Young Guns Ready to Fire in 2021

The summer of 2020, though curtailed, allowed Leinster Lightning Head Coach Nigel Jones the opportunity to run the rule over some 50 players who form part of the Lightning, Bolts and Pathway systems.

“It’s a key message to all our emerging players” says Jones. “We are focused on identifying our strongest talent, while also trying to provide further training and game time opportunities in 2021.”

With so many players identified and involved in the Leinster performance programme, Jones acknowledges that it can be difficult to offer match opportunities at the top.

“Given the strength and depth within the Leinster Lightning squad, it’s not been easy to offer much in the way of playing opportunities to those guys who sit just outside of our main squad of players. To that end, we arguably now have 8-9 players who would be good enough in their own right to be playing senior Inter-provincial Cricket, but who are not getting the exposure.

“That said, I’m hopeful that we will see some positive developments around the InterPros in the coming months, these developments will ideally provide greater opportunities for more of our Leinster players next season.

“I’m a firm believer that the game must serve those who play it. That will potentially look like different things to different people, however it’s how it looks to those playing the game that ultimately matters.”

Jones is quick to highlight the importance of more fixtures and has identified a number of younger players to watch out for in 2021.

“Looking back at the season we had a number of exciting young players and those of interest push their case, with the likes of JJ Garth, Tim Tector, Greg Ford, Ben White, Aaron Cawley, Séamus Lynch and Mikey O’Reilly all making their presence felt.”

The Leinster Lightning Head Coach went on to summarise.

“JJ Garth was rewarded with his selection for the Ireland training squad ahead of the England ODI series back in late July. JJ continues to impress with his control and ever-developing leg spin, he has also made great progress with his batting over the past 12 months. It will be vital to keep his fire burning next season with greater playing opportunities at senior InterPro level.

“Tim Tector also continues to impress us with his ball striking ability and calmness at the crease. Strong performances in club, Inter-regional and squad matches saw Tim earn a call up to the Leinster Lightning squad for the first time in 2020. An exciting young player and I’ve no doubt that we will see a lot more from the 17-year-old in the coming seasons.”

Tim Tector wasn’t the only player to take his chance when it presented itself during the summer.

“Greg Ford is a player of real interest to us, his unique ball striking power and ability to hit gaps is something that we are excited by. This was no more evident than his performance against the Northern Knights in our IP50 fixture at Comber earlier in the summer. His 43 off 36 balls came at a time when we needed to get back into the contest, his knock was a measure of his maturity and ability to absorb the situation. This follows strong performances in club, Intra-regional and squad matches this past season.

“Ben White made strong progress again this season (right arm leg spinner), with his ability to get drift and to spin the ball at good pace. Off the back of a strong club and Inter-regional season in Leinster, coupled with the Northern Knights losing their front line white ball spinner for next season... Ben has been offered a starting spot with the Northern Knights for the 2021 season. There is no doubt it’s a great opportunity for Ben and one that we are not able to provide for him at this current time unfortunately.

“Aaron Cawley’s re-emergence this season has been very pleasing. His time at Phoenix Cricket Club is clearly having a positive effect on him too, which is great to see. I’ve worked a lot with Aaron during his Irish youth pathway days, it’s been good to reconnect this summer. AC has spent some time out of the game over recent seasons due to injuries and work commitments. He has the ability to bowl a heavy ball and swing it both ways when firing. I believe 2021 will be a big year for AC if the body and mind is willing.

“Séamus Lynch from Terenure CC, continues his rise in the game after a promising club season and strong showing in this season’s North vs South emerging pathway fixtures. His 47 off 20 odd balls in the opening game showcasing his potential. His inclusion in the National Academy is testament to his potential and qualities as a hard-hitting opening batsman. We will be tracking his progress closely again next season and further playing opportunities at emerging and pathway levels will be important for Seamus’ development in 2021.

“Mikey O’Reilly is a young left-arm pace bowler from YMCA. He swings the ball back to the right hander and has a skill set that is always a threat and of interest. I was impressed when getting the chance to work with him this season during the Inter-regional games and at the training hub sessions. His club numbers were impressive this season too and I’ve no doubt he’ll enjoy the challenge of trying to back it up next season.”

After the regional series was completed, it set the Lightning up nicely for the InterProvincial T20 and 50-over competitions when they finally got underway in August.

“We felt we had strong and current knowledge on a number of players who sat just underneath the Leinster Lightning squad, which is always important and especially when heading into a busy period of competitive cricket. This became increasingly important this season with both Bal (Andrew Balbirnie) and Gaz (Gareth Delany) getting the opportunity to play in the T20 Blast for Glamorgan and Leicestershire respectively, and thereby being ruled out of Leinster Lightning selection this summer.

“On that, it was great for us as a squad to be able to follow their progress during our own T20 campaign. It was a source of many discussion in the player tents, more around how many balls is Gaz going to lose later and what will the postman (Bal) deliver today. They didn’t disappoint there!”

With their unavailability for the Lightning team, it did create some opportunities, however.

“Adding Barry McCarthy’s unfortunate knee injury to the list as well. It opened the door for guys like Greg Ford and James Newland to pick up their first cap for the Leinster Lightning team. It also created further playing opportunities for Rory Anders to show what he can do at senior Inter-provincial level.”

Looking back on a short season, there was an awful lot accomplished and lots of excitement about what 2021 can hopefully bring.

“Plans are already well underway to see how we can keep creating opportunities for these younger guys next season and I’m confident that we will be able to provide a greater menu of matches for them.”

These discussions are ongoing as it is important to be prepared for the new season, however Jones knows that for now the focus must remain on COVID-19 restrictions and common sense.

“We are incredibly lucky to have the network and culture that we do in Cricket Leinster and I hope we can build on that again for next year. I’m excited about what lies ahead.

“In the meantime, we have to focus on what we face with COVID-19 restrictions. We’ve just got to be wise and sensible about that, while also being ready to react whenever the opportunity presents itself next year. Hopefully, we will all benefit from some normality returning and a full season of Cricket for all of our pathway guys to enjoy.”