CROWDS have been thin at Stormont this week for the ICC World Twenty20 qualifier. A 10am Sunday start wasn’t a great idea – especially with nothing scheduled for the afternoon – but Ireland home games should surely attract more than 100 paying spectators.
Monday’s game was better attended, but again on a Bank Holiday you expected more, especially with the raucous Nepalese support outnumbering the Irish.
The Northern Cricket Union area was for many years the strongest in the country, providing the majority of players for Ireland and 11 of the first 14 winners of the Irish Senior Cup up to 1996.
Since then, however, only Waringstown has won it, in 2011.
Only two Belfast players – Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson – are in the Ireland squad and they have been in England for years.
In the last decade years the only NCU-bred player to make his debut and win more than 10 caps was wicketkeeper Rory McCann, who filled in for a couple of tournaments when Wilson and Niall O’Brien were playing county cricket.
Perhaps the on-field decline, and the lack of local players to identify with, have driven the Northern public away. It’s a worry for Cricket Ireland that the second biggest city on the island draws such poor crowds, especially with the visit of Australia at the end of August.
And it’s a pity too, as this Ireland T20 side are shaping up to be as dynamic as they are over 50 overs.
Monday’s trouncing of group rivals Nepal was their 22nd in a row in World T20 qualifiers, and they have never been outside the top two in four tournaments.
Only three out of 31 games in all have been lost.
Of the team that started that unbeaten run in 2012 only Andrew White, Ed Joyce, Trent Johnston and Boyd Rankin are no longer in the side.
The players who have come in have impressed, with Stuart Thompson, Andrew Balbirnie, Craig Young, Tyrone Kane and Andrew McBrine all set for long Irish careers.
The tournament moves to Malahide on Friday, when Ireland take on a talented Hong Kong side before finishing off the group stage against Jersey on Sunday.
And with seven Dublin players in the team and a greater depth of support, there won’t be any worries about attracting an audience the side deserves.
***
Cameron Shoebridge, a former Ireland U15 player, has thrown his hand with Scotland.
The Malahide seamer has joined Carlton in Edinburgh and has already played with the Scots U17 team.
Last week he turned out against Durham Academy, making 6 and taking 0-41 off 14 overs.
**
North-West club Creevedonnell have hired a ‘gun’ pro in South African Jean Symes. The Gauteng all-rounder started the season slowly but scored his 6th century in seven games at the weekend.
The game was abandoned so it won’t count in the averages, but with 968 runs in 12 innings he already has plenty.
***
FIXTURES
Thursday: Alan Murray Cup (6pm): Rush v N County, Phoenix v Clontarf, Terenure v Railway; Women’s Senior Cup semi-final: Pembroke v N Kildare
Friday: Ireland v Hong Kong, Malahide 2.15pm; AMC: Leinster v Merrion
Sunday: Ireland v Jersey, Malahide 10am
Monday: Women’s Div1: YMCA v Merrion
Tuesday: AMC: Hills v Clontarf, Railway v YMCA
Monday’s game was better attended, but again on a Bank Holiday you expected more, especially with the raucous Nepalese support outnumbering the Irish.
The Northern Cricket Union area was for many years the strongest in the country, providing the majority of players for Ireland and 11 of the first 14 winners of the Irish Senior Cup up to 1996.
Since then, however, only Waringstown has won it, in 2011.
Only two Belfast players – Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson – are in the Ireland squad and they have been in England for years.
In the last decade years the only NCU-bred player to make his debut and win more than 10 caps was wicketkeeper Rory McCann, who filled in for a couple of tournaments when Wilson and Niall O’Brien were playing county cricket.
Perhaps the on-field decline, and the lack of local players to identify with, have driven the Northern public away. It’s a worry for Cricket Ireland that the second biggest city on the island draws such poor crowds, especially with the visit of Australia at the end of August.
And it’s a pity too, as this Ireland T20 side are shaping up to be as dynamic as they are over 50 overs.
Monday’s trouncing of group rivals Nepal was their 22nd in a row in World T20 qualifiers, and they have never been outside the top two in four tournaments.
Only three out of 31 games in all have been lost.
Of the team that started that unbeaten run in 2012 only Andrew White, Ed Joyce, Trent Johnston and Boyd Rankin are no longer in the side.
The players who have come in have impressed, with Stuart Thompson, Andrew Balbirnie, Craig Young, Tyrone Kane and Andrew McBrine all set for long Irish careers.
The tournament moves to Malahide on Friday, when Ireland take on a talented Hong Kong side before finishing off the group stage against Jersey on Sunday.
And with seven Dublin players in the team and a greater depth of support, there won’t be any worries about attracting an audience the side deserves.
***
Cameron Shoebridge, a former Ireland U15 player, has thrown his hand with Scotland.
The Malahide seamer has joined Carlton in Edinburgh and has already played with the Scots U17 team.
Last week he turned out against Durham Academy, making 6 and taking 0-41 off 14 overs.
**
North-West club Creevedonnell have hired a ‘gun’ pro in South African Jean Symes. The Gauteng all-rounder started the season slowly but scored his 6th century in seven games at the weekend.
The game was abandoned so it won’t count in the averages, but with 968 runs in 12 innings he already has plenty.
***
FIXTURES
Thursday: Alan Murray Cup (6pm): Rush v N County, Phoenix v Clontarf, Terenure v Railway; Women’s Senior Cup semi-final: Pembroke v N Kildare
Friday: Ireland v Hong Kong, Malahide 2.15pm; AMC: Leinster v Merrion
Sunday: Ireland v Jersey, Malahide 10am
Monday: Women’s Div1: YMCA v Merrion
Tuesday: AMC: Hills v Clontarf, Railway v YMCA