricket Ireland President’s Spotlight Award: Abi Pollock
- Evoke Super Series Player of the Year: Orla Prendergast
- Dream11 Inter-Provincial Series Player of the Year: Ruhan Pretorius
- Gibney’s Outstanding Contribution and Service to Irish Cricket – in honour of John Wright: Lawrence Moore
- Certa Women’s International Player of the Year: Orla Prendergast
- Failte Solar Men’s International Player of the Year: Mark Adair
In addition, the Cricket Writers of Ireland inducted three former players into the Irish cricket Hall of Fame:
- Inductee 1 (posthumas): EDR Shearer
Citation: Donald (EDR) Shearer played 32 times for Ireland between 1932-1952, scoring 1300 runs at an average of 23.21. He scored two centuries, 102 v Sir Julien Cahn’s XI in Nottinghamshire in 1937, and 101 not out v MCC at Lord’s in 1951. He played for City of Derry, NICC and North Down, and was President of the Irish Cricket Union in 1966.
- Inductee 2: Clare Shillington
Citation: Between 1997 and 2018, Shillington played for Ireland 180 times, which was a record on her retirement. In all she scored 3,328 runs at an average of 22.04, scoring 12 fifties and two centuries. Her centuries came in an ODI against Netherlands in 2012, and a stunning 114 not out off 79 balls against Japan in a T20 the following year. She also picked up 20 wickets at 20.6 and captained the side 15 times. At club level, she played for Railway Union, Malahide, YMCA and Pembroke..
- Inductee 3: Trent Johnston
Citation: Johnston played 199 times for Ireland 2004-2013, captaining the side 60 times, including at Ireland’s first ICC World Cup in 2007. He scored 2610 runs at average of 21.75, scoring 11 fifties. In all matches he took 273 wickets at 23.62, with his best bowling of 6-23 coming against Namibia in 2006. He played for Carlisle, Leinster, Clontarf, Railway Union, YMCA and later coached Leinster Lightning and Ireland Women.
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Name of Author: Cricket Ireland
Cricket Ireland, officially known as The Irish Cricket Union Company Limited by Guarantee, is the governing body for cricket on the island of Ireland. It oversees the national men’s and women’s teams and organizes the Inter-Provincial Series, Super 3s, and All-Ireland club competitions. Ireland achieved Test status for women in 2000 and for men in 2017 when it became a Full Member of the ICC.
