Ciara Johanna Metcalfe (born 29 September 1979) is an Irish former cricketer who played as a right-arm leg break bowler. She appeared in 1 Test match, 53 One Day Internationals and 25 Twenty20 Internationals for Ireland between 1999 and 2018, playing her final match during the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament. She also played in the Women's Super Series for Dragons, and spent one season playing for Northamptonshire in 2018.
Career Metcalfe was born in Dublin, and has played club cricket for Malahide and Pembroke.Ireland / Players / Ciara Metcalfe – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2015. Her debut for Ireland came in June 1999, against an England A team,Women's miscellaneous matches played by Ciara Metcalfe – CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2015. and her One Day International (ODI) debut came the following month, at the age of 19, when she played three matches at the 1999 European Championship in Denmark.Women's ODI matches played by Ciara Metcalfe – CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2015. In July 2000, Metcalfe was selected in Ireland's squad for its inaugural (and, so far, only) Test match, against Pakistan. In Pakistan's first innings, she took 4/26 from twelve overs to help bowl the team out for 53.Pakistan Women tour of Ireland, Only Test: Ireland Women v Pakistan Women at Dublin, Jul 30-31, 2000 – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2015. Several months later, Metcalfe was selected in the squad for the 2000 World Cup in New Zealand, although she would only play two matches at the tournament (against Sri Lanka and England).
One of Ireland's best spinners, Metcalfe was a regular in the national team throughout the remainder of the 2000s, although she did not gain selection for the 2005 World Cup in South Africa.Women's ODI bowling in each season by Ciara Metcalfe – CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2015. In an ODI against the Netherlands at the 2007 European Championship, she took her only five-wicket haul at that level, 5/18 from 8.3 overs.Netherlands Women v Ireland Women, Women's European Championship 2007 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2015. Her performance set a new record for the best ODI bowling figures by an Irishwoman (beating Susan Bray's 5/27 against Denmark in 1990), although it has since been surpassed.Records / Ireland Women / Women's One-Day Internationals / Best bowling figures in an innings – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2015. The following year, at the 2008 World Cup Qualifier, Metcalfe took eight wickets at an average of 14.25, behind only Isobel Joyce for Ireland.Bowling in ICC Women's World Cup Qualifying Series 2007/08 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
Metcalfe announced her retirement from international cricket in 2011, concluding her ODI career with figures of 4/27 against Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka Women v Ireland Women, Women's Quadrangular Series 2010/11 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2015. In 42 ODIs, she took 50 wickets at an average of 25.08, placing her behind only Isobel Joyce and Barbara McDonald in terms of wickets taken for Ireland.Records / Ireland Women / Women's One-Day Internationals / Most wickets – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 December 2015. In 2015, however, Metcalfe announced that she would again be available for the national team.(2 July 2015). "Metcalfe returns after four year exile" – Cricket Europe. Retrieved 6 December 2015. Her international appearances since her return have all been at Twenty20 International level, and have included a series against Australia and matches at the 2015 World Twenty20 Qualifier.Women's International Twenty20 matches played by Ciara Metcalfe – CricketArchive. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
In June 2018, she was named in Ireland's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament. During the tournament match against Uganda, she took her 100th wicket for Ireland. In October 2018, she was named in Ireland's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20. She announced that she would retire from international cricket at the end of the tournament.
References
External links Ciara Metcalfe at CricketArchive Ciara Metcalfe at ESPNcricinfo