Northern Knights (cricket team)
Personnel | |
---|---|
Captain | Mark Adair |
Coach | Simon Johnston |
Owner | Northern Cricket Union of Ireland |
Team information | |
Colors | Navy and Red |
Founded | 2013 |
Home ground | Stormont Cricket Ground, Belfast |
Capacity | 7,000 |
History | |
Inter-Provincial Championship wins | 0 |
Interprovincial One-Day Trophy wins | 2 |
Interprovincial Twenty20 Cup wins | 1 |
Northern Knights is a first-class inter-provincial cricket team in Ireland.
The team participates in the Inter-Provincial Championship, Interprovincial One-Day Trophy & Interprovincial Twenty20 Cup.
The team represents the Northern Cricket Union of Ireland, which in turn covers most of eastern and southern Ulster and parts of western Ulster.
History
[edit]In 2013, Cricket Ireland formed a three-day Championship, 50 over Cup and 20 over Trophy featuring teams from Leinster, the North and the North West. The NCU team would be known as the Northern Knights. On 8 April, they announced Eugene Moleon as their coach and Gavin Rogers as his assistant coach.[1]
The Knights lifted their first trophy, the Inter-Provincial Cup, in that debut season. A surprise final day victory by the North West Warriors over Leinster Lightning ensured the Knights won the title by a single point.[2]
Up to and including the 2016 Inter-Provincial Championship, the matches were not given first-class status. However, at an International Cricket Council meeting in October 2016, first-class status was awarded to all future matches.[3][4]
In January 2016 Simon Johnston, then head of Waringstown Cricket Club, was appointed head coach of the team, replacing Eugene Moleon.[5]
In would be 2019 before the Knights silverware drought came to an end. The team won 3 of their 6 Inter-Provincial Trophy games in a rain-affected season which was enough for captain Gary Wilson to lift the trophy.[6]
Following Wilson's retirement, Harry Tector took over captaincy duties for the 2021 season.[7] He was succeeded by Mark Adair in 2022.[8]
2023 was the most successful year in the team's history as they completed a List A and T20 double.[9]
Honours
[edit]- Inter-Provincial Cup - (List A) - 2 titles
- Inter-Provincial Trophy - (T20) - 1 title
- Winners: 2023
Current squad
[edit]- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
- *denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.
Name | Nationality | Birth date | Batting style | Bowling style | Club | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Batsmen | ||||||
Paul Stirling | Ireland | 3 September 1990 | Right-handed | Right arm off-break | North Down | |
James McCollum | Ireland | 1 August 1995 | Right-handed | Right arm medium | Waringstown | Vice-captain |
Ross Adair | Ireland | 21 April 1994 | Right-handed | Slow left arm orthodox | CIYMS | |
Morgan Topping | Ireland | 25 March 1999 | Right-handed | Right arm off-break | Waringstown | |
James Hunter | Ireland | 1 November 2002 | Right-handed | Left arm medium | CIYMS | |
Cade Carmichael | South Africa* | 3 August 2002 | Right-handed | Right arm medium | Instonians | |
Jason van der Merwe | Ireland | 28 December 1991 | Right-handed | Right arm off-break | CIYMS | |
Jake Egan | Australia* | 20 June 2003 | Right-handed | Right arm off-break | Carrickfergus | |
All-rounders | ||||||
Mark Adair | Ireland | 27 March 1996 | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium | CIYMS | Captain |
Tyron Koen | South Africa | 25 October 1997 | Left-handed | Right arm medium-fast | CIYMS | |
Jordan Neill | Ireland | 3 March 2006 | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast | CSNI | |
Ruhan Pretorious | South Africa* | 2 March 1991 | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast | Woodvale | |
Adam Leckey | Ireland | 25 September 2006 | Right-handed | Right arm medium | CSNI | |
Wicket-keepers | ||||||
Neil Rock | Ireland | 24 September 2000 | Left-handed | - | Rush | |
Sam Topping | Ireland | 6 May 2005 | Left-handed | - | Sussex | |
Benjamin Calitz | Canada | 6 July 2002 | Left-handed | - | CIYMS | |
Matthew Halliday | Ireland | 30 November 2004 | Right-handed | - | Waringstown | |
Bowlers | ||||||
Tom Mayes | South Africa* | 4 January 2001 | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast | North Down | |
Matthew Foster | Ireland | 15 January 2000 | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium | CSNI | |
Matthew Humphreys | Ireland | 28 September 2002 | Right-handed | Slow left arm orthodox | Lisburn | |
Adam Kennedy | Ireland | 22 October 2003 | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium | CIYMS | |
Aditya Adey | Ireland | 21 December 1997 | Right-handed | Right armmedium | CIYMS | |
Cian Robertson | Ireland | 19 September 2002 | Right-handed | Slow left arm orthodox | Instonians | |
Source:[10] |
Grounds
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Ireland, Cricket. "Coaches announced for Inter-Provincial Series - Cricket Ireland". www.cricketireland.ie. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ Easdown, Craig (22 September 2013). "Warriors beat Lightning to give RSA Inter-Provincial Cup to Northern Knights". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Ireland domestic competition awarded first-class status". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ "Ireland's Inter-Provincial Championship awarded first-class status". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
- ^ Ireland, Cricket. "Interview with New Northern Knights Coach Simon Johnston - Cricket Ireland". www.cricketireland.ie. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ Callender, Ian (18 August 2019). "Knights lift T20 crown". Irish Cricket Archives. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Tector honoured to secure Northern Knights captaincy". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 30 March 2021. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "Mark Adair takes over captaincy of Northern Knights". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. 31 January 2022. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ Morton, Johnny (8 September 2023). "Northern Knights complete historic Inter-Provincial Cup and Trophy double". News Letter. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
- ^ "2023 FC+LA+T20 match individual most matches for Northern Knights". ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 January 2024.