Wilson Wins the Treble!

22 April 2009

With the end of the football season approaching, Second XI wicket keeper Gary Wilson has laid down the gauntlet to Manchester United by achieving a remarkable treble of his own.

Wilson, an Irishman and devout Manchester United fan who was at Wembley for the Carling Cup final to see the Reds win their first trophy of the year, has this week arrived back in the UK after a successful three week campaign in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, which saw him and his Emerald Isles colleagues complete a clean sweep of all three major trophies in Associate Cricket.

The Irish started the sweep with victory in the ICC World Twenty20 qualification tournament held at Stormont in Belfast from August 2-5 last year, continued the run by triumphing in the four day ICC Intercontinental Cup and then snared the treble at the weekend by winning the final of the 50 over World Cup Qualifiers.

As well as guaranteeing the Irish a place in the 2011 World Cup – due to be held across the Asian sub-continent – the result also underlines their status as the leading ‘Associate’ nation in world cricket and helps the side continue their push for further competition against full Test playing sides.

Although a wicket keeper when playing for Surrey, in the Irish side Wilson plays as a specialist batsman and agile fielder and opened the innings alongside Gloucestershire’s William Porterfield. He averaged 23 in matches granted ‘List A’ status and a slightly lower 17.33 in matches granted full One Day International status. He also managed to cling onto an impressive eight catches throughout the length of the tournament.

“It was brilliant to win the One Day competition to go with the Twenty20 and the four day competition”, Wilson told the Surrey website. “I’m now looking forward to playing in 2011 World Cup and before then, hopefully, the ICC World Twenty20. I’m back at Surrey now though and focusing on having a great season for the Brown Caps.”

Follow Wilson’s progress throughout the season – both the Brown Caps and Ireland – on the official Surrey website.