In the course of the past week, Irish cricketers have won European Championships at under-19 and under-15 levels and have every reason to be hopeful of taking the title in the under-17 competition which will be held in Dublin for the first time, starting next Friday. On top of that, the national women's team demolished Pakistan last Sunday with an all-round performance which suggests they should win the three-day series and the four-day Test against the tourists outright.
True, the senior men's side has had a poor season, which will make life difficult for the coach, Ken Rutherford. But his fellow New Zealander, Warren Gatland, knew the feeling well, until the national rugby team got its act together, and hopefully skipper Kyle McCallan and his men will come right sooner rather than later.
There are 12,000 Irish cricket players spread throughout Ireland, including 1,000 women players, as well as schoolgirls and schoolboys. Yes, that is a modest figure when compared with, say, the 55,000 people who play rugby in Ireland. However, more and more kids are being drawn to cricket. Earlier this year, the Leinster Cricket Union's development officer, Brian O'Rourke, ran a highly successful tournament for primary schools while clubs like Malahide actively pursue similar local schemes. Irish cricket certainly is growing, the success of the underage sides augurs well for the future, the national women's team will once again compete in the World Cup (in New Zealand next November), while the senior men's side will once more bid for a place in their World Cup by playing in the ICC qualifying tournament in Toronto next July. But despite this level of activity, and despite the incalculable amount of voluntary work which countless individuals put into the game, the financial "support" given to cricket by the Sports Council and official sources is derisory.
The Irish Cricket Union (ICU) gets £30,000 a year from the Sports Council, plus a similar sum from its Northern Ireland equivalent. But that is a drop in the ocean in relation to what the ICU is expected to do to keep Irish cricket on the international map.
All international matches this season and early next season are vital in the build-up to Toronto, where success will be imperative if Ireland is to qualify for the 2003 World Cup. Those preparatory internationals are played home and away and are costly, while a full-time coach and winter training weekends are expenses which have to be met.
The Irish Women's Cricket Union (IWCU) - which will merge with the ICU next February - has even greater reason to feel aggrieved with the Sports Council and the Minister for Sport. In previous years the IWCU got a paltry sum of about £5,000 from official sources, and now this has been reduced to £1,500. Official sources should be prepared to significantly finance all national teams that are competing in world events, and thereby keeping Ireland's name on the international sporting map.
Meanwhile, the women's international one-day series between Ireland and Pakistan continues today at Kenure in Rush and concludes on Thursday at Sydney Parade, with both matches starting at 1 p.m.. In the European under-17 Championship Ireland will play Denmark at Sydney Parade on Friday, Holland at Park Avenue on Saturday and Scotland at Castle Avenue on Sunday, all starting at 11 a.m.. Meanwhile, PBC Cork is sending an under-16 team to tour the North West from August 1st to 5th, the first Munster schools side to visit this renowned cricketing area.
PBC SQUAD: R Geoghegan (capt)., M Stout (vice-capt.), B O'Sullivan, J Sommerfield, R O'Donnell, C Twomey, B O'Connell, R Durity, P O'Shea, R Duggan, C Sorensen, R Spillane, W Bradley. Manager: D Giltenan; Assistant Manager: V Fennell.
