Pembroke’s Andrew Balbirnie captains the side, eight of whom played in the 2008 tournament in Malaysia.
Ireland has been drawn in the tough Group B, based in Queenstown, where they will take on Australia, South Africa and the United States in the initial stages. The top two qualify for the quarter finals while the bottom two participate in the Plate Competition.
Ireland reached New Zealand by winning both the European Championships inJersey, and the World Cup Qualifying tournament inCanada.
Ireland coach Matt Dwyer is confident the squad will acquit themselves well saying, “We’ve got a very talented group of players who have been working hard in the gym and the nets to give themselves the best possible chance. They all play at senior level in Ireland and many of them have attracted the attention of English county sides. They know there’s a Senior World Cup coming up in the sub-continent in 2011, and a good showing in this tournament could well see them joining Paul Stirling in becoming a regular feature in the senior men’s squad.”
Ireland manager Brian Walsh echoed that view, “There’s never been a greater opportunity for the players to progress, and there’s no better motivation than a World Cup place. I’ve been impressed by their commitment and dedication in the build up. They’ve all been given fitness and conditioning schedules and their progress has been closely monitored by the backroom staff. It wasn’t easy selecting a final group of 15, and there were some difficult choices to make. There’s no doubt it’s not the easiest of groups, but if we play to our potential, we certainly have the ability to cause a shock.”
The squad in full is as follows:
Andrew Balbirnie (Captain) (Pembroke), Ben Ackland (Merrion), Adrian D’Arcy (Clontarf), George Dockrell (Leinster), Eddie Richardson (North County), Graham McDonnell (Pembroke), Jordan Coghlan (Clontarf), Shane Getkate (Malahide), Graeme McCarter (Killyclooney), Lee Nelson (Waringstown), James Shannon (Instonians), Stuart Poynter (Middlesex), Paul Stirling (Carrickfergus), Stuart Thompson (Eglinton), Craig Young (Bready).
Ireland's fixtures are as follows:
IrelandvAfghanistan- January 11 (Warm Up game)
IrelandvWest Indies - January 12 (Warm Up game)
IrelandvSouth Africa - January 15
IrelandvAustralia- January 17
IrelandvUSA- January 19
Super League and Plate Competitions - January 23-30
