Presentation to the LCU by Cricket Ireland
The future direction of Inter-provincial cricket in Ireland.
Warren Deutrom [Chief Executive] and Richard Holesworth [Performance Director] of Cricket Ireland recently made a presentation to the LCU about the future direction of Inter-Provincial Cricket in Ireland. A selection of slides from the presentation is available to view [go to Regulations > Guidance > Interprovincial Presentation]
The re-establishment of inter-provincial cricket will have a major impact on players and clubs in Leinster. A formal consultation exercise with clubs and players is now being commenced to ensure that the LCU has a wide range of views upon which to base the response of the Union to the proposals.
The ‘Vision for 2020’ held by Cricket Ireland is an exciting one for everyone interested in the sport, but it is not without its challenges for the domestic club scene. If we are to embrace this vision it is important that we have buy in from clubs and players. Great care needs to be taken to ensure that nothing we do undermines the core strengths of the clubs upon which cricket in Ireland depends.
The development of a ‘first class’ inter-provincial structure in Ireland is an essential element in Cricket Ireland’s plans to grow the sport in Ireland. It is also part of a wider picture that involves:
- widening the participation base of the sport,
- strengthening coaching structures and providing new pathways for young cricketers to develop their talent and
- promoting womens cricket.
The LCU will be writing to club in the near future seeking their views on the proposals as set out by Cricket Ireland. A questionnaire is also being prepared to try to gauge the interest of the players in participating at an inter-provincial level. In the meantime we would ask players and club members to start the debate within their clubs with a view to framing a response to Cricket Ireland by the end of the current season.