SEVERAL sides in Leinster Division 2 have opted to bring in an overseas player in 2016, some even two.
Leinster CC are not among them, although they have recruited Chris Janik, a former Singapore international with a background in sports event management who is now working at CUS in Dublin. Thirty-year-old Janik, who has previously worked for the Singapore police force and played cricket in Australia and Botswana, played for his national side for ten years in various ICC tournaments. Among his highlights was a century in a WCL Division 4 win over Malaysia in 2012, and 5-9 in 3.2 overs of leg-spin against Afghanistan in WCL Division 5 back at the start of the Afghans’ journey in 2008.
Leinster will also avail of George Dockrell in the cups and when the Trinity season ends in June. The Ireland left-armer spent part of the winter in Brisbane where he played with the Valley District club alongside ex-Merrion pro Matt Petrie. The club claims to be the largest cricket club in the world, with 160 senior and over 1,000 junior players. Dockrell played four first-grade games at Ashgrove Park, where the first XI is coached by ex-Scotland Peter Drinnen, and took four wickets at 35.
George would have watched in awe in the only two-innings game he played as Petrie took 5-17 and 5-29. The pair have linked up again in College Park as Petrie makes a valedictory world tour of Dublin before he retires, aged 37. He signs off with more than 350 first-grade wickets in his native Queensland and Western Australia, the state with whom he played in the Sheffield Shield. Petrie also played four seasons with Merrion up to 2011, finishing top of the LCU averages each time.
Lynal Jansen, who first fetched-up in Dublin at Pembroke, is back for his tenth season at Rush. He spent the winter in his native South Africa where he captained Paarl CC in the Boland Premier League, scoring 89 runs in five games with a top score of 40, and took 3-117.
Also arriving is South African exchange student Jared Venter, but under the new CL rules such exchanges are now confined to Under 18 players.
Stephan Grobler also played for Boland – as well as Gauteng and SW Districts – before arriving in Cork County. This is his third season at the Mardyke, and again he has wintered in North Otago in New Zealand. He scored 175 runs in nine games, with a best of 61 against Buller. He had the best of his five seasons there with the ball, taking 23 wickets at 14.61 with his leg-spin, with a 5-71 against Mid-Canterbury.
Terenure have opted for an Indian pro – believed to be the first in Leinster from that country since Pandurang Salgaonkar at the old CYM back in 1982. His curries were famous, and he has turned up on Ireland’s radar in recent seasons as the head groundsman in Pune.
This year’s visitor is Usman Malvi, like Salgaonkar a fast-medium bowler from Maharashtra. The 34-year-old has played 22 first class games, mostly for Mumbai, taking 53 wickets – his scalps include Jonathan Trott, Kumar Sangakkara and Marvan Attapattu.
This winter he played for Payyade SC in the Kanga League in Mumbai, taking 4-32 in a notable win over Muslim United, and making 44 against Middle Income Group. He also played T20 for the Tata Sports Club, opening the batting and bowling.
Balbriggan will field a pair of high-class Pakistani pros – three if you include Shammy Ahmed! – this summer. Former Pakistan U19 Mohammed Farrukh is back for his third season despite a big drop off from his first season with the bat (825 at 63.4 in 2014, 347 at 34.7 last year). But at his best he is a destructive batsman and the Jack Harper Park side has backed him to get in the groove once more.
For company he has Shariq Agha, a medium-paced all-rounder who played a single first-class game for Hyderabad back in 2007 but impressed Railway Union when he tore through them in a pre-season friendly 254-run win.
Neither North Kildare or Malahide have opted for an overseas player, although I note the Villagers have registered their coach, Colin Wells. The former Sussex man played a couple of ODIs for England (and was once run out by Geoff Humpage’s flares) but is expected to have a non-playing role, although he is still a fit looking 56.
Leinster CC are not among them, although they have recruited Chris Janik, a former Singapore international with a background in sports event management who is now working at CUS in Dublin. Thirty-year-old Janik, who has previously worked for the Singapore police force and played cricket in Australia and Botswana, played for his national side for ten years in various ICC tournaments. Among his highlights was a century in a WCL Division 4 win over Malaysia in 2012, and 5-9 in 3.2 overs of leg-spin against Afghanistan in WCL Division 5 back at the start of the Afghans’ journey in 2008.
Leinster will also avail of George Dockrell in the cups and when the Trinity season ends in June. The Ireland left-armer spent part of the winter in Brisbane where he played with the Valley District club alongside ex-Merrion pro Matt Petrie. The club claims to be the largest cricket club in the world, with 160 senior and over 1,000 junior players. Dockrell played four first-grade games at Ashgrove Park, where the first XI is coached by ex-Scotland Peter Drinnen, and took four wickets at 35.
George would have watched in awe in the only two-innings game he played as Petrie took 5-17 and 5-29. The pair have linked up again in College Park as Petrie makes a valedictory world tour of Dublin before he retires, aged 37. He signs off with more than 350 first-grade wickets in his native Queensland and Western Australia, the state with whom he played in the Sheffield Shield. Petrie also played four seasons with Merrion up to 2011, finishing top of the LCU averages each time.
Lynal Jansen, who first fetched-up in Dublin at Pembroke, is back for his tenth season at Rush. He spent the winter in his native South Africa where he captained Paarl CC in the Boland Premier League, scoring 89 runs in five games with a top score of 40, and took 3-117.
Also arriving is South African exchange student Jared Venter, but under the new CL rules such exchanges are now confined to Under 18 players.
Stephan Grobler also played for Boland – as well as Gauteng and SW Districts – before arriving in Cork County. This is his third season at the Mardyke, and again he has wintered in North Otago in New Zealand. He scored 175 runs in nine games, with a best of 61 against Buller. He had the best of his five seasons there with the ball, taking 23 wickets at 14.61 with his leg-spin, with a 5-71 against Mid-Canterbury.
Terenure have opted for an Indian pro – believed to be the first in Leinster from that country since Pandurang Salgaonkar at the old CYM back in 1982. His curries were famous, and he has turned up on Ireland’s radar in recent seasons as the head groundsman in Pune.
This year’s visitor is Usman Malvi, like Salgaonkar a fast-medium bowler from Maharashtra. The 34-year-old has played 22 first class games, mostly for Mumbai, taking 53 wickets – his scalps include Jonathan Trott, Kumar Sangakkara and Marvan Attapattu.
This winter he played for Payyade SC in the Kanga League in Mumbai, taking 4-32 in a notable win over Muslim United, and making 44 against Middle Income Group. He also played T20 for the Tata Sports Club, opening the batting and bowling.
Balbriggan will field a pair of high-class Pakistani pros – three if you include Shammy Ahmed! – this summer. Former Pakistan U19 Mohammed Farrukh is back for his third season despite a big drop off from his first season with the bat (825 at 63.4 in 2014, 347 at 34.7 last year). But at his best he is a destructive batsman and the Jack Harper Park side has backed him to get in the groove once more.
For company he has Shariq Agha, a medium-paced all-rounder who played a single first-class game for Hyderabad back in 2007 but impressed Railway Union when he tore through them in a pre-season friendly 254-run win.
Neither North Kildare or Malahide have opted for an overseas player, although I note the Villagers have registered their coach, Colin Wells. The former Sussex man played a couple of ODIs for England (and was once run out by Geoff Humpage’s flares) but is expected to have a non-playing role, although he is still a fit looking 56.