IT’S 14 years since John Mooney played his first interpro, but that memory comes from a different time.
“Niall O’Brien and Matt Dwyer were on the team,” he remembers. “This is a completely different competition. We’ve a lot more games and it’s a higher standard. Leinster cricket have been to the fore since they started again and we want to keep that going.
“All the talk has been about Leinster Lightning but players have come through from the other teams too, guys like Andy McBrine and that’s a great credit to the series.”
New captain Mooney reckons there are three or four players who could use the Lightning to make the big step over the next season.
“Tyrone Kane batted superbly in the last session of last season and he will take a lot of confidence from that. He and Barry McCarthy will be battling it out for the same spot.
“Fast bowler Peter Chase, too, can stake a claim if he gets better consistency.”
Lightning kick off on Saturday at Skerries against North-West Warriors, whose shock win at Strabane last September foiled a Leinster clean-sweep. Mooney loves playing at the Hills, where pitches are second to none and the atmosphere can be electric in a close finish.
It’s an important day for the skipper, too, as he bids to reclaim his place in the Irish team. Having missed the World Twenty20 due to a stress-related illness, he started the new season with a bang last weekend, scoring a fine 86 against YMCA.
“It’s important for me, too, to show the selectors that I’m ready to get back in the team.
“Matt Dwyer prides himself on his wickets, so I expect a high-scoring game and the whole day will be brilliant.”
********************************************************************
FOR a man who has just announced a profit of €117,000, an awful lot of Warren Deutrom’s work in 2014 will be about money.
Cricket Ireland’s chief announced the surplus at the AGM last weekend but also confirmed that RSA’s seven-year sponsorship would cease at the end of the year.
Seeking a new name for the shirts will be a challenge in the climate, but he could hardly have timed it better.
“The new sponsor will start in the year in which we are playing England, taking part in the World Cup and hosting the ICC World T20 qualifier – and I’m also confident of another high profile team coming in next year”, he revealed.
“The support of RSA over the last number of years was fabulous, and we believe the next name on the shirt will be of similar size, stature and global footprint.
“It’s either going to be an Irish company with a global footprint or an international brand with an Irish presence.”
More good news for Deutrom came when Newstalk came on board on Monday to sponsor the Interpro series.
“We’ve been talking to Newstalk for a while,” said the CEO, “and we think it will be a great assistance in terms of increasing the profile of the event.
“We’ve said the interpro structure is going to be the most strategically important thing we do over the four years of our plan. After last year’s very encouraging start it will be good to bring it to a wider audience.”
*************************************************************************
LEINSTER clubs are relying on tried and trusted overseas players this season – with just two of the 14 incoming pros never having played club cricket in Ireland before.
Former international Dave Langford-Smith has returned from Australia to join Terenure, while YMCA have signed up Irish passport holder Peter ‘PJ’ Moor who has just finished his season in Zimbabwe captaining Midwest Rhinos.
Returning pros include Patrick Collins (Railway), Nicolaas Pretorius (Hills), Jono Cook (Pembroke), Zander Van Der Merwe (Clontarf) and Brett Thompson (Merrion, who also picked up ex-Eastern Province and Griqualand West bowler Deon Carolus, now living in Dublin).
The only newbie in RSA Division 1 is North County’s Tim Affleck, who has a good record in Sydney cricket.
In Division Two, Reinhardt Strydom has returned to the club where he started in Ireland in 2001, while other returnees include Josh Tasman-Jones (DU), Adam Ward (Leinster) and Lynal Jansen (Rush). Cork County have hired Stephan Grobler, who was at North County in their double-winning year of 2003.
Balbriggan have two Pakistani signings, Etesham Ahmed from Terenure and Muhammad Farrukh.
Like ‘Shami’, ‘Fez’ is a former Pakistan U19 player who spent three summers at Downpatrick. Phoenix have been unlucky in recruiting overseas players in recent years, so in a bid to change their fortune they have hired Emmanuel Peterson from Queensland, whose nickname is “Lucky”. )
**************************************************************************
SURELY one of Ireland’s leading sportswomen is Mary Waldron, who has been capped at both cricket and soccer. Mary was a revelation at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh, scoring a career-best 33 against South Africa when promoted to opener.
And last weekend she was back with Raheny for the crucial last round of the National League, scoring twice as they beat Shamrock Rovers 4-0. Mary – 30 next week – can now look forward to a UEFA Champions League outing with the Pandas once the cricket gloves are hung up in September.
**************************************************************************
(fixtures) Thursday: RSA Women’s Division 1: Leinster v Clontarf, Malahide v Merrion, North Kildare v Pembroke, YMCA v The Hills
Saturday: Newstalk Interpro 50 overs: Leinster Lightning v North West Warriors, Milverton 10.45.
Monday: RSA Division 1: Merrion v Terenure, North County v Clontarf, YMCA v Railway, The Hills v Pembroke; Div 2: Phoenix v Merrion 2, Cork County v Dublin Univ, Malahide v Rush, Pembroke 2 v Leinster Tuesday: RSA Challenge: Ireland v Sri Lanka, Clontarf 10.45