Ireland News

SOME of Cardiff UCCE young cricket stars are preparing for a busy winter. James Shannon, in his first year with the Cardiff UCCE.

Afghanistan has been grouped with the United States in the qualifying tournament for next year's Twenty20 World Cup cricket.

Ireland and Scotland have been grouped with Afghanistan and the USA at the ICC World Twenty20 qualifier in the United Arab Emirates from 9 to 13 February.

The ICC has confirmed the remaining fixtures in the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup, with everything leading towards next November's final, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates.

Tickets for Ireland's match against Australia taking place in Dublin on June 17 next year are to go on sale on December 14 at 10 am.

New details of the proposed post-2012 Future Tours Programme have emerged, with David Morgan, the ICC president, stating the home-and-away component of the current model could be scrapped.

AMBITIOUS Scotland chiefs are planning a radical domestic shake-up which could put them ahead of rivals Ireland in the international pecking order.

Kyle McCallan has called time on his international career. ©REUTERS/Philip Brown Picture Supplied by Action Images Irish all-rounder Kyle McCallan has announced his decision to retire from international cricket, ending his career with a record 226 caps, 54 of those as captain.

Monteith represented Ireland 76 times, captaining them on 38 occasions, in a 19-year career from 1965 to 1984.

Highly-rated Ireland batsman Paul Stirling has agreed a three-year contract with Middlesex.

"I don't think were going back to the Troubles, but I don't think we've escaped from them either," said Richard English, professor of politics at Queen's University, Belfast, adding he suspected spasmodic violence would endure.

WEST Indies cricketers have created a culture of laziness on the training pitch, former coach John Dyson has revealed.

POLITICIANS, business leaders, clergy and sporting personalities across Londonderry have united behind a campaign protesting against proposed cuts at Radio Foyle.

The build-ups to Springbok games this year have resembled a stuck record. We hear the same monotonous rubbish before every game about how physical the South Africans are and we hear the same promises from their opponents that they will match fire with fire in their attempts to live with the "thugs" and "bullies" in the green and gold.

Shooter' Biles, a stalwart of the Harnham-based Idlers Cricket Club and first-team captain of North Dorset Rugby Club, died in the early hours of Thursday from unexplained but natural causes.

Wales boss Warren Gatland wants his players to handle the expectation when they target a major southern hemisphere scalp on Saturday.

Flyhalf Jonathan Sexton impressed on debut with 16 points as Ireland warmed up for rugby world champion South Africa by dispatching Fiji 41-6 on Saturday.

Denis Leamy seems certain to miss out on Ireland's final autumn international against South Africa after he was carried off with an ankle injury in the 41-6 victory over Fiji at the RDS in Dublin.

Enjoyed that. If you're about in the morrow, I'm at the wheel for the England v SA cricket one-dayer. What a weekend.

Jersey are set to host matches in the World Cricket League Division One for the first time in 2010.