CRICKET WEEKEND PREVIEW:PEMBROKE ALL-ROUNDER Andrew Balbirnie has been named as captain of a strong Ireland squad for the European Under-19 Championships in Jersey.
Coach Matt Dwyer’s side have the added incentive of earning one of the two places on offer at the Under-19 World Cup qualifying tournament in Canada at the start of September.
Balbirnie, who scored an unbeaten 100 for Ireland A in their defeat to a Yorkshire XI at Weetwood College in Leeds this week, is joined in the squad by full international Paul Stirling.
Ireland have named 13 players at present as they await clearance for Ben Ackland from ICC Europe. The Merrion all-rounder has played with the Under-19 side for a number of years, but requires a special dispensation to play in ICC competitions.
The four reserve players will be announced once permission has been granted.
The strength of the underage side is indicated up by the fact seven of squad are involved with English county sides in some capacity, and team manager Brian Walsh is confident that all the bases are covered.
“We have great balance and depth both in the bowling and the batting. We have good seam bowlers, and plenty of options in the spin department,” said Walsh.
“The batting is undoubtedly our main strength, with Paul Stirling a regular in the full international side.
“We also have quite a few players on the books of English counties, and if we play to our full potential then I’m confident we will progress to the next qualification stage,” he added.
If the under-19 side do make it through to next year’s World Cup, they will be heading for New Zealand rather that Kenya after the ICC switched venues due to lack of sufficient preparation in the African country.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: “It is a difficult conclusion to have reached and a regrettable one from the perspectives of both the ICC and Cricket Kenya, but with just eight months to go before the scheduled start, we could not proceed on the basis of hoping that everything would be ready next February.”
IRELAND UNDER-19 SQUAD(for ICC European Under-19 Championships): A Balbirnie (Pembroke) capt, J Blakiston-Houston (Strabane), G Dockrell (Leinster), S Getkate (Malahide), G McCarter (Killyclooney), G McDonnell (Pembroke), L Nelson (Waringstown), S Poynter (Middlesex), E Richardson (North County), J Shannon (Instonians), P Stirling (Carrickfergus), S Thompson (Eglinton), C Young (Bready). 14th player to be confirmed. Coach: Matt Dwyer. Manager: Brian Walsh.
FIXTURES:July 14th: v Netherlands; July 15th: v Denmark; July 16th: v Guernsey; July 18th: v Jersey; July 19th: v Scotland.
