Ireland hand out 2013 central contracts

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County players George Dockrell, Ed Joyce, Tim Murtagh, Niall O’Brien, Will Porterfield, Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson are among 17 Ireland players to be awarded central contracts for the 2013 season.

The seven, among whom Murtagh is the newest cap having made his international debut last year, are joined by former Northamptonshire man Andrew White in the ‘B’ category.

Max Sorensen has been elevated to the ‘A’ bracket alongside the established quartet of Trent Johnston, John Mooney, Alex Cusack and Kevin O’Brien.

Four up-and-coming players - Peter Chase, Tyrone Kane, James Shannon and Stuart Thompson - have earned ‘C’ contracts.

Boyd Rankin, who hopes to represent England, Nigel Jones and Albert van der Merwe are all absent having announced their retirements from Ireland duty last year.

Middlesex seamer Tim Murtagh, who made his international debut last year, has been given an Ireland 'B' category central contract

National coach Phil Simmons said: “There's no doubt that a key part of our success to date has been the move to professionalism.

"It makes such a difference as a coach to be able to work with players on a regular basis and this has been reflected in our dominance at Associate level over the past five or six years.

"The composition of the contracted players is an indication of what I strive for in my teams. There is the spine of experience as well as a number of very talented youngsters.

“While immediate results are paramount, it's always good to be thinking ahead and these contracts offer the younger guys some security as they look to build their careers.”

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