CRICKET: Clare Shillington will lead the Ireland women's team in the upcoming ICC World Cup in South Africa. The 14-player squad, announced yesterday, includes just one name from outside Dublin, the experienced wicket-keeper/batter Anne Linehan from Downpatrick.
Two families will have mixed emotions when the team leaves for Pretoria on March 11th. Isobel Joyce has been ruled out due to college commitments while her twin sister, Cecilia, has been named as vice-captain. Also, Aoife Budd must come to terms with the disappointment of being left out of the travelling squad having been included in the preliminary 18-player winter training squad. But her elder sister, Una, has made the final cut. Meanwhile, both Whelan sisters of Leinster CC, Jill and Heather, will be making the trip to South Africa.
Coach Pete Johnston will be assisted by South African Wayne Murray, who played in Dublin last summer as YMCA's overseas professional. Ireland are the only associate ICC member in the eight-team competition having won through the qualifying tournament unbeaten in the Netherlands in 2003.
The squad will take part in a training camp at Pretoria's High Performance Centre prior to the competition getting under way on March 16th. The tournament is organised on a round-robin format with each side playing seven matches. The top four will get through to the semi-final stage. The final will take place on April 10th.
IRELAND WOMEN'S SQUAD (for ICC World Cup, South Africa): C Shillington (captain, Malahide), C Joyce (vice-captain, Merrion/Dublin University), M Grealey (YMCA), B MacDonald (Malahide), C Beggs (Malahide), A Linehan (Downpatrick), H Whelan (Leinster), N Coffey (YMCA), E Beamish (Merrion), U Budd (Merrion), J Whelan (Leinster), M Herbert (Malahide), J Day (Pembroke), J Smythe (Merrion). Reserves: C Metcalfe (Malahide), A Budd (Merrion), E Nolan (YMCA), E Richardson (Leinster). Manager: S Dawson. Coach: P Johnston. Assistant coach: W Murray.
