Inter-Provincial Championship

History

Background

The Ireland cricket team have had huge success recently on the international level which has boosted the popularity of the game in the country. They had earned the reputation of being giant killers after upsetting teams like Pakistan and Bangladesh (2007 Cricket World Cup), and England (2011 Cricket World Cup). Their good performances in major international tournaments meant that Cricket Ireland openly started bidding for Test match status to the International Cricket Council. Nevertheless, one of the main stumbling roadblocks for Ireland getting to play the pinnacle of the game was a lack of a first-class cricket infrastructure at home, amongst other things. As early as August 2011, Cricket Ireland announced plans of a domestic first-class tournament. In January 2012, Cricket Ireland announced the ambitious 'Vision 2020' plan which announced the establishment of a first-class structure by 2015 and achievement of Test status by 2020. It also began work on a cricket academy to find talented players across the country and improving grass-roots cricket in the country. For the first time professional contacts, with central, A, B, and C were established. Plans for Test status were established partly to stem the flow of their star cricketers moving away to England in hope of playing Test cricket such as Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan and Boyd Rankin. According to Richard Holdsworth in an interview with Setanta Sports, CI are pleased with the strategic progress that had been made as of November 2012. In December 2012, Ireland got a $1.5m boost as increased funding from the ICC to establish elite domestic competitions in the country.

Hiatus and plans for return of first-class cricket

The Inter-Provincial Championship has not been held since 2019, and as of 2025 there are still no specific plans for its revival in the original 2013-2019 format. The 2020 competition was originally scheduled to have only half of the regular fixtures from previous editions before being indefinitely postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic with Cricket Ireland confirming in February 2021 that there would be no first-class competition in 2021.

In July 2024, Cricket Ireland announced the launch of an interim domestic first-class cricket fixture titled the "Emerald Challenge". The match was to be of four days in duration (in contrast to the typical three days of the old Inter-Provincial Championship) and was to be contested by two quasi-franchise teams, the Raiders and the Strikers, composed of the top 26 players in Ireland. The match would also serve as preparation for the upcoming test against Zimbabwe that was to be held in Belfast in late July 2024.

Following the conclusion of the Emerald Challenge match, Cricket Ireland launched a new Strategic Plan in August 2024 which listed as one of its desired outcomes the reintroduction of first-class cricket by 2025 and at the provincial level by 2027.

Format

The tournament was played in a double round-robin format, with each team playing each other twice, once at home and once away.

Points summary

Points were scored as follows:

• Win – 16 points
• Draw – 3 points
• Tie – 8 points
• Batting bonus points – 1 point for scoring 150, 200, 250 and 300 runs
• Bowling bonus points – 1 points for taking 3, 5, 7 and 9 wickets
• Bonus points only apply for the first 100 overs of each team's first innings
• Over rate penalties also apply on a match by match basis for teams who fail to bowl their overs at the required rate

Teams

Three of Ireland's five cricket unions take part in the Inter-Provincial Series; Munster Cricket Union and Connacht Cricket Union do not participate.

In the six years of its existence, the competition had been dominated by Leinster Lightning, winning the first five titles, including the 2017 competition, the first one treated as a first-class competition. In 2018, North West Warriors finally broke the Leinster stranglehold, winning their first Championship. In July 2020, Danish cricketer Freddie Klokker suggested that a European XI team could play in the competition, to give more experience to European cricketers playing in the longer format of the game.

Competition placings

2013 to present

All-time records

(All records correct to end of 2018 season)

Team records

Highest innings totals

• First Class cricket only

Lowest completed innings totals

Highest scores in the fourth innings of the match

Individual records – batting

Most career runs

• First Class cricket only

Highest individual scores

Most runs scored in a season

• First Class cricket only

Individual records – bowling

Most career wickets

• First Class cricket only

Best bowling in an innings

Most wickets in a season

• First Class cricket only

Partnership records

Highest partnerships for each wicket

Seasons

• 2013 Inter-Provincial Championship
• 2014 Inter-Provincial Championship
• 2015 Inter-Provincial Championship
• 2016 Inter-Provincial Championship

First Class status granted in 2017

• 2017 Inter-Provincial Championship
• 2018 Inter-Provincial Championship
• 2019 Inter-Provincial Championship

References

References

1. "Ireland domestic competition awarded first-class status". ESPNcricinfo.
2. "Ireland's Inter-Provincial Championship awarded first-class status". BBC Sport.
3. [http://www.espn.co.uk/cricket/sport/story/5900.html ICC to consider Ireland's bid for Test status]{{Dead link. (September 2024)
4. [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ireland/content/story/529402.html Ireland plan first-class structure] ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
5. [http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES5/articles/000002/000275.shtml Ireland unveil Test cricket vision] {{Webarchive. link. (17 February 2012 CricketEurope4.net. Retrieved 9 March 2013)
6. [http://www1.skysports.com/cricket/news/12342/7452036/Ireland-s-2020-vision CI reveals ambitious plans aimed at receiving Test status] Sky Sports. Retrieved 9 March 2013
7. [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ireland/content/story/550764.html Ireland map out path to Tests] ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
8. [http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/Ireland-s-Boyd-Rankin-retires-to-play-Test-cricket-for-England/16801 Ireland's Boyd Rankin retires to play Test cricket for England] {{Webarchive. link. (10 April 2013 Cricket Country. Retrieved 9 March 2013)
9. [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ireland/content/story/576390.html Ireland calls for Test status to 'halt exodus'] ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
10. [http://irelandcricket.weebly.com/1/post/2012/08/rankin-retires-holdsworth-calls-for-test-status.html Rankin retires, Holdsworth calls for Test status] {{Webarchive. link. (12 April 2013 irelandcricketwebbly.com. Retrieved 9 March 2013)
11. [http://www.setanta.com/ie/cricket-ireland-happy-with-progress-of-strategic-plan/ Cricket Ireland happy with progress of strategic plan] {{Webarchive. link. (9 January 2013 Setanta Sports. Retrieved 9 March 2013)
12. [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ireland/content/story/595809.html Ireland receive $1.5 m boost from ICC] ESPNCricinfo. Retrieved 9 March 2013
13. Ian Callender, "Domestic Cricket in Ireland in 2024", ''[[Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. Wisden]]'' 2025, p. 1109–10.
14. "Interpro series cut". Cricket Europe.
15. "No Irish first-class cricket in 2021 as board revamp domestic structure". ESPN Cricinfo.
16. "The 'Emerald Challenge' Launched". Cricket Ireland.
17. "New Strategic Plan Unveiled". Cricket Ireland.
18. "Cricket in Ireland Strategic Plan 2024-2027". Cricket Ireland.
19. (6 July 2020). "Denmark's Klokker calls for greater European opportunities in Irish First-Class cricket". Emerging Cricket.
20. (14 September 2016). "Tabish Khan". CricX.