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David Griffin has been confirmed as the new President of Cricket Ireland following their Annual General Meeting on the 1st May, replacing Philip Black who has been President since 2020.

Player, administrator, umpire and Board Director – these are the titles that David has collected over the last 50 years within Irish cricket. Now he can proudly add: ‘Cricket Ireland President’.

David’s long and distinguished career within cricket – on and off the field – began in 1972 when attending Trinity College Dublin. He played for 12 years for Pembroke Cricket Club, becoming the Honorary Secretary of the club from 1976 to 1982.

His professional career then took him to Cork, where he joined Cork County Cricket Club in 1985 – eventually rising to captain of the 1st XI in 1989 and 1990, and playing a further decade for the club before his playing retirement after the 2000 season. Following retirement from playing, David umpired in Munster Cricket on a regular basis up to 2019.

David remembers that time fondly:

“Cork County is a great club to be involved with and the Mardyke is one of the nicest places in which to play cricket in Ireland. The club has been a huge part of my life since I moved to Cork and I have played and worked with a great group of people during this time. Off the field, I became Honorary Secretary of Cork County in 1986 and continued in that role until 2001, when I changed jobs and became Honorary Treasurer of the club. I stepped down from this role at the club AGM in December 2021.”

David’s involvement with Munster Cricket’s administrative side began in 1986 and he remained involved with the provincial setup on an almost continuous basis from then until this year. At various times, he even acted as a selector or team manager for the Munster inter-provincial team – now known as the Munster Reds. David had two terms as President of the Union in 1999-2001 and 2014-15, and became chairperson of Munster Cricket in 2016 – and held that role until 2021.

“The development of Munster Cricket is something I am very proud to be associated with. Cricket in Munster is run by passionate and dedicated volunteers who have the belief that cricket is a community game that brings together people of different backgrounds and abilities in the common enjoyment of this great game. In recent years, the great work of these volunteers has been brought to a new level since the appointment of our General Manager, Joe Moynihan, in 2019 and the more recent appointment of development and operations staff. It has been very satisfying to see Munster clubs make national club competition finals, to be named or shortlisted for the national club of the year award and to have been involved in bringing the Munster Reds back into the Interprovincial T20 and T50 competitions. These achievements show the progress and potential of the game in the Province.”

David has also had extensive involvement in cricket at a national level too – firstly as the Munster Delegate to the Irish Cricket Union Executive from 1991 to 2001, then as Chair of the Finance Committee in 2002-03, as the Munster delegate to the Cricket Committee from 2014-16, and finally as the Munster nominee to the Cricket Ireland Board from 2017 to 2022, and as Chair of the Cricket Ireland Audit & Risk Committee from 2020-22.

His next chapter is set to be a busy one:

“The 2022 home season is the biggest international programme we have seen in Ireland, with 25 matches across the Irish men’s and women’s senior sides – then followed by a Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in October. But the Presidency is not just about the senior showcase matches – I am just as much looking forward to the opportunity to travel to many club grounds around Ireland and take in the domestic game as much as possible.

“I have been involved in provincial and regional cricket for many decades and know the importance of the grassroots game to our sport. This will be a big year for our sport at all levels, and I hope I can meet as many of the wonderful players, coaches, volunteers, umpires, scorers and administrators across this island who help sustain and grow our sport.”

(source: cricketireland.ie)