In a statement released by Cricket Ireland, it has announced that addition of the sixth player to women’s retainer contract list. Orla Prendergast has been awarded a part-time deal.
This is the first instance of a contract being offered to her. Moreover, already contracted players Laura Delany, Gaby Lewis and Celeste Raack have been offered a deal until the end of 2020 with an increased deal. It has to be noted that the additions have been made possible after Kim Garth had recently concluded her contract early to move to Australia.
Prendergast is an all-arounder who made her International debut for the Irish national side in 2019. She is 18 and has made eight appearances with the highest score of 38. She has five wickets too with an average of 16.8. In domestic matches, she has featured in all four Super Series domestic matches for Typhoons. She has amassed 114 runs with an average of 28.5. She has bowled tightly and had an economy rate of 3.85 runs per over.
Apart from cricket, Orla has represented the Republic of Ireland in women’s under-17 football team. On receiving the contract, she said that “While it’s frustrating to have our upcoming international games postponed, looking at it positively it gives us more time to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers. I hope these additional coaching contact hours will further my game and give me the best chance to help us qualify for the World Cup next summer”.
The head coach of the Irish side said that “As soon as we understood that there would be funding available, I was keen to see it reinvested back into the players. In the absence of competitive international fixtures, to spread the funding to increase dedicated training contact time with several players is the next best option. That four players will now benefit from the reinvestment is good news, and I am especially pleased that we will be able to spend more time working with Orla. Her all-around talent has been recognised for a while, and she has shown that she can step up with each challenge that has come her way. These additional coaching hours will only be of benefit as she grows in confidence and understanding of her game”.
The part-time professional contracts were first launched in 2019 by Cricket Ireland and the investments have been increased in the ongoing year. A new category of non-retainer contracts has been added for the senior performance squad.
News Source:Craig Easdown for cricketireland.ie
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