Cricket Ireland has unveiled Newstalk 106-108 fm as the new sponsor of the 2014 Interprovincial Series.
There will be increased media coverage for the sport as a result and presenters from the station will be following players and teams throughout the competition.
Presenter Diarmuid Lyng was on hand at Leinster Cricket club to make the announcement yesterday and put his hurling skills to a new use when hitting well against some fairly soft bowling and fielding from Irish internationals John Mooney and Kevin O’Brien.
The Newstalk Interprovincial 3-day Championship, 50-over Cup and 20-over Trophy, will get under way on May 3rd and feature Leinster Lightning, the Northern Knights and the North West Warriors.
It is a measure of the sponsorship appeal of cricket that the three jerseys of the teams were adorned yesterday by RSA, PwC and Danske Bank.
“Cricket has seen a surge in popularity across Ireland in recent years and we are seeing more and more young people taking to the sport,” said Newstalk Sports Editor Ger Gilroy.
“Our seven-day Off the Ball offering is designed to keep listeners up-to-date with the latest developments across all sports. We are delighted to sponsor the Interprovincial Series and we look forward to supporting the teams throughout the season.”
Welcome
“We are delighted to welcome Newstalk into the Cricket Ireland family,” added Dennis Cousins, Head of Commercial at Cricket Ireland.
“Newstalk’s national reach and strong sports offering will no doubt help drive the ongoing growth of and interest in Irish cricket.”
“The Interprovincial Series is the bridge between club cricket and international cricket. It is extremely important in aiding Cricket Ireland’s journey to becoming a Test Playing Nation. To have an association with a prestigious, ambitious and dynamic brand like Newstalk is an important development for Cricket Ireland and the Interprovincial Series.”
“Our partnership with Newstalk also means that cricket fans, from across the country, can look forward to increased quality coverage of the game at international and grassroots level, throughout the season ahead.”
Profile
The increased profile will be used to boost Cricket Ireland’s search for an international sponsor from 2015 when Ireland will play at the World Cup in Australia, host England in a one day international and play host to the T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament for associate nations.
It was announced at the weekend that RSA is to end its long and successful association with the sport in Ireland from the end of this year.
“RSA has been a great supporter and enabled us to build a very strong platform for the sport and sponsors here,” said Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland CEO speaking to Sport for Business yesterday.
“The next company will have a really global reach through an association with Irish cricket as it continues to attract massive interest in cricket nations across the world.”
