North Sea Pro Series

North Sea Pro Series
Countries Netherlands
Scotland
Administrator Cricket Scotland
KNCB
Format 50 overs
20 overs
First tournament 2014
Tournament format Double round-robin
Current champion Highlanders
Most successful Highlanders (1 title)

The North Sea Pro Series is a professional cricket league featuring teams from the Netherlands and Scotland, first contested in 2014. A joint venture between the Royal Dutch Cricket Board (KNCB) and Cricket Scotland, the Pro Series comprises a 50-over tournament, the North Sea Pro 50, and a 20-over tournament, the North Sea Pro 20.

The first fully professional league in either country, the competition has been described as "formulated to bridge the gap between club and international cricket for professional cricketers".[1] The inaugural season featured four franchises, two from the Netherlands and two from Scotland, and both the 50-over and 20-over tournaments were won by the Highlanders, a Scottish franchise.[2]

Background

Cricket Scotland and the KNCB are both associate members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), and both the Dutch and Scottish national teams have played in multiple World Cups. Both teams currently have Twenty20 International (T20I) status, while Scotland also holds One Day International (ODI) status. The impetus for the creation of the Pro Series was the exclusion of the Dutch and Scottish national sides from the new Royal London One-Day Cup, which replaced the Friends Provident Trophy as the premier limited-overs competition in England and Wales. Andy Tennant, performance director for Cricket Scotland, described the Pro Series as "an ideal opportunity for us to stand on our own two feet and begin to develop a strong domestic professional competition for our best cricketers."[3]

The North Sea Pro Series, contested in May and early June during the 2014 season, does not overlap with the Scottish National Cricket League or the Dutch Topklasse, the top-level club competitions in each country.

Franchises

Franchise Home grounds Captain (2014) Coach (2014)
Scotland Highlanders Titwood, Glasgow
Nunholm, Dumfries 		Scotland Craig Wallace England Toby Bailey
Netherlands Northern Hurricanes Sportpark Het Schootsveld, Deventer
Sportpark Maarschalkerweerd, Utrecht
VRA Ground, Amstelveen 		Netherlands Peter Borren n/a
Scotland Reivers Forthill, Dundee
Lochlands Park, Arbroath
Raeburn Place, Edinburgh 		Scotland Richie Berrington Scotland Steven Knox
Netherlands Southern Seafarers Hazelaarweg, Rotterdam
Sportpark Duivesteijn, Voorburg
Sportpark Thurlede, Schiedam 		Netherlands Stephan Myburgh n/a

Grounds

Location of North Sea Pro Series grounds, 2014

2014 season

Squads

Scotland Highlanders[4] Netherlands Hurricanes[5] Scotland Reivers[6] Netherlands Seafarers[7]

References

  1. ↑ William Dick (3 May 2014). "North Sea Pro Series bridging the gap" – The Herald. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Bertus de Jong (11 June 2014). "Highlanders seal North-Sea double on wet weekend" – Cricket Europe. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  3. ↑ John Pennington (1 April 2014). "Dutch, Scottish Boards Launch North Sea Pro Series" – Cricket World. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Batting and fielding for Highlanders, North Sea 20 Series 2014 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  5. ↑ Batting and fielding for North Holland Hurricanes, North Sea 20 Series 2014 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  6. ↑ Batting and fielding for Reivers, North Sea 20 Series 2014 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  7. ↑ Batting and fielding for South Holland Seafarers, North Sea 20 Series 2014 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 January 2015.