Northern Knights (cricket team)
{{short description|Provincial cricket team on the island of Ireland}}
{{for|the New Zealand team formerly called Northern Knights|Northern Districts men's cricket team}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox cricket team
|image = Northern Knights (cricket team) logo.png
|captain = Mark Adair
|coach = Simon Johnston
|founded = 2013
|ground = Stormont Cricket Ground, Belfast
|capacity = 7,000
|colors=Navy and Red|owner = Northern Cricket Union of Ireland
| title1 = Inter-Provincial Championship
| title1wins = 0
| title2 = Interprovincial One-Day Trophy
| title2wins = 2
| title3 = Interprovincial Twenty20 Cup
| title3wins = 1
|website =
}}
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
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.cricketireland.ie/news/article/coaches-announced-for-inter-provincial-series|title=Coaches announced for Inter-Provincial Series - Cricket Ireland|first=Cricket|last=Ireland|website=www.cricketireland.ie|access-date=27 May 2017|archive-date=20 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170402/https://www.cricketireland.ie/news/article/coaches-announced-for-inter-provincial-series|url-status=dead}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Easdown |first=Craig |date=2013-09-22 |title=Warriors beat Lightning to give RSA Inter-Provincial Cup to Northern Knights |url=https://cricketireland.ie/news/warriors-beat-lightning-to-give-rsa-inter-provincial-cup-to-northern-knight/ |access-date=2024-01-08 |website=Cricket Ireland |language=en-US}}
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.{{cite web |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/ireland/content/story/1061711.html |title=Ireland domestic competition awarded first-class status |access-date=14 October 2016 | work=ESPN Cricinfo}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/37657590 |title=Ireland's Inter-Provincial Championship awarded first-class status |access-date=14 October 2016 | work=BBC Sport}}
In January 2016, Simon Johnston, then head of Waringstown Cricket Club, was appointed head coach of the team, replacing Eugene Moleon.{{cite web|url=http://www.cricketireland.ie/news/article/interview-with-new-northern-knights-coach-simon-johnston|title=Interview with New Northern Knights Coach Simon Johnston - Cricket Ireland|first=Cricket|last=Ireland|website=www.cricketireland.ie|access-date=27 May 2017|archive-date=22 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922005650/https://www.cricketireland.ie/news/article/interview-with-new-northern-knights-coach-simon-johnston|url-status=dead}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Callender |first=Ian |date=18 August 2019 |title=Knights lift T20 crown |url=https://irishcricketarchives.org/DATABASE/ARTICLES2019/articles/000012/001290.shtml |access-date=8 Jan 2024 |website=Irish Cricket Archives}}
Following Wilson's retirement, Harry Tector took over captaincy duties for the 2021 season.{{Cite news |date=2021-03-30 |title=Tector honoured to secure Northern Knights captaincy |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/tector-honoured-to-secure-northern-knights-captaincy/40254286.html |access-date=2024-01-08 |work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}} He was succeeded by Mark Adair in 2022.{{Cite news |date=2022-01-31 |title=Mark Adair takes over captaincy of Northern Knights |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/mark-adair-takes-over-captaincy-of-northern-knights/41294678.html |access-date=2024-01-08 |work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}
2023 was the most successful year in the team's history as they completed a List A and T20 double.{{Cite web |last=Morton |first=Johnny |date=8 Sep 2023 |title=Northern Knights complete historic Inter-Provincial Cup and Trophy double |url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/cricket/northern-knights-complete-historic-inter-provincial-cup-and-trophy-double-4285206 |access-date=8 Jan 2024 |website=News Letter}}
Honours
: Inter-Provincial Cup - (List A) - 2 titles
: Inter-Provincial Trophy - (T20) - 1 title
:: Winners: 2023
Current squad
- Players with international caps are listed in bold.
- *denotes players qualified to play for Ireland on residency or dual nationality.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; width:80%;" | ||||||
| style="text-align:center; background:#FF0000; color:white; " | Name
! style="text-align:center; background:#FF0000; color:white; " | Nationality ! style="text-align:center; background:#FF0000; color:white; " | Birth date ! style="text-align:center; background:#FF0000; color:white; " | Batting style ! style="text-align:center; background:#FF0000; color:white; " | Bowling style ! style="text-align:center; background:#FF0000; color:white; " | Club ! style="text-align:center; background:#FF0000; color:white; " | Notes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| colspan="7" | Batsmen | ||||||
| Paul Stirling | {{cr|Ireland}} | {{Birth date and age|1990|9|3|df=y}} | Right-handed | Right arm off-break | North Down | |
| James McCollum | {{cr|Ireland}} | {{Birth date and age|1995|8|1|df=y}} | Right-handed | Right arm medium | Waringstown | Vice-captain |
| Ross Adair
|{{cr|Ireland}} |{{Birth date and age|1994|4|21|df=y}} |Right-handed | | ||||||
| Morgan Topping | {{cr|Ireland}} | {{Birth date and age|1999|3|25|df=y}} | Right-handed | Right arm off-break | Waringstown | |
| Cade Carmichael
|{{cr|South Africa}}* |{{Birth date and age|2002|8|3|df=y}} |Right-handed |Right arm medium | | ||||||
| colspan="7" | All-rounders | ||||||
| Mark Adair | {{cr|Ireland}} | {{Birth date and age|1996|3|27|df=y}} | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium | CIYMS | Captain |
| Jordan Neill
|{{cr|Ireland}} |{{Birth date and age|2006|3|3|df=y}} |Right-handed |Right arm medium-fast |CSNI | | ||||||
| Ruhan Pretorious | {{cr|South Africa}}* | {{Birth date and age|1991|3|2|df=y}} | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast | Woodvale | |
| Adam Leckey
|{{cr|Ireland}} |{{Birth date and age|2006|9|25|df=y}} |Right-handed |Right arm medium |CSNI | | ||||||
| colspan="7" | Wicket-keepers | ||||||
| Neil Rock | {{cr|Ireland}} | {{Birth date and age|2000|09|24|df=y}} | Left-handed | - | Rush | |
| Benjamin Calitz | {{cr|Canada}} | {{Birth date and age|2002|07|06|df=y}} | Left-handed | - | CIYMS | |
| colspan="7" | Bowlers | ||||||
| Tom Mayes | {{cr|South Africa}}* | {{Birth date and age|2001|1|4|df=y}} | Right-handed | Right arm medium-fast | North Down | |
| Matthew Foster | {{cr|Ireland}} | {{Birth date and age|2000|01|15|df=y}} | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium | CSNI | |
| Matthew Humphreys
|{{cr|Ireland}} |{{Birth date and age|2002|9|28|df=y}} |Right-handed | | ||||||
| Harry Dyer
|{{cr|Ireland}} |{{Birth-date and age|15 March 2006}} |Right-handed |Right arm off-break |CSNI | | ||||||
| Adam Kennedy | {{cr|Ireland}} | {{Birth date and age|2003|10|22|df=y}} | Right-handed | Right arm fast-medium | CIYMS | |
| Cian Robertson
|{{cr|Ireland}} |{{Birth date and age|2002|9|19|df=y}} |Right-handed | | ||||||
| colspan="7" | Source:{{Cite web |title=2023 FC+LA+T20 match individual most matches for Northern Knights |url=https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/year/individual-most-matches-career/2023-2023/combined-first-class-list-a-and-twenty20-12?team=5949 |access-date=9 Jan 2024 |website=ESPNCricinfo}} |
Grounds
{{for|a complete list of grounds used by Northern Knights|List of Northern Knights grounds}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.northerncricketunion.org The Northern Cricket Union official website]
- [https://cricketireland.ie/domestic/inter-provincial-series/northern-knights/ Cricket Ireland profile of Northern Knights]
{{Cricket in Ireland}}
{{Interprovincials}}
Category:Irish first-class cricket teams