Cricket Ireland and RSA Insurance today announce details of live ball-by-ball coverage of the RSA Challenge which will see Ireland take on World Champions Australia in a One Day International in Clontarf, Dublin on Thursday, June 17th, 2010.
Today’s announcement will see the marquee fixture broadcast live on Setanta Sports bringing Irish cricket to a larger Irish audience than ever before and allowing all sports fans the opportunity to enjoy a top class international cricket fixture live from Dublin.
In last year’s RSA Challenge, Ireland went frustratingly close to beating England in an exciting encounter in Belfast. This year the RSA Challenge series will see if the Irish side can go one better and topple the mighty Australians. It's more than 16 years since the sides last met in Dublin, and the Irish sporting public is expected to turn out in force for the visit of the defending World Champions.
The scenic surroundings of Clontarf Cricket Club will provide a wonderful atmosphere as well as the perfect backdrop to witness some of the world’s best cricketers in action including Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Mitchell Johnson as they take on local stars such as William Porterfield, Niall O’Brien, John Mooney and George Dockrell.
Announcing the broadcast agreement with Setanta Sports, Cricket Ireland CEO Warren Deutrom commented: “We are delighted to have secured this broadcast agreement with Setanta Sports. It is a further indication of the strength and progress that cricket is making in this country. The assistance of our team and event sponsor, RSA Insurance, was central to securing this agreement and we are delighted with the continued investment and support of Philip Smith, CEO, RSA Ireland and his team at RSA Insurance. To have our marquee matches shown live on TV in Ireland and across the world is a further indication of our standing in the game globally.”
Commenting on the announcement of live TV coverage by Setanta Sports, Philip Smith, CEO RSA Ireland said, “RSA is delighted that Setanta Sports have come on board to broadcast the RSA challenge live from Clontarf cricket club on June 17th. It will provide Irish sports fans with the opportunity to witness for themselves an Irish cricket team competing against the world champions on home soil. Following the success of last year’s RSA challenge against England in Stormont, RSA Ireland, as proud supporters of Irish cricket, are excited to be involved once again in hosting the challenge which is this year’s marquee fixture on the Irish cricket calendar.”
Michael O’Rourke, Co-founder of Setanta Sports added “We are delighted to broadcast such an important fixture for Irish cricket. This is another great opportunity for Setanta to demonstrate our commitment to Irish sport and to show this content on our international channels as well as our domestic channels. This fixture will sit nicely alongside our other content in May and June with the culmination of Indian Premier League Cricket, the Magners League, The Premier League, the FA Cup and the Setanta Sports Cup.”
Tickets for the RSA Challenge on Thursday June 17th are on sale now at Ticketmaster www.ticketmaster.ie. Further details can be found on the Cricket Ireland website www.irishcricket.org
