CRICKET TWENTY20 CUP TICKETS: IRISH CRICKET fans looking to attend next summer's World Twenty20 Cup in England may find it difficult after Cricket Ireland (CI) revealed yesterday they have received just 600 tickets in their initial allocation, writes Emmet Riordan
Tickets for the group stages went on sale before Ireland clinched their place in the finals at the beginning of August, but the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) kept seats back for Ireland's group games against India and Bangladesh at the 17,000-capacity Trent Bridge ground in Nottingham. CI expects demand to far outstrip supply and stated yesterday that tickets will be distributed to key stakeholders including sponsors, public funding bodies, the provincial unions, members of Cricket Ireland, committee members, volunteers and players.
A number of tickets have been kept aside for a ballot to be held before Christmas for those CI members not able to access tickets during the first stage of ticket distribution.
Cricket Ireland chief executive, Warren Deutrom, said: "With such small numbers to play with, it was never going to be easy to satisfy all requests to buy tickets, but we hope that by distributing the vast majority of our tickets to members and volunteers that we are at least rewarding those that have supported us so well over the years. Hopefully, ECB will be able to release further tickets to us next year, so we can look after even more supporters and stakeholders."
Ireland got a boost ahead of their Intercontinental Cup final against Namibia in Port Elizabeth tomorrow after four players were named in the team of the tournament. Brothers Niall and Kevin O'Brien were joined by Andre Botha, while Peter Connell was named 12th man after only making his debut in the competition in July.
Meanwhile, Ireland's Middlesex contingent of Ed Joyce and Eoin Morgan saw the dollars slip through their hands on Monday night as Trinidad and Tobago won the battle of the Twenty20 champions in Antigua. Morgan hit 30 but Joyce went for just one as Middlesex made 117. Ravi Rampaul, who played for Ireland during the Friends Provident matches this summer, claimed four wickets to pick up the €16,036 prize for man-of-the-match.
