May 8, 2019
7th May marked a day full of exciting news for Cricket Ireland.
First-Ever Part-Time Contracts
The governing body unveiled the recipients of the first-ever part-time professional contracts for women cricketers in Ireland. The recipients of the six contracts are Laura Delany, Kim Garth, Mary Waldron, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis and Celeste Raack. Speaking about the contracts, Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland Performance Director, explained “to have these players more available to practice, train and access the world-class support we have both from Cricket Ireland and the Sport Ireland Institute will give them all a great opportunity to improve and give ourselves the best chance of T20 World Cup Qualification, and further down the line an opportunity to be promoted to the ICC Women’s Championship.”
Beth Healy, Team Operations Manager
Along with the six part-time players contracts, Beth Healy was announced as the new part-time Team Operations Manager for the Ireland Women’s cricket team. Healy is an Events Manager with Pioneer Group, specialising in sports event management and consultancy. She has gained extensive experience in delivering successful and significant sporting events across the UK and Ireland, and was most recently Games Team Manager for the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council (NICGC) for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018. She will continue to work part-time with Pioneer Group, while taking on the new role with the Ireland Women’s team, and will work under Head Coach Aaron Hamilton in the international squad structure.
Squad Announcements and Upcoming Fixtures
The announcement of the 13-player squad for the upcoming Ireland v West Indies Women’s T20 International series in late May rounded out the day of news for Cricket Ireland. Number 10 ranked Ireland will meet fourth in the world West Indies for three matches in late May. The squad for the series is Laura Delany (Captain), Kim Garth, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Sophie MacMahon, Lara Maritz, Naomi Matthews, Leah Paul, Celeste Raack, Una Raymond-Hoey, Rebecca Stokell and Mary Waldron.
The match dates and locations are as follows:
- 26 May 2019 at YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin
- 28 May 2019 at Pembroke Cricket Club in Dublin
- 29 May 2019 at Pembroke Cricket Club in Dublin
All the matches are free entry and details regarding livestreaming of home fixture T20I matches will be announced shortly.
Other confirmed fixtures on the 2019 calendar are:
- 3 July: Ireland Women v Zimbabwe Women (Oak Hill); 50-over
- 5 July: Ireland Women v Zimbabwe Women (Oak Hill); 50-over
- 7 July: Ireland Women v Zimbabwe Women (Oak Hill); 50-over
- 10 July: Ireland Women v Zimbabwe Women (Stormont); T20I*
- 12 July: Ireland Women v Zimbabwe Women (Bready CC); T20I*
- 14 July: Ireland Women v Zimbabwe Women (Bready CC); T20I*
* Matches will form part of three double-header events in conjunction with Ireland Men and Zimbabwe Men
May 2, 2019
Volleyball Ireland has announced an 11 Woman squad to compete in the Confederation de Europeene Volleyball (CEV) Small Countries Zone Championships in Luxembourg next week.
The squad features no less than six players from UCD Volleyball Club, as well as representatives from Galway, Naas, Santry and University College Cork – as well as 16 year old Libero Siofra Lawlor of RSR Walfer Luxembourg, and formerly of Newbridge Volleyball Club in Kildare.
Head Coach Fabio Tamborinni said, “The girls have been working phenomenally hard the last few months preparing for the challenge. We are in good shape to compete with the best emerging nations in Europe.”
The Tournament features 6 teams (Ireland, Faroe Islands, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Greenland and hosts Luxembourg), with two groups of three meaning tough games on Day one against Scotland and favourites Faroe Islands. Team Captain and Galway Wing Olivia Molloy added, “We have the tough side of the draw but hopefully that will sharpen us up. We have prepared really well and we can’t wait to represent our Country on the International stage.”
As well as training hard for the three day tournament, the squad have been fundraising to cover the costs of the €8,000 trip. “It is the nature of representing Ireland in the more niche sports, we are still looking for a team sponsor who can pick up a bargain deal and we’ve set up a crowdfunding page with Irish company Pledgesports – we’d really like to thank the public for their support so far.”
If any companies would like to sponsor the team, please contact General Manager of Volleyball Ireland, Gary Stewart (gm@volleyballireland.com).
The crowdfunding page is available at https://www.pledgesports.org/projects/volleyball-european-challenge/
The squad in full;
Regina Halpin, UCD
Olivia Molloy, Galway
Eimear O’Neill, UCD
Alex Graves, UCD
Emily Frazell, UCD
Fiona Lamont, UCD
Aoibhin Cassidy, Naas
Roisin Roantree, Craigavon Aztecs
Carly Donaghy, Santry
Marie-Claire Sobogal, UCD
Siofra Lawlor, RSR Walfer (Luxembourg)
Head Coach: Fabio Tamborrini
Assistant Coach: Jennifer Moret
Team Manager: Gary Stewart
Referee: Vinnie Dos Santos (Dublin VC)
May 2, 2019
Media Release
30 April 2019
New era for European cricket begins with the official launch of the Euro T20 Slam
- League launched by legendary cricketers Wasim Akram and Dilip Vengsarkar
- Leading global cricketers to play in inaugural event
- Bollywood star Yami Gautam unveils the logo
Dublin – Details of the new Euro T20 Slam cricket tournament were unveiled today, including some of the marquee players that will play in the inaugural tournament and the event logo, at a star-studded ceremony in the Westin Hotel.
The details were revealed by Pakistan’s former cricket legend Wasim Akram, former India captain Dilip Vengsarkar and Bollywood star Yami Gautam. The ceremony was also attended by who’s who of the three participating cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands.
Woods Entertainment and GS Holding Inc (promoters of the league) staged a launch event that unveiled the names of three icon players set to be involved:
- Shane Watson from Australia
- Brendon McCullum from New Zealand
- Rashid Khan from Afghanistan
In addition, three marquee players were also announced:
- Chris Lynn from Australia
- Babar Azam from Pakistan
- Luke Ronchi from New Zealand
The launch event also saw cricket stars from host nations participate in a Q+A session: Kevin O’Brien and Gary Wilson from Ireland, Scotland skipper Kyle Coetzer and Richie Berrington, and Netherlands’ legends Peter Seelaar and Ben Cooper.
A centrepiece of the launch event was the dramatic unveiling of the new tournament logo, with Bollywood star, Yami Gautam, breaking a glass panel to reveal the design.
The logo’s colour scheme is inspired by colours associated with Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands, while the swashbuckling batsman in the logo signifies the vibrant nature of T20 cricket.
The tournament will get underway from 30th August and will culminate on 22nd September. Six teams will participate in the inaugural event, playing in Dublin, Edinburgh and Amsterdam. Both Wasim and Dilip were announced as members of the Euro T20 advisory committee.
Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, said:
“We are very excited that nearly 20 months of planning has brought us to this day. Speaking from an Irish perspective, one of the prime motivators for the Slam is to provide greater opportunities for Irish players to play top quality T20 cricket. The opportunity for all of our players – as well as coaches and officials – to operate alongside some of the best in the world will only benefit both our established and emerging talent for at least the next decade. Our colleagues at Scotland and Netherlands view this the event the same – and collectively we view the event as an opportunity to help properly popularise the game of cricket in our 3 nations through the vehicle of T20 franchise cricket.”
Wasim Akram said:
“It’s an honour to be a part of the launch of Euro T20 Slam and I want to congratulate all the cricket boards and the promotors to start a league like this in this part of the world. Over the years, I have seen immense talent emerging out of this continent and to see them getting a platform like this is nothing but a great opportunity.”
Dilip Vengsarkar added:
“The rise of T20 cricket leagues around the world is surely a sign of the growth of this beautiful game. What sets the Euro T20 Slam different from other leagues, is the fact that it is taking cricket in the most entertaining form to these soccer crazy nations. I hope the local players will make full use of this opportunity and aim to bring their countries laurels in the near future.”
Bollywood actor Yami Gautam said:
“Cricket is a religion in our country and to promote the same in this part of the world is an honour. It’s also a privilege to launch the logo of the most anticipated Euro T20 Slam in front of the Irish crowd. India has seen the impact of marrying Bollywood with cricket, and I am sure Europe will witness the same. I wish all the best to all the players and I promise that they’ll have a permanent Indian fan applauding their performance.”
Woods Entertainment and GS Holding Inc have also inaugurated the official site of the league – www.et20s.com
Mr. Prashant Mishra, Woods Entertainment, said:
“We have been planning this day for a long time along with the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and Netherlands. We are glad that we have found a window right before the Ireland vs England ODI series to launch this tournament. In this World Cup year, the awareness and excitement around cricket will be immense. The Euro T20 Slam will be a perfect culmination for the most enthralling cricket season in the region.”
Minister Shane Ross, said:
“It’s a pleasure to be part of the launch of the Euro T20 Slam today in Dublin. This is an exciting time for cricket in Europe. The hard work done by the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands has come to fruition and this new league promises to be a great addition to the cricketing calendar. I wish all our cricketers the best of luck”.
The opportunities for franchises are open and enquiries can be sent to: info@et20s.com
For all the news & updates; log onto www.et20s.com;
Instagram – @et20official;
Twitter and Facebook – @et20s.
Media contact:
Radhika Mehta, Media consultant, Woods Entertainment – mobile: +91 9899 143 566
Lindsey Holmes, LHP, Lindsey@lhpublicity.ie – 00 353 87 2562835
Apr 26, 2019
Ireland boys international Tom McKibbin won the prestigious Peter McEvoy Trophy in sensational fashion at Copt Heath, England on Thursday, 18 April.
The Holywood golfer, 16, holed his third shot for a dramatic winning birdie during a playoff for the trophy. McKibbin finished in a three-way tie at the top, alongside fellow Ulster boy Aaron Marshall and Melun Dhaubhadel of England, after 72 holes of stroke play.
All three players returned to the course in a bid to settle the outcome but the first playoff hole could not bring a resolution as all three made par at the 18th. On the second extra hole, McKibbin came up short with his approach shot from the bunker and left himself a challenging pitch over another trap.
A par from that position would have been a good result but the Belfast teenager had bigger ambitions, and managed to hole out for a magical birdie. His opponents were unable to match that three and so McKibbin took the title, following in the footsteps of Dubliner Gavin Moynihan, who won the event in 2012, and Kilkenny’s Mark Power, who triumphed in 2016.
Overall, it was an excellent week for the Ireland players. Lisburn’s Aaron Marshall shared second place with Dhaubhadel and Connemara’s Luke O’Neill was one shot behind the leading trio.
Apr 24, 2019
VENUE: Dublin City University
DATE: 23 May 2019
THEME: SPORT – THE MOST INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY OF ALL?
The Federation of Irish Sport’s annual conference returns on May 23rd and this year we are challenging the world of sport on just how inclusive it is.
The ever-evolving world of technology has meant we live in a world that has never been more connected. And yet the reality is that people have perhaps never felt more disconnected. Problems of alienation, isolation and a sense of not belonging abound.
Sport has perhaps never been more important in bringing people together whether as participants, volunteers or simply fans. But is sport doing all it can do to bring people closer together? That is the question we pose as the theme for this year’s conference.
At the conference a line-up of national and international speakers will be looking at the role of sport in building more inclusive communities. They will explore what sport is doing both in Ireland and abroad to ensure real inclusivity taking in people with disability; ethnic minorities; the ageing population; the LGBT community; while also looking to see how sport is encouraging more women and children to participate. In addition, we will examine the importance of sport in building cross border community in Ireland.
A full programme for the day will be confirmed over the coming weeks.
Tickets are available from https://www.irishsport.ie/tickets/
Limited number of early bird tickets on sale now!
Apr 16, 2019
News Release 16 April 2019
RTÉ and TG4 partner to bring FIFA Women’s World Cup to Irish screens for the first time
RTÉ and TG4 announced today (Tuesday 16 April, 2019) that they have reached agreement with FIFA for live coverage of every game in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France this summer.
Beginning on Friday 7 June with the Opening Ceremony and the Group A meeting of hosts France and Korea, RTÉ and TG4 will share coverage throughout the duration of the tournament with all games free-to-air for Irish viewers.
RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player will broadcast 23 matches including three of the quarter-finals, one semi-final and the final on Sunday 7 July.
TG4 will broadcast 29 matches in total including the opening match, one quarter-final, one semi final, the match for 3rd place and highlights of the final.
Declan McBennett, RTÉ Group Head of Sport said: “RTÉ are delighted that alongside TG4 we can, for the first time ever, bring the FIFA Women’s World Cup in its entirety free-to-air to Irish viewers. It is particularly fitting to be making this announcement exactly six months on from the launch of the 20 x 20 initiative to create a cultural shift in our perception of girls and women in sport.”
Rónán Ó Coisdealbha, Head of Sport TG4 said: “TG4 has been a proactive supporter of Women’s Sport for many years. This new collaboration is another step in the right direction and ties in well with the very important 20×20 campaign. It is also a great example of how Public Service Media outlets can collaborate to bring the best of television content, free to air, to loyal audiences.”
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
RTÉ
Fergus McCormack, RTÉ Sport Press Officer /Fergus.mccormack@rte.ie / 086 8674751
Sharon Brady, Senior Communications Manager RTÉ /Sharon.brady@rte.ie / 087 685 8975
TG4
Trevor Ó Clochartaigh, Communications Manager TG4 /trevor.o.clochartaigh@TG4.ie / 087 2476624
Rónán Ó Coisdealbha, Head of Sport, TG4 /ronan.o.coisdealbha@TG4.ie – 087 2472841
