The 2020 Inter-Provincial Cup was the eighth edition of the Inter-Provincial Cup, a List A cricket competition that was played in Ireland during September 2020.[1] It was the fourth edition of the competition to be played with List A status. Leinster Lightning were the defending champions.[2]
| Dates | 10 – 28 September 2020 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | Cricket Ireland |
| Cricket format | List A |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin |
| Champions | Leinster Lightning (7th title) |
| Participants | 3 |
| Matches | 6 |
| Most runs | Stephen Doheny (142) |
| Most wickets | Simi Singh (10) |
The first two scheduled matches of the tournament, both between North West Warriors and Northern Knights, were abandoned without a ball being bowled due to the weather.[3][4] The next match saw Leinster Lightning beat Northern Knights by 91 runs, giving them a bonus point to lead the competition at the mid-way point.[5] In the fourth fixture, Leinster Lightning beat North West Warriors by 62 runs, in a rain-affected match.[6] The win, which included a bonus point, was enough to give Leinster an unassailable lead in the tournament, and their seventh consecutive title.[7] Leinster Lightning went on to win their remaining two matches,[8] finishing the tournament undefeated.[9]
Background edit
The tournament was originally scheduled to take place from 8 May to 29 July 2020.[10][11] However, on 26 March 2020, Cricket Ireland confirmed that domestic competitions would be pushed back to 28 May 2020 at the earliest, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12][13] Government restrictions prevented any cricket, including training, from starting before June 2020.[14] The Irish government announced a provisional date of 20 July 2020 for a possible restart of sporting fixtures in the country.[15] Plans of a possible start of domestic cricket in Ireland, with matches taking place during August and September, were looked at in July 2020.[16] On 22 July 2020, Cricket Ireland confirmed the revised fixtures for the tournament.[17] On 15 August 2020, all the teams confirmed their squads for the tournament.[18][19]
Points table edit
| Team[20] | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leinster Lightning | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Northern Knights | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| North West Warriors | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
Fixtures edit
10 September 2020
Scorecard |
v
|
||
- No toss.
- No play was possible due to rain.
- Points: North West Warriors 2, Northern Knights 2.
15 September 2020
Scorecard |
v
|
||
- No toss.
- No play was possible due to rain.
- Points: Northern Knights 2, North West Warriors 2.
17 September 2020
Scorecard |
Leinster Lightning
306/7 (50 overs) |
v
|
Northern Knights
215 (42.5 overs) |
- Northern Knights won the toss and elected to field.
- Greg Ford (Leinster Lightning) and James Hunter (Northern Knights) both made their List A debuts.
- Points: Leinster Lightning 5, Northern Knights 0.
22 September 2020
Scorecard |
North West Warriors
205/8 (50 overs) |
v
|
Leinster Lightning
136/1 (26.5 overs) |
- Leinster Lightning won the toss and elected to field.
- Rain during Leinster Lightning's innings prevented any further play.
- Varun Chopra (North West Warriors) and Rory Anders (Leinster Lightning) both made their List A debuts.
- Points: Leinster Lightning 5, North West Warriors 0.
26 September 2020
Scorecard |
Northern Knights
240/9 (50 overs) |
v
|
Leinster Lightning
243/7 (43.1 overs) |
- Leinster Lightning won the toss and elected to field.
- Carl Robinson (Northern Knights) made his List A debut.
- Points: Leinster Lightning 4, Northern Knights 0.
28 September 2020
Scorecard |
North West Warriors
132/8 (32 overs) |
v
|
Leinster Lightning
133/7 (26.2 overs) |
- North West Warriors won the toss and elected to bat.
- The match was reduced to 32 overs per side due to rain.
- Conor Olphert (North West Warriors) made his List A debut.
- Points: Leinster Lightning 4, North West Warriors 0.
References edit
- ^ "Interpros to return next month". Cricket Europe. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Abandoned game sees Lightning confirm 6th title". Cricket Europe. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ "MATCH PREVIEW: Warriors v Knights - IP50". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Another one bites the dust". Cricket Europe. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ "Lightning overpower Knights by 91 runs". Cricket Europe. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ "Tector inspires Lightning to more Inter-pro Cup joy". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ "Magnificent 7 in a row for Leinster Lightning". Cricket Europe. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ "Lightning beat battling Warriors". Cricket Europe. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- ^ "Leinster Lightning complete undefeated season after turning over North West Warriors". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
- ^ "Fixtures announced for men's internationals, Inter-Provincial Series and Super 3s in 2020". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "Interpro series cut". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "UPDATE: Irish cricket season". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ "Season pushed back". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
- ^ "Update on COVID-19 and the Irish cricket season". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ "Light at end of tunnel for cricket?". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- ^ "Ireland hopeful of Interprovincial season". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ "Test Triangle Inter-Provincial Series and Super 50 Series fixtures released for 2020 season". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Squads named for interpro series". Cricket Europe. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "Test Triangle Inter-Provincial squads announced; captains give their views". Cricket Ireland. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
- ^ "Cricket Ireland Inter-Provincial Limited Over Cup Table - 2020". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 28 September 2020.