Alan Lewis
Encyclopedia
David Alan Lewis is an Irish former cricketer
and current Rugby Union
referee. His father Ian
also played cricket
for Ireland. Lewis is also an occasional media commentator on Irish cricket.
bowler, he played 121 times for the Ireland cricket team between 1984 and 1997, including eight first-class
matches against Scotland and 23 List A matches. He captained
Ireland on 35 occasions. He is one of only six players to have played more than 100 times for Ireland, behind only Peter Gillespie
and Kyle McCallan
.
. This was followed by his List A debut against Surrey
in a NatWest Trophy match, and a match against Wales. He played against Australia in 1985, before going on a tour of Zimbabwe
in January 1986. That summer he played against Yorkshire
, Wales and the MCC
before spending two years out of the Ireland team.
He returned to the Ireland team in June 1988 with a match against the MCC, making his first-class debut against Scotland in August of that year. He continued in the Ireland side over the following years, play several matches against English county
sides, also playing internationals against Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, the West Indies and Zimbabwe.
Ireland gained associate membership of the International Cricket Council
in 1993 with Lewis being a regular member of the Irish team at that point. He captained Ireland in the 1994 ICC Trophy
in Kenya
and also played as captain in the Triple Crown Tournament
that year.
In 1995, Lewis won the man of the match
award in a Benson & Hedges Cup
match against Kent
, this added to his 1991 man of the match award in the NatWest Trophy against Middlesex
made him the only Irish player to win man of the match awards in both competitions. He also played a match for the MCC against Scotland in 1995.
He played for Ireland for two more years, including the 1997 ICC Trophy
, during which Ireland finished fourth and Lewis won a man of the match award against Gibraltar. He played eight further times for Ireland that year, including a match against Australia, before his final match against the Earl of Arundel's XI on 20 August. He played twice more for the MCC against Scotland, in 1998 and 2002.
at an average of 28.63 with a top score of 136 against Wales in July 1990, one of four centuries
he scored for Ireland. He took 51 wickets at an average
of 43.88, with best innings bowling figures of 4/21 against Scotland in July 1993.
playing career was cut short by injury, Lewis took up refereeing. He eventually started to referee at the highest level, refereeing at the 2003
and 2007 Rugby World Cup
.
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
and current Rugby Union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
referee. His father Ian
Ian Lewis (cricketer)
William Ian Lewis, usually known by his middle name was an Irish cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he played twenty times for the Ireland cricket team between 1955 and 1973 including five first-class matches...
also played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for Ireland. Lewis is also an occasional media commentator on Irish cricket.
Cricket
A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium paceFast bowling
Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling...
bowler, he played 121 times for the Ireland cricket team between 1984 and 1997, including eight first-class
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
matches against Scotland and 23 List A matches. He captained
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
Ireland on 35 occasions. He is one of only six players to have played more than 100 times for Ireland, behind only Peter Gillespie
Peter Gillespie
Peter Gerard Gillespie is an Irish cricketer. A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler, he had played for the Ireland cricket team 116 times up to the start of the 2007 World Cup, including twelve first-class matches and 35 List A matches, four of which were One Day International...
and Kyle McCallan
Kyle McCallan
William Kyle McCallan, MBE , usually known as Kyle McCallan, is an Irish cricketer. A right-handed batsman and off spin bowler, he has played more times for the Ireland cricket team than any other player, more than 40 caps ahead of the next player in the table, the retired Peter Gillespie...
.
Playing career
Lewis made his debut for Ireland in June 1984, playing against the West Indies. His career got off to a poor start as he was dismissed for a duckDuck (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a duck refers to a batsman's dismissal for a score of zero.-Origin of the term:The term is a shortening of the term "duck's egg", the latter being used long before Test cricket began...
. This was followed by his List A debut against Surrey
Surrey County Cricket Club
Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 professional county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Surrey. Its limited overs team is called the Surrey Lions...
in a NatWest Trophy match, and a match against Wales. He played against Australia in 1985, before going on a tour of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
in January 1986. That summer he played against Yorkshire
Yorkshire County Cricket Club
Yorkshire County Cricket Club represents the historic county of Yorkshire as one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure....
, Wales and the MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
before spending two years out of the Ireland team.
He returned to the Ireland team in June 1988 with a match against the MCC, making his first-class debut against Scotland in August of that year. He continued in the Ireland side over the following years, play several matches against English county
County cricket
County cricket is the highest level of domestic cricket in England and Wales. For the 2010 season, see 2010 English cricket season.-First-class counties:...
sides, also playing internationals against Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Wales, the West Indies and Zimbabwe.
Ireland gained associate membership of the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
in 1993 with Lewis being a regular member of the Irish team at that point. He captained Ireland in the 1994 ICC Trophy
1994 ICC Trophy
The ABN-AMRO 1994 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament that took place in Kenya in February/March 1994. It was the qualifying tournament for the 1996 Cricket World Cup. The UAE defeated the host nation Kenya in the final and the Netherlands finished 3rd with all 3 sides qualifing for their first...
in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and also played as captain in the Triple Crown Tournament
Triple Crown Tournament
The Triple Crown Tournament was a cricket competition staged annually from 1993 to 2001 between the Home Nations; that is to say Ireland, Scotland, Wales and a team representing England...
that year.
In 1995, Lewis won the man of the match
Man of the match
In sport, a Man of the Match or Player of the Game or Man of the Series award is given to the outstanding player, almost always the one who makes the most impact, in a particular match or series. The term was originally used more often in cricket before being adopted by other sports. This can be a...
award in a Benson & Hedges Cup
Benson & Hedges Cup
The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket competition for first-class counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest sponsorship deals....
match against Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
, this added to his 1991 man of the match award in the NatWest Trophy against Middlesex
Middlesex County Cricket Club
Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Middlesex. It was announced in February 2009 that Middlesex changed their limited overs name from the Middlesex Crusaders, to the...
made him the only Irish player to win man of the match awards in both competitions. He also played a match for the MCC against Scotland in 1995.
He played for Ireland for two more years, including the 1997 ICC Trophy
1997 ICC Trophy
The Carlsberg 1997 ICC Trophy was a cricket tournament played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in March/April 1997. It was the qualification tournament for the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Kenya and for the first time Bangladesh and Scotland all Qualified.-First round:...
, during which Ireland finished fourth and Lewis won a man of the match award against Gibraltar. He played eight further times for Ireland that year, including a match against Australia, before his final match against the Earl of Arundel's XI on 20 August. He played twice more for the MCC against Scotland, in 1998 and 2002.
Statistics
In all matches for Ireland, Lewis scored 3579 runsRun (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
at an average of 28.63 with a top score of 136 against Wales in July 1990, one of four centuries
Century (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in a single innings. The term is also included in "century partnership" which occurs when two batsmen add 100 runs to the team total when they are batting together. A century is regarded as a landmark score for...
he scored for Ireland. He took 51 wickets at an average
Bowling average
Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowlers divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. It is similar to earned...
of 43.88, with best innings bowling figures of 4/21 against Scotland in July 1993.
Rugby Union
When his Rugby UnionRugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
playing career was cut short by injury, Lewis took up refereeing. He eventually started to referee at the highest level, refereeing at the 2003
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
and 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
.
See also
- List of Irish cricket and rugby union players