Cricket Ireland - History

History

An Irish Cricket Union was formed in 1890, though its only function was to select the Irish international team. The Irish Cricket Union was officially founded in 1923, and is made up of five provincial unions, namely the Leinster Cricket Union, the Munster Cricket Union, the Northern Cricket Union, the Connacht Cricket Union and the North West Cricket Union. Its powers initially were strictly limited and it was reconstituted in 1933.

Ireland was accepted as an associate member of the International Cricket Council on 6 July 1993.

In common with a number of other Ireland sporting governing bodies, the Union represents all of Ireland, rather than just the Republic of Ireland. In common with its counterparts for rugby union and field hockey, the Union therefore does not use the Irish tricolor, but instead employs its own flag.

Ireland is one of the teams in Division 1 of Associate Members of International Cricket Council who has One Day International and T20 International status.

Ireland's greatest cricketing success to date is 3 wicket victory over England in 2011 Cricket World Cup in which Kevin O'Brien scored the World Cup's fastest century and Ireland set a World Cup record with by "chasing" 327 runs. During 2007 World Cup Ireland had major success with their victory by three wickets over Pakistan in a 2007 Cricket World Cup group match.

This was overshadowed by the sudden death of the Pakistan Coach Bob Woolmer. Ireland also managed to beat the West Indies in their prime in 1968 and put in a good performance against Bangladesh and won in the world cup. The Irish Cricket Union was dissolved and reformed as a limited company on 3 February 2008 at its annual general meeting.

After the tremendous success at International stage, Cricket Ireland has applied for Full Membership from the International Cricket Council. Ireland have recently won the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2008 and 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier and qualified for 2009 World Twenty20 and 2011 Cricket World Cup. Being a full member will allow Ireland to be a permanent One Day International and eventually granting them Test status.

On August 2011, Cricket Ireland announced its plans to put in place a first-class structure, which is a major achievement for the nation on their path to gaining Test status.

In 2012, Cricket Ireland announced that it had found the pathway to Test status for their tremendously successful men's team by 2020. Targets include an increase in the number of people playing the game in Ireland to 50,000, reaching eighth in the world rankings and establishing a domestic first-class structure. A number of commercial deals have been secured, allowing Ireland to unveil their strategic plan to 2015 and target their ultimate ambition of securing Test status. Cricket Ireland has offered a record 23 professional contracts to players, in three categories, for 2012, a development Simmons says is vital for their continued improvement. Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, has also agreed a two-year extension to his contract which will take him through to at least the end of Ireland's World Cup qualifying campaign late next year. Initiatives to swell participation numbers to 50,000 will include the establishment of regional academies; a Get Into Cricket scheme which will seek to attract six to 12-year-olds to take up the game in clubs and schools; a Better Clubs Initiative, which will encourage clubs to improve their facilities; and the Cricket Ireland national awards which will recognise contributions ranging from players to volunteers. "Our commitment to the game at grassroots level will hopefully make a real difference on the ground," Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland CEO, said. "We want to give as much attention to the domestic game as we have to the international teams in the last four years." In another sign of the growing popularity of cricket in Ireland, the Irish provided a record 23 national contracts for the 2012 season, which also included not only the senior and regular members of the squad, but also fringe players. The contracts, for the first time, were divided into sections: Category A, Category B, and Category C (for fringe players).