Inter-Provincial Cup

Last updated

Inter-Provincial Cup
CountriesCricket Ireland flag.svg  Ireland
Administrator Cricket Ireland
Format List A (from 2017 onwards)
First edition 2013
Latest edition 2023
Next edition 2024
Tournament format Double round-robin
Number of teams4 (from 2021)
3 (from 2013 to 2020)
Current champion Northern Knights (2nd title)
Most successful Leinster Lightning (8 titles)
Most runs Kevin O'Brien (1,071)
Most wickets George Dockrell (53)
Website Cricket Ireland

The Inter-Provincial Cup is a limited-overs cricket tournament in Ireland between the four leading cricketing provinces of Ireland.

Contents

The tournament was held for the first time in 2013 across venues in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Up to and including the 2016 tournament, the matches were not given List A status. However, at an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in October 2016, List A status was awarded to all future matches. [1] [2]

History

Background

The Ireland cricket team enjoyed increasing success at the international level in the late 2000's and into the 2010's which boosted the popularity of the game in the country. They had earned the reputation of a giant killer after upsetting teams like Pakistan and Bangladesh (2007 Cricket World Cup), and England (2011 Cricket World Cup). Their good performances in major international tournaments meant that Cricket Ireland openly started bidding for Test match status to the International Cricket Council. [3]

Nevertheless, one of the main stumbling road blocks for Ireland from getting to play the pinnacle of the game was a lack of a first-class cricket infrastructure at home, among other things. As early as August 2011, Cricket Ireland announced plans of a domestic first-class tournament. [4] In January 2012, Cricket Ireland announced the ambitious 'Vision 2020' plan which announced the establishment of a first-class structure by 2015 and achievement of Test status by 2020. It also began work on a cricket academy to find talented players across the country and improving grass-roots cricket in the country.

For the first time professional contacts, with central, A, B, and C levels were established. Plans for Test status were established partly to stem the flow of their star cricketers moving away to England in hope of playing Test cricket such as Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan and Boyd Rankin. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

According to Richard Holdsworth in an interview with Setanta Sports, Cricket Ireland were pleased with the strategic progress that had been made as of November 2012. [11] In December 2012, Ireland got a $1.5m boost as increased funding from the ICC to establish elite domestic competitions in the country. [12]

Format

The tournament is played in a double round-robin format, with each team playing each other twice, once at home and once away.

Points summary

Points are scored as follows:

Teams

According to Richard Holdsworth's interview to Setanta Sports, three teams would initially participate in the tournament, Leinster cricket team, Northern cricket team and North West cricket team as Munster and Connacht were considered still quite far away from fielding a competitive team for provincial tournaments. They were also given a separate limited overs names much similar to the systems in England and Australia, i.e., like Nottinghamshire Outlaws and South Australia Redbacks. In this case, the names are Leinster Lightning, Northern Knights and North West Warriors. [13] [14]

From the 2021 season Munster Reds joined the Inter Provincial Cup having previously only competed in the Twenty20 Inter-Provincial Trophy [15]

TeamFirst seasonTitles2023 position
Leinster Lightning 201382nd
Northern Knights 201321st
North West Warriors 201304th
Munster Reds 202113rd

Competition placings

2013 to present

SeasonWinnerSecondThirdFourth
2013 Northern Knights Leinster Lightning North West Warriors N/A
2014 Leinster Lightning Northern Knights North West Warriors N/A
2015 Leinster Lightning Northern Knights North West Warriors N/A
2016 Leinster Lightning Northern Knights North West Warriors N/A
2017 Leinster Lightning North West Warriors Northern Knights N/A
2018 Leinster Lightning North West Warriors Northern Knights N/A
2019 Leinster Lightning Northern Knights North West Warriors N/A
2020 Leinster Lightning Northern Knights North West Warriors N/A
2021 Leinster Lightning North West Warriors Northern Knights Munster Reds
2022 Munster Reds North West Warriors Leinster Lightning Northern Knights
2023 Northern Knights Leinster Lightning Munster Reds North West Warriors

All-time records

(All records correct to end of 2023 season)

Team records

Highest innings totals [16]

ScoreTeamOppsVenueDateSc
425/7 Leinster Lightning North West Warriors The Vineyard 14 Aug 2023
353/9 Leinster Lightning Northern Knights Stormont 5 Sep 2023
332/7 Leinster Lightning North West Warriors New Strabane Park 30 May 2016
320 ao Leinster Lightning Northern Knights Anglesea Road 2 Aug 2015
316/8 Northern Knights Leinster Lightning Sydney Parade 16 May 2023

Lowest completed innings totals [17]

ScoreTeamOppsVenueDateSc
90 ao Munster Reds North West Warriors Mardyke 19 May 2022
105 ao North West Warriors Northern Knights Stormont 4 May 2015
120 ao North West Warriors Northern Knights Lodge Road 26 May 2014
123 ao North West Warriors Leinster Lightning The Village 1 Jun 2013
123 ao Northern Knights North West Warriors Bready 12 May 2022

Individual records – batting

Most career runs [18]

RunsInningsPlayerTeamAverage
107132 Kevin O'Brien Lightning/Reds 46.57
104126 Andrew Balbirnie Leinster Lightning 45.26
97225 George Dockrell Leinster Lightning 69.43
86736 Andy McBrine North West Warriors 25.50
81426 Lorcan Tucker Leinster Lightning 37.00

Highest individual scores [19]

ScorePlayerForOppsVenueDateSc
152 PJ Moor Munster Reds Leinster Lightning Sydney Parade 10 May 2022
136 Simi Singh Leinster Lightning North West Warriors New Strabane Park 30 May 2016
133 Lorcan Tucker Leinster Lightning North West Warriors The Vineyard 14 Aug 2023
128 Luke Georgeson Northern Knights Munster Reds Stormont 30 Jun 2021
126 Andrew Balbirnie Leinster Lightning Northern Knights The Green 16 May 2021

Most runs scored in a season

RunsInningsPlayerTeamSeason
3645 George Dockrell Leinster Lightning 2021
3526 Murray Commins Munster Reds 2021
3504 Andrew Balbirnie Leinster Lightning 2019
3175 Luke Georgeson Northern Knights 2021
2585 William Porterfield North West Warriors 2021

Individual records – bowling

Most career wickets [20]

WicketsMatchesPlayerTeamAverage
5336 George Dockrell Leinster Lightning 21.51
5042 Tyrone Kane Lightning/Reds 22.70
4237 Simi Singh Leinster Lightning 24.40
3827 Craig Young North West Warriors 26.39
3738 Andy McBrine North West Warriors 30.59

Best bowling in an innings [21]

BowlingPlayerTeamOppsVenueDateSc
6/26 Gavin Hoey Leinster Lightning Northern Knights Stormont 5 Sep 2023
6/39 Barry McCarthy Leinster Lightning Munster Reds Sydney Parade 22 May 2021
6/42 Tyrone Kane Leinster Lightning Northern Knights Stormont 20 Aug 2019
5/16 Liam McCarthy Munster Reds North West Warriors Bready 4 Sep 2023
5/21 George Dockrell Leinster Lightning Northern Knights The Vineyard 4 Jun 2018

Most wickets in a season

WicketsAveragePlayerTeamSeason
1712.58 Barry McCarthy Leinster Lightning 2021
1516.46 Liam McCarthy Munster Reds 2023
1519.86 Theo van Woerkom Northern Knights 2023
1317.15Josh Manley Munster Reds 2021
1215.75 Mike Frost Munster Reds 2022

Partnership records

Highest partnerships for each wicket [22]

WicketP/ShipPlayer 1Player 2TeamOppsVenueDateSc
1st158 William Porterfield David Rankin North West Warriors Northern Knights Stormont 28 May 2018
2nd240 Andy McBrine Stephen Doheny North West Warriors Northern Knights Stormont 2 Jun 2022
3rd202 John Anderson Simi Singh Leinster Lightning North West Warriors New Strabane Park 30 May 2016
4th157 Tyrone Kane PJ Moor Munster Reds Leinster Lightning Sydney Parade 18 May 2023
5th187 Andrew Balbirnie Kevin O'Brien Leinster Lightning North West Warriors The Vineyard 3 May 2014
6th102 Neil Rock Mark Adair Northern Knights Munster Reds Mardyke 15 Aug 2023
7th215* Simi Singh George Dockrell Leinster Lightning Northern Knights The Vineyard 4 Jun 2018
8th103 Tyrone Kane Lorcan Tucker Leinster Lightning North West Warriors Observatory Lane 9 Sep 2018
9th72 Shane Getkate Jacob Mulder Northern Knights Leinster Lightning Observatory Lane 31 Jul 2016
10th69 Craig Young Andrew Britton North West Warriors Northern Knights La Manga 24 Apr 2019

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Test cricket</span> Longest form of cricket

Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at the international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings in which players have to play until they get all batsmen out; the match ends when all batsmen of the opposing team are out. It is scheduled to last for up to five days with 6 hours of play each day. A minimum of 90 overs are scheduled to be bowled per day making it the sport with the longest playing time. In the past, some Test matches had no time limit and were called Timeless Tests. The term "test match" was originally coined in 1861–62 but in a different context.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is the governing body for cricket in Sri Lanka. It was first registered with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Sports as the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka on 30 June 1975 as a national sports body. The board was renamed in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotland national cricket team</span> Sports team representing Scotland

The Scotland national cricket team represents the country of Scotland. They play their home matches at The Grange, Edinburgh, and also some other venues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands national cricket team</span> Sports team representing the Netherlands

The Netherlands men's national cricket team, usually referred as "The Flying Dutchmen " is a team that represents the Netherlands in men's international cricket and is administered by the Royal Dutch Cricket Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ireland cricket team</span> Irish international cricket team

The Ireland men's cricket team represents all of Ireland in international cricket. The Irish Cricket Union, operating under the brand Cricket Ireland, is the sport's governing body in Ireland, and they organise the international team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghanistan national cricket team</span>

The Afghanistan men's national cricket team represents Afghanistan in international cricket. Cricket has been played in Afghanistan since the mid-19th century, but it was only in the early 21st century that the national team began to enjoy success. The Afghanistan Cricket Board was formed in 1995, becoming an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001 and a member of the cricket confederation, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2003. After nearly a decade of playing international cricket, on 22 June 2017 full ICC membership was granted to Afghanistan. Alongside Ireland, this took the number of Test cricket playing nations to twelve. Afghanistan is the first country to achieve Full Member status after holding Affiliate Membership of the ICC. In view of the persistent conflict and insecurity in Afghanistan, following this status, the team moved to a new home ground in Dehradun, in India. The current home ground of the Afghanistan Men's Cricket team is the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cricket Ireland</span> Governing body for cricket on the island of Ireland

Cricket Ireland, officially the Irish Cricket Union, is the national governing body for cricket on the island of Ireland, and oversees the national men's and women's cricket teams. It also organises the Inter-Provincial Series, Super 3s, and three All-Ireland club competitions: Irish Senior Cup, National Cup and the All-Ireland T20 Cup. It achieved Test status for women in 2000, and for men in 2017 when it was made a Full Member of the ICC in June 2017.

William Boyd Rankin is a Northern Irish former cricketer who played international cricket for Ireland, and briefly also played for England. He is a right-arm medium-fast bowler. He is the brother of fellow cricketer David Rankin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sport in Northern Ireland</span>

Sport in Northern Ireland plays an important role in the lives of many Northern Irish people. Most sports are organised on an all-Ireland basis, for example rugby union, Gaelic games, basketball, rugby league, hockey, and cricket, whereas others, like association football and netball are organised on a separate basis for Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cricket in Ireland</span>

Cricket in Ireland is governed by Cricket Ireland, which maintains the Ireland men's and women's cricket teams. Like several other sports in Ireland, cricket is organised on an all-Ireland basis. Following the team's success in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, the sport's popularity increased in Ireland. The country was, until 2017, an associate member of the International Cricket Council and played in tournaments like the World Cricket League and ICC Intercontinental Cup, which are qualifying rounds for associate teams for the Cricket World Cup and ICC World Twenty20. Ireland qualified for the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2010 ICC World Twenty20. In the 2011 World Cup, they beat England in the group matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Ervine</span> Zimbabwean cricketer

Craig Richard Ervine is a Zimbabwean international cricketer who captains Zimbabwe in limited overs matches. Ervine is a left-handed batter. He was born in Harare and has played Test and limited overs cricket for the Zimbabwe national cricket team and first-class cricket for a variety of Zimbabwean sides in the Logan Cup. He holds an Irish passport. In January 2022, in the opening fixture of the series against Sri Lanka, Ervine played in his 100th One Day International (ODI) match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Dockrell</span> Irish cricketer

George Henry Dockrell is an Irish cricketer, who plays international cricket for Ireland, having learned his cricket at Leinster Cricket Club, Dublin. Known as an all-rounder, Dockrell is a right-handed batsman and slow left-arm orthodox bowler. He was a member of the class of 2010 in Gonzaga College, Dublin. In December 2018, he was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season. In January 2020, he was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland, the first year in which all contracts were awarded on a full-time basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Balbirnie</span> Irish cricketer

Andrew Balbirnie is an Irish cricketer, the current captain of the Ireland cricket team in Test cricket. Balbirnie is a right-handed batsman and an occasional wicket-keeper. He was born in Dublin and was educated at St. Andrew's College. He was one of the 11 cricketers to play in Ireland's first ever Test match, against Pakistan, in May 2018. In December 2018, he was one of 19 players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season.

Christoffel "Christi" Viljoen is a former cricketer who played for the Namibia national team. He played as a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium-fast. He also played for Otago in New Zealand domestic cricket.

The Inter-Provincial Championship is a three-day cricket tournament in Ireland, played between regional teams drawn from three of Ireland's five provincial unions. It parallels first-class cricket tournaments in other countries such as the County Championship of England and the Sheffield Shield of Australia. The tournament was held for the first time in 2013 across venues in Ireland.

The Inter-Provincial Trophy is a Twenty20 cricket tournament between the four leading cricketing provinces of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Tector</span> Irish cricketer

Harry Tom Tector is an Irish professional cricketer. He was part of Ireland's squad for the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He made his full international debut for the Ireland cricket team in September 2019. In January 2020, he was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract from Cricket Ireland, the first year in which all contracts were awarded on a full-time basis.

Matthew Foster is an Irish cricketer currently playing for Northern Knights in Irish provincial competition. He plays club cricket for CSNI in the NCU Premier League.

Matthew James Humphreys is an Irish cricketer. He plays for the Northern Knights in Irish domestic cricket.

Carson John Brian McCullough is an Irish cricketer. McCullough is from Belfast and plays his club cricket for CIYMS. He has represented Ireland at U-19 level and was selected to be part of the squad for the 2024 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.

References

  1. "Ireland domestic competition awarded first-class status". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  2. "Ireland's Inter-Provincial Championship awarded first-class status". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  3. ICC to consider Ireland's bid for Test status ESPN.co.uk. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  4. Ireland plan first-class structure ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  5. Ireland unveil Test cricket vision Archived 17 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine CricketEurope4.net. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  6. CI reveals ambitious plans aimed at receiving Test status Sky Sports. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  7. Ireland map out path to Tests ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  8. Ireland's Boyd Rankin retires to play Test cricket for England Cricket Country. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  9. Ireland calls for Test status to 'halt exodus' ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  10. Rankin retires, Holdsworth calls for Test status Archived 12 April 2013 at archive.today irelandcricketwebbly.com. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  11. Cricket Ireland happy with progress of strategic plan Archived 9 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine Setanta Sports. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  12. Ireland receive $1.5 m boost from ICC ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  13. North-West announce shortlist for name Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  14. NCU confirm team name for 2013 Interpros Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 9 March 2013
  15. "Inter-Provincial Series Revamp to include Munster Reds joining 50-over Cup – BBC Sport". 12 February 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  16. "Highest Innings Scores". irishcricketarchives.org. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  17. "Lowest Completed Innings Scores". irishcricketarchives.org. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  18. "Top Run Aggregates". irishcricketarchives.org. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  19. "Top Run Scores". irishcricketarchives.org. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  20. "Top Wicket Takers". irishcricketarchives.org. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  21. "Best Bowling in an Innings". irishcricketarchives.org. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  22. "Partnerships by Wicket". irishcricketarchives.org. Retrieved 14 April 2024.