CRICKET: Ed Joyce moved to within touching distance of becoming the sixth Irish-born cricketer to play in a Test match for England, following his call up to the Ashes squad yesterday.
The left-hander from Bray, Co Wicklow, was selected as replacement for Marcus Trescothick, who flew home from Australia on Monday night suffering from what the tour management described as a "stress-related illness".
The former Trinity College student and alumni of Presentation College in Bray arrives in Adelaide on Friday, too late for consideration for the first Test match, which starts in Brisbane on Wednesday. However, his family and friends, many of whom played with him for the Merrion club in Dublin, will be hoping he makes an appearance at some stage during the five-match series.
The player's mother, Maureen Joyce, told The Irish Times: "It's very gratifying and we're obviously very pleased. We just hope he gets his chance to play and is not a spare part."
Ed is one of nine siblings, all of whom began their cricketing lives at Bray Cricket Club, now called North Wicklow.
Astonishingly, five of the family have represented Ireland at cricket including twin sisters Cecilia and Isabel, who played for the Ireland women's team.
Gus Joyce played three times for his country while younger brother Dominic has amassed 60 caps as a member of the World Cup squad heading for the Caribbean in March of next year.
"Ed was very excited when I spoke to him this morning," said Mrs Joyce, "he was already packed because he was due to go to Perth anyway. Let's hope his luggage arrives in the right place."
Adrian Birrell, the Ireland coach described Joyce's selection as, "a wonderful achievement" for him personally and for Irish cricket in general.
"Ed learnt the game in Ireland and is now on the verge of playing in the most prestigious series in world cricket. He is a role model for young players in this country because he has proved what can be done with hard work and dedication," says Birrell.
Joyce's contribution with the bat was integral to Ireland's qualification for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup. Between 2001 and 2005 he amassed 758 runs in 14 matches in ICC matches, at an average of 84.22 runs per innings. His final appearance in a green shirt was in the 2005 ICC Trophy where he led the way with two centuries and two fifties, including 81 in the final against Scotland.
Joyce became eligible to play for England following a four-year qualification process, during which he has played for Middlesex in the County Championship, taking over as captain for a short period in 2005.
His first game for England was against Ireland at Stormont, Belfast, in June, when he scored just 10 runs opening the innings, ironically alongside Trescothick, who went on to score a century that day.
Two days later Joyce suffered a painful ankle injury fielding in a Twenty-20 game against Sri Lanka, sidelining him for over a month. However good performances for Middlesex prompted selection for the international squad for the recent ICC Trophy in India, although he didn't make the field of play.
With an international one-day average of just 13 runs per innings from three starts it is fair to assume that chairman of selectors David Graveney and coach Duncan Fletcher, have based their decision to elevate Joyce to the fringes of Test selection on his impressive record for Middlesex, where he holds a first-class average of just over 47 runs per innings.
He was chosen above Robert Key of Kent, who impressed locals on the last Ashes tour in 2002, and Owais Shah, Joyce's Middlesex colleague. His selection poses some interesting questions for the balance of the team.
In Joyce's favour are his flair, without Trescothick, the early order looks one-paced, and his left-handedness.
The presence of Shane Warne will have been to the forefront of minds; there is a theory that he bowls less well against left handers. With Trescothick, a fellow south-paw, gone, the selectors have gone for Joyce ahead of Shah, a right-hander but renowned as a very good player of spin.
Interestingly, the Irishman's presence means no player in England's top six have played a Test match in Australia before.
If he gets to take the field in the Ashes, Joyce's many fans will hope his contribution to the cause of retaining the urn will be better received than that of the last Irish-born cricketer to play for England. Fast bowler Martin McCague was born in Larne, Co Antrim, and raised in Australia.
The latter point ensured he was targeted for a warm welcome from the home crowd during the disastrous Ashes tour of 1994.
The bowler's hapless performance, along with that of the team as a whole, led to one local journalist describing McCague as a rare example of "a rat joining a sinking ship".
Name: Edmund Christopher Joyce
Born: September 22nd, 1978, Dublin
Batting style: Left-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm medium
Height: 5.10 ft
Education: Presentation College (Bray), Trinity College, Dublin
Leland Hone, never played county cricket, toured Australia in 1878-'79 and played in the Test at Melbourne.
Sir Timothy O'Brien, played for Middlesex, won the first of his five Test caps against Australia at Old Trafford in 1884.
Joseph McMaster, born in Gilford in County Down played a Test in 1888-89, his only first-class match, for England in South Africa.
Frederick Fane, born at Curragh Camp in Co Kildare, won 14 caps between 1900 and 1910, captained England in the first three Tests in Australia in 1907-'08.
Martin McCague, born in Larne, Co Antrim but brought up in Australia, won three Test caps, the first against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993.
"I found out yesterday when I was out buying a loaf of bread. David Graveney, the chairman of selectors, left a message on my phone, but I thought it would just be one to all the Academy guys, saying 'good luck'.
"But when I heard it, it was one of those moments when I just sat with my mouth open. I couldn't believe it - I'm still in a bit of a daze actually - but hopefully when I get out there it will all have sunk in and I'll be all right."
"I didn't really expect to get a call this soon and there are a few nerves there, but I've been playing cricket for a few years now so I'm used to it," added Joyce, who made his one-day international debut for England during the summer."
"It's the Ashes - the biggest tour you can go on - and there's nothing like it in terms of pressure.
That pressure is compounded by the fact that we won the Ashes last year. The Aussies want them back, and if I can play a part in retaining them then I'll be happy.
"I'm looking at it as being in the 16-man squad. I know I'm the back-up player but I'm approaching it as if I'm going to play.
"It helps that I know a few players," he said. "I know Glenn and Justin from when they were at Middlesex, and I faced McGrath in the nets a few times when he was there.
"That probably humanises them a little bit, which can't do any harm. Hopefully that means it won't be a completely alien environment when I get to Australia."
- Ed Joyce
