From August 13-16, the visit consisted of matches against Gloucestershire, Scotland and Northamptonshire over three days with four T20s and a single 40 over fixture.
This report consists of the scorecard information available plus additional details from those who attended with the team. Unfortunately some match information could not be accessed due to technological issues on specific match days.
Ireland won four out of their five games, winning the festival overall. Additional reports back from Malvern suggest the team stood out because of the amount of batting and bowling options they had available.
Besides performances on the pitch it was also reported back that umpires complimented the playing group for their spirit and attitude throughout. The team was also noted for their enjoyment of their cricket which helped in particular during moments of pressure in game situations.
Here are key details and performances from match information we were able to access:
14 AUGUST Ireland U-15s Girls vs Gloucestershire Girls U-15s Girls (T20 game)
- Ireland won the toss and elected to bowl first in their first match of the festival.
- Gloucestershire posted 115 for the loss of 8 wickets from their 20 overs.
- Mansi Bhavsar was the main threat with the ball taking 2-10 from her four overs including one maiden.
- However wickets were largely shared throughout the bowling group, plus one run out.
- In response, Ireland chased this down for the loss of five wickets with two overs to spare.
- Main contributors with the bat included Sarah Prendergast with 42 off 54 and Genevieve Morrissey who scored 26 from 18.
Ireland won by 5 wickets
15 AUGUST Ireland U-15s Girls vs Scotland U-15s Girls (T20 game)
- Scotland won the toss and elected to bowl first in this fixture.
- Ireland posted 160 for 9 with Arisha Foysal scoring 47; just missing out on a half-century.
- She was assisted by Mansi Bhavsar who scored 23 and Jodie Spence set the tone at the top of the inning with an impressive 33.
- In reply, Scotland posted 89 from 15 overs as Ireland made full use of the ground dimensions to defend the short boundaries as effectively as possible in this clash.
Ireland won by 71 runs
16 AUGUST Ireland U-15s Girls vs Northamptonshire U-15s Girls (40 over game)
- Northamptonshire won the toss and elected to bowl first in this, one of the last matches of the festival.
- Ireland posted 191 for the loss of nine wickets from their 40 overs.
- Main contributors with the bat included Sinead Thomson (30 off 25), Genevieve Morrissey (28 off 37) and Molly Butterly (28 off 67).
- In reply, Northamptonshire posted 139 all out from 37 overs.
- Wickets were shared around, as had been the case throughout the week, but key performers were Arisha Foysal 3-11 (4 overs), Lucy Andrews 2-7 (6 overs), Anna Ellerby 2-8 (4 overs) and Sarah Prendergast 2-16 (4 overs).
Ireland won by 52 runs
Editors note: There was a second T20 game against Scotland which Ireland lost by just 12 runs. Scotland batted first and posted 156. In response, Ireland scored 144 – only just falling short. It was noted by those accompanying the Irish players that Scotland made better use of the ground dimensions in contrast to the first game between the two sides. Any additional information regarding these matches and the festival overall will be added to this article as soon as possible.