CRICKET: Whether you like it or not - and let's face it, most people love it - the Twenty20 form of cricket as made a huge impact since its introduction to the English county scene a couple of seasons ago.
People like the coloured clothing, white balls, black sightscreens, loud music and general razzmatazz that debunks the myth that cricket is a dull affair controlled by cucumber-sandwich-munching dinosaurs. But most of all, of course, people just like to see the best batsmen available hitting the ball a long way.
It's not a revolutionary concept. Many years ago, the top baseball bosses in the US realised people wanted to see more home runs so they juiced the balls to make them fly farther and, more recently, turned a blind eye to the drug-taking that turned 10-stone weaklings into Barry Bonds.
Well, after a couple of very successful trial runs, the Leinster Cricket Union has become the latest governing body to succumb to the dizzying pleasures of Twenty20. The Lewis Hohn Williams Twenty20 Cup gets off in earnest this weekend with four venues, 12 teams and more razzmatazz than you could shake a brightly coloured stump at.
In truth, this is really just the revamping of the old Alan Murray Cup, a long-running 20-overs competition that had grown tired with its inconvenient, midweek slot and general lack of prestige. It was going to take a special character to give it the shot in the arm it needed. Enter Alan Lewis.
Ireland's most capped international is still playing senior cricket for YMCA and, with his insurance brokerage, he has now moved his sponsorship from the 45 Overs League to his latest baby, something he is hoping will attract people to cricket from beyond the same old fraternity.
"This is just a party with cricket in the middle," says Lewis. "Hopefully, with all the coloured clothing, family environment and festival atmosphere, it will bring a different dimension to how we present cricket in this country."
Lewis has brought in local Dublin radio stations 98FM and Newstalk as media partners, with 98FM intending to bring their outside broadcast unit to the finals day on Saturday, July 23rd, in Rathmines.
"That'll be a real family day with fun and games, face-painting, all that kind of thing. I expect there to be around 1,500-2,000 people there on finals day with four clubs represented and enough entertainment to keep people there all day," says Lewis. "We'll be selling tickets through Elverys and there'll be a poster campaign and radio ads to promote it."
Last year, CYM hosted a very successful trial run, and two weeks ago the preliminary round of the competition saw Trinity win through thanks to some wonderful batting from Dom Joyce and Michael O'Herlihy.
"It has been a great success so far. The players love it. Supporters love it. It brings a new dimension to the game. You could call it a cricket revolution in this part of the world," says Lewis, whose ambition is to see an international day/night Twenty20 competition under floodlights in College Park, which would surely represent a delightful post-modern clash of Elizabethan austerity and 21st-century irreverence.
In the meantime, if you fancy some great cricketing entertainment this Saturday, head down to the Phoenix Park, Claremont Road, Anglesea Road or Terenure and be a part of the future of the game. All teams play two games, with the losers from the first match staying on the field to avoid a dead rubber at the end. I think the best matches could be in Terenure with Trent Johnston, Warwick Hinkel and Michael Lax et al given free rein to swing the bat.
SATURDAY: At Phoenix Park: Dublin University, Phoenix, Malahide; at Claremont Road: Rush, YMCA, Railway Union; at Terenure: Clontarf, CYM, The Hills; at Anglesea Road: Merrion, Pembroke, North County. Play in the first matches gets underway at 11am.
jfitzgerald@irish-times.ie
