Nine new players have been added to the Shapoorji Pallonji Cricket Ireland Academy for the coming year.
Following a thorough review of the Academy programme the new intake for the 2015-2016 season has been announced, with 16 of last year’s players being retained, bringing the total number of players in the Academy to 25.
Commenting on the announcement, Craig Hogan, National Academy Manager, said: “After an exhaustive review of the Academy, the selectors have chosen the new intake for 2015 to 2016.
“It has been very pleasing to see many of the first Academy cohort moving onto the senior men’s and women’s, and the Emerging Player Programme squad which was announced this week, to continue their personal and cricketing progression. We are very proud of their achievements.”
Among the players who have moved onto the women’s senior programme are Kim Garth and Gaby Lewis, who were recipients of the Toyota Senior Women’s Player of the Year and Aengus Fanning Sunday Independent Emerging Player of the Year awards respectively at the recent Hanley Energy Cricket Ireland Awards. Current Academy player Varun Chopra also picked up the Castleknock Hotel Junior Player of the Year Award.
On this year’s intake, Hogan continued: “The new programme now gives existing Academy players further time to continue to develop and an opportunity for the eight newly identified players to begin their Cricket Ireland pathway through the Academy.”
The Shapoorji Pallonji Cricket Ireland Academy was established in 2013, and aims to identify and support the most talented young male and female players in the country, and provide them with a bespoke world-class player development programme in order to have the best possible chance of success on the international stage.
Shapoorji Pallonji Cricket Ireland Academy 2015/16
Rory Anders (Phoenix); Andrew Austin (Bready)*; Jack Carson (Waringstown); Varun Chopra (Coleraine); Sonny Cott (Pembroke); Adam Dennison (Waringstown); Stephen Doheny (Rush)*; Fionn Hand (North County)*; Aaron Gillespie (Strabane)*; Jamie Grassi (North County); Hannah Grieve ( Waringstown)*; Anna Kerrison (Leinster)*; Josh Little (Pembroke); Gary McClintock (Donemana); William McClintock (Donemana); James McCollum (Waringstown); Natasha Morton (North Down)*; Leah Paul (Merrion)*; Neil Rock (Rush)*; Harry Tector (YMCA); Jack Tector (YMCA); Morgan Topping (Waringstown); Fiachra Tucker (Pembroke); Lorcan Tucker (Pembroke); Ben White (Phoenix)
* Denotes new Academy player
Yes
Connaught
