IRISH DOWN UNDER No.3

THERE are now more than 20 senior Irish cricketers playing in Australia and New Zealand this winter, including nine women and six men who are full internationals.

Graeme McCarter is playing Cornwall in the Hawkes Bay Premier League and has 130 runs, avge 26 across all formats, and 4-109.

Phoenix paceman Rory Anders is also in New Zealand and took 2-20 off 6.2overs last week, playing for Whangarei South Prems. North County’s Ireland U17 star Jamie Grassi was also playing with the same club but has returned to Dublin.

Malahide’s Cameron Shoebridge, who is now in the Scottish underage system, is wintering in Christchurch and playing for Old Boys Collegians, nursery of the Hadlee brothers and Shane Bond. It’s also where Dan Carter, Ben Blair and Tyler Bleyendaal play cricket so the pre-match touch rugby is a way higher standard than the Ireland men’s team’s Youngies v Oldies toss-abouts!

Cameron has worked his way onto the first XI team in the Premier Division and last weekend opened the bowling against East Christchurch Shirley, taking 3-52 off 8 overs.

Former CIYMS player Ben McCord plays in the same league, for Lancaster Park, and has one 50 and 12 wickets so far this season.

After a difficult year, Andrew Balbirnie is getting himself back to match fitness at Randwick Petersham in Sydney. He’s mostly been playing Second Grade, scoring 89 in four innings, getting a start every time but without reaching 50 yet.

He was called up for a First Grade game last month, but was run out for 23.

Nick Larkin hit another 120 for Sydney University, making it 475 runs in five First Grade innings.

Victoria has been a popular destination for Irish cricketers, with Aaron Gillespie of Strabane playing at Provincial First Grade side Belvoir CC in Wodonga. Aaron made his highest score, 46, last weekend against St Patrick’s and now has 103 runs at an average of 20.3. He also took 3-14 so has got into a productive groove.

Also in Victoria, Sean Terry is with Richmond CC, making 20, 27 and 3 in the last three games. Clontarf’s ‘Bobbo’ Forrest is playing for the East/West 1st XI of Balwyn CC, and made 13 and 15 in his last two innings.

Ryan Gallagher and Mark Snodgrass are playing A Grade for Great Boulder in Western Australia. Ryan has played five games, scoring 41 runs and taking seven wickets, while Mark took 10-1-27-3 against Lake View. The pair have settled into the conditions and there’s no doubt more to come.

New CIYMS recruit Jacob Mulder is back for a third winter on the trot at South Perth. He’s played five First Grade games, taking 5-143 and scoring 42 runs.

Stuart Thompson is over in Adelaide working on his game at the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy. He’s selected to play for Prospect CC in their forthcoming game against Tea Tree Gully, and we’ll have the result of that next week.

And up in Brisbane his team-mate George Dockrell has been in action with Valley District, a Premier Grade side in Brisbane, while training with the Queensland state side and the T20 Bulls. He kicked off with 4-59 but the wickets have dried up since,

Leinster’s Joe Carroll is playing for Wynnum Manly in Brisbane, scoring 48 against Western Suburbs, followed by 1/22 and 5/19 and 35 against Ipswich/Logan.

Isobel Joyce has been playing club cricket in Tasmania between rounds of the Women’s National Cricket League. The former Irish skipper made 45 and took 2-25 for South Hobart Sandy Bay against University of Tasmania. She played twice last weekend for Norths in the regional competition, made 37 against South and 21 against the U18s.

At Gordon in Sydney, Laura Delany, is still working towards a playing return, while Shauna Kavanagh’s early good form has dwindled as she made 1 and 0 over the last two weekends, taking 1-10 against Campbelltown-Camden.

Mary Waldron has been in fine nick for Port Adelaide in women’s first grade, rattling up 35, 53, 25 and 45 in her four innings to date.

The Irish contingent in Australia will shortly be joined by Kim Garth and Gaby Lewis who have been selected as Women’s Big Bash League Associate Rookies. Kim joins up with the Sydney Sixers while Gaby will link up with her team-mate Isobel at the Hobart Hurricanes.

There is plenty of Irish interest over in NZ with Caitriona Beggs assistant coach of the Sonic, who have Jenny Gray and last summer’s YMCA team-mate Anna Peterson in the squad.

Sonic have won two out of two, beating Galaxy as Peterson took 4-8 off 5.3 and scored 24. She also made 25 when they beat Power by 47 runs last weekend. Beggs has made 14 and 1, Gray 4 and 5.