Cricket Ireland President Jimmy Joyce and Leinster Development Manager Brían O’Rourke were presented with ICC awards on Saturday at Lord’s.
In February, Ireland were the winner of two major awards from the ICC. On Saturday, Jimmy Joyce and Brían O’Rourke were presented with these awards on ICC Europe ‘President’s Day’ at Lord’s during the lunch break of the test match between England and the West Indies.
Cricket Ireland took the top prize of the Pepsi ICC Development Programme Awards 2011, claiming the Best Overall Cricket Development Programme. Cricket Ireland President Jimmy Joyce received the award from former ICC President David Morgan.
ICC Global Development Manager Tim Anderson said of this year’s awards: “Once again it is fantastic to see so many outstanding initiatives and people recognised for their contribution to making cricket a bigger, better global game.
“On behalf of the ICC I would like to congratulate all the award winners and the nominees who were unsuccessful this year – your continued dedication to cricket’s growth around the world is making a substantial difference and we thank you for your efforts.”
Brían O’Rourke’s tireless efforts for Cricket Ireland have earned him the prestigious ICC Europe Coach Award ‘Outstanding Contribution to Cricket Coaching’ for 2012. He was presented with his award by Gordon Lord, the ECB’s Head of Elite Coach Development.
When the award was announced in February, O’Rourke said: “It’s a fantastic honour not just for me personally but also Irish cricket. There’s a real buzz in the country about cricket at the moment, and the game is clearly on the rise. “The numbers of coaches and participants are growing significantly, and there’s still a lot of talent out there to be unearthed. There are a lot of opportunities now for young cricketers and I’m confident that Ireland will continue to be a major player on the world circuit for generations to come.”
