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As part of our build up to the Irish Women’s Team playing in the the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifying 2017 in Sri Lanka, we have had a quick chat with some of the players who have been based at home during the winter.
As part of our build up to the Irish Women’s Team playing in the the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifying 2017 in Sri Lanka, we have had a quick chat with some of the players who have been based at home during the winter.

The first player we had a chat with was Cecelia Joyce:
Did you have any other choice other than cricket when you were growing up?!

“Well all of my brothers played cricket, along with my twin sister Isobel, so we all played some seriously competitive backyard cricket. From a very young age, I have had a close group of friends in Merrion. We always played together during the summer, and I would still be close with them. So all of these different things have helped me with the enjoyment that I get from cricket.”

Were there any other sports or interest that you have?

“I would still play hockey with Railway. As well as this, I did ballet up until I was 18 and played basketball when I was younger. At the moment I am studying for a degree in Sport’s Law. This links up with the full –time job that I have, where I am a lawyer in commercial litigation. I keep myself busy!”

How did 2016 go for you? Were there any highlights from the season?

“Just even before 2016, I felt that I had a good tournament in the World T20 Qualifiers in Thailand, and it was good boost for the team that we won the competition. However, after that it was a disappointing season for me. I didn’t perform as I would have liked in the World T20 out in India, and then I got injured just before the season started.

“I got a calf injury, but whatever way I hurt it, it shot up through into my back. I felt that I was always catching up for the rest of 2016 and never felt fully fit, which was frustrating. It also doesn’t help that with the stresses of the job, because you are spending most of the time sitting at a desk and it didn’t help the injury to heal. I think the break that the team had after the season ended was a real help to me, because for that period I was able to focus on my rehab, and I feel good now for the World Cup Qualifiers.

“I think it was good that we defeated South Africa at home in the summer. I felt that people who were outside of the group were saying “Wow, they won against South Africa!” But I think within the squad it wasn’t a big a shock for us. It was a progression that we were already working towards, it showed in those performances and we were all pleased that we did win against them”

You must be pleased to see your sister & Kim Garth making their debuts in the WBBL?

“I am very proud of my sister and what she has done over in the WBBL playing for the Hurricanes. It is great to see her doing so well over there. I am also delighted for Kim that she has played for the 6ers. But to be honest, I am not shocked that they are performing as well as they are.

“Again, I think again that there would be a lot of people who are outside of the team are surprised that they are doing well. But I wouldn’t be one of these people. I think that there would be a lot more players in this Irish squad that would be over in the WBBL if we had more opportunities to show what we can do. But it is great that Isobel, Kim and the other players that are over in Australia and New Zealand are showing off what they can do.”

What have you personally been working on during the winter sessions? Has it mainly been rehab from your injury?

“Yeah a lot of what I have been doing has been strength and fitness when we came back from the break at the end of the 2016 season. This has been a huge benefit to me because it helps me to execute my skills a lot better from what I have noticed so far in the nets. This is because I have good stability in my body, and it has helped with improving my flexibility.

“I can really see the difference now with the bat. I can hold my shape better with my shots and everything is more repeatable. As well as this, I am able to do all of this for a longer period of time, which is important for us playing 50 over cricket and that is what we will be doing a lot of out in hot and humid conditions in Sri Lanka.

“What has been really good to have during the winter sessions are the emerging players around in the setup. I think it has been a great learning opportunity for them. They are taking the time out to come to a cold North County to improve on their skills, and I feel that it is a good indication of their commitment to improve their game. They get a chance to see what the team does and what they have to do to play international cricket. I hope we are setting good examples for them! It was great to have some of them over in La Manga as another learning experience for them.”

What are you hoping for out of the World Cup Quals Tournament?

“Aim number one is to qualify, simple as that. Anything after that is a bonus. If we beat everyone who is below us in the rankings and we put in big performances against the higher ranked nations, then we will have a successful tournament. I don’t think many of the people in the squad are thinking too far ahead of themselves for the rest of 2017. A lot of things hinges on how we do in February.”

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Connaught