Re Joyce

posted by John Winn

As part of my efforts to disclose cricket's hidden agenda I have banged the drum for the various icc tournaments that have taken place during the summer and in yesterday's posting drew attention to the triangular Europe Women's Division 1 competition beginning at Rugby School on Tuesday with Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland the competing nations.

The icc Europe website gives details of all the matches to be played over six days and the three squads. My eye was caught by two names in the Ireland thirteen, captain Isobel Joyce and her twin sister Cecelia, members of an Irish cricketing family who will be familiar to most pcws. They are of course siblings of Ed Joyce, Middlesex, Sussex, England and Ireland but there are two other brothers with cricketing credentials. Oldest of the family is Augustine (Gus) who has one first class match for Ireland on his cv and there is a third brother who has also played for Ireland, Dominick,

Isobel who bats right handed but bowls left is vastly experienced with 67 ODIs to her name and made her debut for Ireland in 1999. Sister Cecelia is almost as experienced and is a right hand bat and leg spin bowler.

The three participating countries have already qualified for the Women's World T20 Qualifier in 2015 the venue for which has not been announced.