Sport

Ireland announce new women’s squads to increase international player pool

Central contracts giving more access to players to be decided at upcoming board meeting

Laura Delany once again captains Ireland in 2022. Photograph: Rowland White/Inpho

Nathan Johns
Fri Jan 21 2022 - 15:03

Cricket Ireland have announced their women’s squads for 2022 as they seek to improve the development pathway ahead of the ICC Women’s Championship.

Ireland were deprived the chance of qualifying for this year’s 50-over World Cup after the Omicron variant forced the cancellation of the qualifer in Zimbabwe in late 2021, but it was decided that head coach Ed Joyce’s squad would compete in the championship.

That brings with it more fixtures over a four-year cycle, meaning more access to players and a wider talent pool would be required.

With that in mind, Cricket Ireland has renamed their academy as a new ‘development squad’.

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14 players have been named in this group. Fixtures will be organised specifically for the develoment squad that will run in conjunction with the regular Super Series.

Glenn Querl has been named head coach a young group that has been selected targeting certain skills that Joyce believes will be required in the national senior side in the coming years:

“While the development squad may still feature players with senior international experience who were unlucky to miss out on performance squad selection, we believe the overall change will support our talent pathway twofold - by increasing depth in the Super Series competition in the short-term, and for the national side in the medium-to-long term.

“Amongst the 2022 squad named, there’s a heavy emphasis on spin bowlers especially, but there are also two wicketkeepers and some exciting all-rounders and pace bowling talent selected. Although some of the talent is quite raw, with a solid and structured training programme, these players will make a lot of progress in 2022.”

A senior squad has also been named for the coming year. It is once again captained by Laura Delany and includes Gaby Lewis, who was recently named to the ICC T20I team of the year.

At present no central contracts are awarded to the Irish women’s cricket side. Seven players were on retainer contracts for 2021, with 12 more on non-retainer deals, but it is believed that central contracts will be needed so that greater access to players can be had for a more congested fixture schedule.

The Irish Times understands that the players’ union, the Irish Cricketers Association, has been consulted on the implementation of a number of central contracts for a core group of players. These would almost certainly come from the ranks of the performance squad. The awarding of contracts is to be decided by the Cricket Ireland board at a meeting to take place either at the end of January or beginning of February.

Joyce recently spoke to The Irish Times on the issue of awarding central contracts to the women’s squad for the first time:

“It’s no secret that with more games and a big fixture list in front of us we need more access to our players. The only real way of doing that is trying to ensure we have a core group maybe with contracts. That is all down to Cricket Ireland and the Irish Cricketers Association to thrash out and then for the players to agree.

“All of it comes down to funding and if the players are happy with whatever is offered to them. I am really hopeful that something will come of that in the next few months.”

Women’s Performance Squad 2022:

Laura Delany (captain) (Leinster CC), Eimear Richardson (Northern Districts), Gaby Lewis (YMCA CC), Celeste Raack (Merrion CC), Orla Prendergast (Pembroke CC), Leah Paul (Merrion CC), Mary Waldron (Pembroke CC), Shauna Kavanagh (Pembroke CC), Sophie MacMahon (Leinster CC), Rebecca Stokell (Leinster CC), Louise Little (Pembroke CC), Hannah Little (Pembroke CC), Cara Murray (Waringstown CC), Georgina Dempsey (Phoenix CC), Rachel Delaney (Merrion CC), Jane Maguire (The Hills), Amy Hunter (Malahide CC/Instonians), Ava Canning (Leinster CC), Kate McEvoy (YMCA CC), Sarah Forbes (YMCA CC).

Women’s Development Squad 2022:

Anna Kerrison (Malahide CC), Zara Craig (Eglinton CC), Rebecca Gough (Rush CC), Siúin Woods (YMCA CC), Freya Sargent (Clontarf CC), Ella Pasley (Phoenix CC), Niamh MacNulty (Merrion CC), Kia McCartney (Coleraine CC), Aimee Maguire (The Hills), Joanna Loughran (Leinster CC), Sophie McDonough (Phoenix CC), Sam Todd (Lurgan CC), Abbi Harrison (Waringstown CC), Mollie Devine (Fox Lodge).