When Ireland recently played a men's game in Bready for the first time since 2021, no local player from the North West was in the squad. Their interpro team, the Warriors was bowled out for 66 in their last game. Fewer clubs from the North West feature in the business end of the Irish Senior Cup. Has cricket in the island's smallest region fallen off from its heyday? This is the league which once lured Kapil Dev and Shoaib Akhtar as overseas pros after all. In a special episode, Ally McCalmont sits down with North West stalwarts Barry Chambers and Lawrence Moore to discuss the cricket's health in the region. Everyone always says, strong Yorkshire, strong England. Well, what does a weak North West mean for Ireland?
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What happens when Irish players are rested from the interpros and one province feels aggrieved at losing young players? They have a pop. Cricket Leinster did their best Damien Duff impression on Monday, taking a swipe at the powers that be. Nathan and Ally discuss how this gripe gives the start of the interpro T20 season some badly needed intrigue, along with the curious decision to rest all Ireland players despite the Bready washouts. We also chat how Ireland are shaping up as a T20 outfit ahead of next year's World Cup.
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Seven years on, the ETPL (or Euro Slam) has once again been postponed. What went wrong this time? Will Cricket Ireland ever get a franchise league? Is it time to move on and organise actual games of international cricket? Ally and Nathan discuss.
PLUS club cricket continues to impress with the Irish Senior Cup and Hendy Wallace, the Barbadian 'daddy' of overseas pros, reflects on his time with Eglington, Leinster and Phoenix.
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Think club cricket can be strange? You ain't seen nothing yet. From superfans to dodgy printers, this week in the Irish game had plenty to excite and infuriate. Nathan Johns and Ally McCalmont break down all the important action, while Kevin O'Brien joins us to chat through his young coaching career. Fresh off a stint working with the West Indies, might we see one of Ireland's greats coaching on home soil soon?
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This week marked the start and the end of this summer's ODI action for the Ireland men. Not that you would tell from the attendances. A pitiful figure of 2,500 people came through the gates at Clontarf across the drawn series against the West Indies. Have people switched off from Irish cricket, or is Cricket Ireland guilty of underselling its main product? Ally McCalmont and Nathan Johns discuss this pressing issue while offering a general review of the summer's first international action.
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The start of the international summer is upon us. Top tier cricket has finally returned to Ireland's shores. Ally McCalmont and Nathan Johns preview Ireland's ODI series against the West Indies. Will we see any debutants? Are the interpros finally providing decent international prep? What do these games mean to World Cup prospects? PLUS an exclusive chat with Ireland 'keeper Amy Hunter as her stint with Surrey continues.
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We all remember Carlos Brathwaite's name, thanks in large part to Ian Bishop's memorable commentary of the final over heroics that saw Brathwaite guide the West Indies to the 2016 T20 World Cup. What a few people might forget, though, is Brathwaite's far more illustrious achievement of winning the Irish Senior Cup with Leinster back in 2009.
With the West Indies coming to town next week, Carlos joins The Irish Cricket Podcast to reminisce on his time in Ireland, look at how the experience saw him make his West Indies breakthrough, and of course look forward to the upcoming Ireland games.
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This week sees the start of Ireland's domestic professional competitions for both men and women's sides. But, compared to last year, it's much harder for fans to follow. A sign of the dwindling status of 50-over cricket or a more concerning trend? Do the players themselves truly care? How do we get fans to buy into their regional teams?
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Two Irish players are currently playing T20 cricket in Pakistan, Josh Little and Curtis Campher. Their bowling coach, Cath Dalton, is a former Ireland international herself. Another coach with Irish links, Ian Butler, is working with Islamabad United.
Given his work with the Northern Cricket Union, coaching players on the Irish development pathway, and the amount of commentary on how Ireland manages to develop young players, we spoke to Ian Butler on this episode of the Irish Cricket Podcast. Is the country any good at bringing young players through? How are we working past the financial and facility issues?
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Amy Hunter was recently announced as an overseas signing for Surrey CCC. But the county's admin used a tricolour, not the official flag for players representing the entire island of Ireland, in the social media post announcing the signing. Does this innocuous error really matter? Ally McCalmont and Nathan Johns discuss the dwindling role the island's politics plays in cricket.
The end of the women's qualifiers and the ongoing Wolves tour are also up for discussion, as is the upcoming club season in the NCU, NWCU and Leinster.
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Ireland women's World Cup qualification campaign went up in smoke inside six days. The Wolves side lost by an innings in their sole red ball game against Afghanistan, while the U19s struggled in Zimbabwe. At senior and junior level, the defeats are piling up for Irish cricket teams. Ally McCalmont and Nathan Johns conduct a postmortem.
Where has it all gone wrong? Why is fielding such a concern for the senior women's side? Who are the youngsters still standing out? Are there any green shoots to suggest things will improve? Should we just turn into a golf podcast instead?
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On Wednesday, Ireland's women's team starts their bid to qualify for the ODI World Cup with a clash against Pakistan. Ally McAlmont and Nathan Johns come to you slightly earlier in the week than normal to preview their chances. We also have an exclusive interview with former captain Laura Delany. Have Ireland's chances been overly depleted by injury? Why is this side more comfortable in T20 rather than 50-over cricket? How has Delany adjusted to being back in the pack once the captaincy was given elsewhere last year?
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Over the next few weeks, Ireland women, Wolves and U19s all play in an important series of fixtures. With the U19s starting first, Nathan Johns and Ally McAlmont pick through which players are worth watching as those most likely to progress through to international level.
We also chat through the upcoming start of the club season and how grounds around the country are getting ready for the summer ahead. Is there a disconnect between cricket people in the north of the country and the national sides?
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How will the European T20 Premier League actually benefit Irish cricket? Which Irish players will be involved? Who might miss out? Where has Cricket Ireland's club money been spent? What is the best Irish Test XI of all time?
Listener questions answered in this week's mailbag/Q&A episode.
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Last week saw the announcement of Ireland's home summer international schedule. While the cancellation of the Afghanistan series was expected, plenty still pointed to the lack of fixtures not matching increased ICC funding levels. What are Cricket Ireland's priorities, if not hosting matches?
Plus, we hear from Abhishek Bachchan, the new investor in the Euro T20 Premier League. Some are still sceptical that the former Euro Slam will take place this year. Can the Bollywood star turned cricket investor guarantee that the six-year wait for an Irish franchise league is about to end?
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Former Ireland wicketkeeper Andy Patterson has endured plenty since retiring from county cricket. Originally from Cliftonville, the one-time Surrey and Sussex man was diagnosed with a condition which threatened to leave him paralysed. After raising over £70,000 with the help of a number of people, Patterson had a successful surgery and is slowly building up his ability to walk again. He joins Ally McCalmont and Nathan Johns to talk through his journey while reminiscing on his playing career.
Patterson is doing a 5k walk later this week in aid of Neuroharmony, a charity which advocates on behalf of those with autism, ADHD and anxiety. You can donate here: https://www.givey.com/runfor10000surrey2025
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Ireland all-rounder Mark Adair joins Ally McCalmont and Nathan Johns on this week's episode. We debrief the Zimbabwe series, get into Adair's recent form, backyard scraps with his brother as well as a few nerdy deep dives.
Nathan and Ally also chat the upcoming Wolves squad and the concerning reliance on overseas imports.
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After a rain-interrupted T20 series brings to an end Ireland's tour of Zimbabwe, Ally McAlmont and Nathan Johns look to the future. Tim Tector was the one player to debut across the seven games, who might be next? Did Ireland get their selections right? Who might replace Ed Joyce as women's head coach?
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Ireland have fallen to Zimbabwe in this week's ODI series. Where did it all go wrong? How to explain the negative batting displays? Did the bowlers still come up trumps? What's going on with Josh Little?
Nathan and Ally also react to the surprise news that Ed Joyce will step down as Ireland women head coach after the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Nathan Johns and Ally McAlmont pick through Ireland's victory over Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Who impressed with bat and ball, and where does this victory rank in Ireland's red ball success of the past year? Now that Andrew Balbirnie's side has won three Tests on the spin, what is the future of Ireland's participation in the format? How can Ireland find a way to play more Tests? Plus, what next for Aimee Maguire after she was suspended by the ICC for an illegal bowling action?
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