DUBLIN – The head coach of the Emerging Ireland Women’s side spoke ahead of the 2024 European Cricket Women’s Championship starting on Monday in Malaga, Spain.
Scanlon will guide his squad at its inaugural involvement in the European Cricket Women’s Championship, a T10 tournament played by European national teams under the umbrella of the European Cricket Network. The women’s edition of the tournament is in its second year, with the men’s edition having just launched in 2021. England XI Women were last year’s winner of the women’s competition when they beat Netherlands XI Women by 17 runs.
Emerging Ireland Women will play against England XI Women, Scotland XI Women, Netherlands XI Women, and Italy Women in the Premier Division with the top four teams moving to Finals Day on December 20th when the title will be decided. The tournament also provides an opportunity for players within Ireland Women’s pathway to make a case for consideration for selection at senior level.
Davy Scanlon, a former all-rounder for North West Warriors who featured in the Inter-Provincial Series between 2017 and 2019, has since looked to progress his coaching career. After time coaching with the Dragons in the 2024 Evoke Super Series as well as being part of the national pathway set-up, he was included in the coaching and support team for Ireland Women ahead of the England series where they secured a famous final over win in the third ODI and tied the T20I series 1-1 immediately after.
Additional information on how to follow next week’s tournament can be found here, and all of the games will be shown on the ECN YouTube channel.
On getting his side ready for a format his players won’t have played before, Davy Scanlon said:
“Preparation has been being going really well, and the girls have been working really hard. They’ve really enjoyed the intensity around the skills and we can’t wait to get going in the competition. We have spoken with Nigel Jones who has coached in the men’s competition as some of the players who’ve gone over. They have gave us real insight into conditions and format. We then set skills sessions up to try and meet what we expect to face. I’ve also been watching previous editions of the Men’s competition in the past. It’s a matter of learning how the games are played and watching for trends etc to know what to expect.”
On the biggest challenges of cricket’s shortest format:
“The hardest part will being able to adapt to in game situations a lot quicker than any other format we’ve played. You still have a little time to change plans etc but with the shortness of the games, we will have to think on our feet much quicker, which brings an element of excitement to it. As a bowler, you’ve to be resilient and reset every ball regardless of what’s previously happened. Honestly, with the toss it can be a lottery whether you bat or bowl first. We’ve set a strong leadership group within the squad and will be leaving these decisions up to them. We will obviously grow into the competition and be able to make more educated decisions with experience. It’ll be a brilliant learning curve not just for the leadership group but all the players in the squad.”
Finally, what he hopes to see from his squad:
“I’m really looking forward to our players showcasing their skills and being able to execute plans in a very short game. We’ve asked that they back themselves to do their jobs and hopefully this shows. We’ve a deep pool of talent in the squad which makes it even more exciting.”
SQUAD
- Georgina Dempsey (Phoenix) captain, Ally Boucher (Merrion), Abbi Harrison (Waringstown), Jennifer Jackson (Eglinton), Louise Little (Pembroke), Joanna Loughran (Leinster), Sophie MacMahon (Leinster), Niamh MacNulty (Merrion) vice-captain, Lara McBride (The Hills), Kia McCartney (Coleraine), Ellie McGee (Rush), Julie McNally (Clontarf), Annabel Squires (Merrion).
Coaching and support staff; David Scanlon (Head coach), Dom Joyce (Assistant Coach), Julia Webster (Physiotherapist).
FIXTURES
15 December
- Emerging Ireland Women v Scotland XI Women (11.30am) – Cartama Oval
16 December
- Emerging Ireland Women v Italy Women (9.30am) – Cartama Oval
- Emerging Ireland Women v England XI Women (1.45pm) – Cartama Oval
17 December
- Emerging Ireland Women v Netherlands XI Women (11.30am) – Cartama Oval
- Emerging Ireland Women v Scotland XI Women (3.45pm) – Cartama Oval
18 December
- Emerging Ireland Women v England XI Women (11.30am) – Cartama Oval
- Emerging Ireland Women v Italy Women (3.45pm) – Cartama Oval
19 December
- Emerging Ireland Women v Netherlands XI Women (11.30am) – Cartama Oval
20 December
*all times local to ground