Cricket Ireland has announced women’s Performance and Academy squads for the next year.
16 top players are selected in the Performance squad. These players form the core of the senior national women’s team of Ireland. Emerging Ireland players are kept in the Shapoorji Pallonji Academy squad. These players will be given comprehensive training and will be part of the fitness programme of the board.
The Senior Performance squad has players like Kim Garth, Shauna Kavanagh, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Celeste Raack, Rebecca Stokell and captain Laura Delany who represented Ireland in the T20 World Cup Qualifier this year.
Ireland took part in the T20 World Cup Qualifier but failed to advance to the 2020 T20 World Cup. Now their focus shifts to the 50-over world cup qualifier to take place next year in Sri Lanka.
Head Coach of Ireland women’s team Ed Joyce believes that one of their main challenges is working with a wide number of players who are balancing their cricket training with other works or studies.
As reported by Cricket Ireland, Joyce said, “This was my first experience being part of selecting squads and there were certainly some tough decisions in there. The Performance Squad is mostly made up of players that were heavily involved last summer with the national side, both in the West Indies series and in the T20 World Cup qualifiers.”
Joyce also considers this team a very young side after some of the veteran women players decided to retire earlier in the year. They have also included some exciting under-19 players in the squad keeping an eye on the potential under-19 World Cup in 2021.
Cricket Ireland had offered professional contracts to women players for the first time in December 2018.
Here are the complete performance and academy squads:
Senior Performance squad-
Kim Garth (Pembroke CC)
Gaby Lewis (YMCA CC)
Celeste Raack (Merrion CC)
Mary Waldron (Pembroke CC)
Laura Delany (Leinster CC)
Shauna Kavanagh (Pembroke CC)
Eimear Richardson (Northern Districts, NZ / Leinster CC)
Lara Maritz (Clontarf CC)
Louise Little (Pembroke CC)
Rebecca Stokell (Leinster CC)
Una Raymond-Hoey (Clontarf CC)
Hannah Little (Pembroke CC)
Leah Paul (Merrion CC)
Orla Prendergast (Pembroke CC)
Sophie MacMahon (Leinster CC)
Cara Murray (Saintfield CC/Waringstown CC)
Shapoorji Pallonji Women’s Academy squad-
Amy Hunter (Instonians)
Anna Kerrison (Malahide CC)
Rachel Delaney (Merrion CC)
Jane Maguire (The Hills)
Caoimhe McCann (Malahide CC)
Naomi Matthews (Merrion CC)
Alana Dalzell (Bready CC)
Georgina Dempsey (Phoenix CC)
Zara Craig (Eglinton CC)
Rebecca Gough (Rush CC)
Louise McCarthy (Pembroke CC)
Jennifer Hanna (Donaghcloney Mill CC)
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