Reporting to Chief Executive, Warren Deutrom, Garaway will start his role in August with responsibility for the development, implementation and continued evolution of both high performance and grassroots programmes across Ireland.
35 year old Garaway will join from the England and Wales Cricket Board where he has been part of the England management and coaching team under Duncan Fletcher, Peter Moores and most recently, Andy Flower.
His previous positions have included Academy Director roles at both Hampshire and Somerset whom he also guided to Twenty20 Cup success in 2005.
Warren Deutrom believes the appointment of Garaway, working in tandem with current and former National Coaches Phil Simmons and Adi Birrell, makes a serious statement about the ambitions for the sport in Ireland. ‘We are delighted to secure the services of Mark who joins us with an excellent reputation and experience in the game. His experience of player development, the needs of professional players and the evolution of successful pathways means he will hit the ground running and help us deliver our objectives to expand the sport across the country’.
Garaway was delighted to be offered the position and is looking forward to putting his experience into practice. ‘This is a unique chance to have an impact on shaping one of the most exciting emerging nations in the world game, and I am delighted to have been selected by Warren and the board for this opportunity. The future of Irish cricket looks very bright and with the support of our partners and stakeholders, I am confident we can improve both the quality, and quantity of men and women playing the sport.’
Joe Doherty, Cricket Ireland’s Chair of Cricket, welcomed the appointment, which was managed by London-based recruitment company Sports Recruitment International, saying that in Mark Garaway, Cricket Ireland has found someone who can be the ideal driver for the development of Irish cricket at this time. "In my opinion, he has so much to offer and comes to us with the perfect mix – an impressive record of career achievement to date at playing, development, coaching and analysis at high levels, allied to the energy and ambition to go even further.”
“He will bring to this High Performance position a blend of youthful enthusiasm, creativity and innovation, all based on a proven platform of technical and administrative ability. The responsibility he will asked to shoulder is a considerable one for the sport here in Ireland in this exciting phase of Cricket Ireland’s growth at home and abroad, but we all believe that Mark is the right man for us at this time and that the time is right for Mark as well."
Ireland coach Phil Simmons also welcomed the appointment saying: “I think Mark will be a great asset for Irish cricket. He’ll add great value to the sport here – he’s been through the system in England at all levels of the game, including time at Loughborough and with the England international team. He’s going to bring a lot to the table. He’s sure to have picked up a lot of cricketing knowledge through his considerable experience, and that’ll be a great help to Irish cricket as we look to take the game here to the next level.”
