Cricket Ireland secured a "major sponsorship coup" with the announcement of a three-year deal with global conglomerate The KPC Group, according to THE 42. The Indian-based company was announced as the new primary sponsor at the unveiling of Cricket Ireland’s strategic plan in Dublin on Tuesday. The KPC Group fills the void left by Royal Sun Alliance, which ended its seven-year partnership with Cricket Ireland in Dec. '14. The exact details of the deal "have not been disclosed but the lucrative partnership is a timely fillip for Cricket Ireland" (THE 42, 4/26). In Belfast, Ian Callender reported sportswear brand O'Neill's also confirmed it was extending its kit sponsorship for another four years and the website, cricketshop.ie, will be online from next month. The venture is part of Cricket Ireland's main objective of "Making Cricket Mainstream" with its goal "to rival the popularity of football, rugby and GAA" by '20. The ambition to be a Test match country is "under way -- they are in pole position to play England at Lord's" as early as '19 -- but CEO Warren Deutrom wants "broader goals." He said, "It needs to envision Ireland not just a major force in cricket but cricket being a major force in Ireland" (BELFAST TELEGRAPH, 4/27). More games against Full Members is one way of achieving this aim and Deutrom revealed two further fixtures for the men’s senior team against Hong Kong in September. These are in addition to the 11 ODIs already scheduled against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Africa and Australia this year, while a further announcement of more ODIs in '17 will be made Thursday in Belfast. In a further boost for the women’s game, he also announced six home matches for Ireland Women against Bangladesh, in addition to the seven games already scheduled this summer against South Africa (Cricket Ireland).
