August date for England clash

CRICKET:IRELAND'S BUSY year of cricket started to take shape yesterday with confirmation of a date for the One Day International against England and their schedule of Friends Provident Trophy games.

Phil Simmons's side will meet England on Thursday, August 27th, at Stormont, the venue for their inaugural ODI meeting in June 2006. A sell-out crowd of 7,000 packed the Belfast venue that day, when Marcus Trescothick's century helped England to a 38-run victory.

Cricket Ireland will be confident of another bumper payday for the third clash between the sides. They last met in the Super Eights stage of last year's World Cup in Georgetown, Guyana, with England running out winners by 48 runs.

The game is part of a three-match series that will also see England play here in 2011 and 2013 and Simmons is looking to forward to the contest.

"The fact that it's England gives it extra spice - they're so close geographically that it's almost like a local derby. It's a real boost to the game here, and I know just how much the players are anticipating the tie," said Simmons "It's another chance for the players to showcase their talents, and hopefully by playing good cricket, we'll get the fans to come and back us not only in this game, but in all our fixtures."

"It's fantastic for the players and fans to see some of the real superstars in world cricket playing in Ireland. It'll be a tough test facing players of the calibre of Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, but as we've shown in the past, we have players who are capable of responding positively to that challenge," added Simmons.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also announced the dates for Friends Provident Trophy in April and May, with Ireland facing two new opponents from last season in Hampshire and Worcestershire.

Ireland start their Group A fixtures at home to Worcestershire on Sunday, April 26th, before an away double-header against Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

FRIENDS PROVIDENT TROPHY FIXTURES.

Group A - Sunday, April 26th: Ireland v Worcestershire; Sunday, May 3rd: Nottinghamshire v Ireland, Trent Bridge; Monday, May 4th: Leicestershire v Ireland, Grace Road; Sunday, May 10th: Ireland v Hampshire; Thursday, May 14th: Ireland v Leicestershire; Saturday, May 16th: Ireland v Nottinghamshire; Monday, May 18th: Hampshire v Ireland, Rose Bowl; Wednesday, May 20th: Worcestershire v Ireland, New Road.