North Sea Pro Series

The North Sea Pro Series was 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 comprised a 50-over tournament, the North Sea Pro 50, and a 20-over tournament, the North Sea Pro 20.

North Sea Pro Series
Countries Netherlands
 Scotland
AdministratorCricket Scotland
KNCB
Format50 overs
20 overs
First edition2014
Latest edition2016
Tournament formatDouble round-robin
Current championHighlanders
Most successfulHighlanders (1 title)

The first fully professional league in either country, the competition had 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]

In 2016, the North Sea 50 Trophy was held on 1 September as a final match between the Dutch 50 over champions the South Holland Seafarers and the Scottish 50 over champions Eastern Knights. [3][4]

The series did not return in 2017, replaced in Scotland by the Regional Pro Series featuring three domestic franchises, the first edition of which was held in 2016.

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."[5]

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
FranchiseHome groundsCaptain (2014)Coach (2014)
HighlandersTitwood, Glasgow
Nunholm, Dumfries		 Craig Wallace Toby Bailey
Northern HurricanesSportpark Het Schootsveld, Deventer
Sportpark Maarschalkerweerd, Utrecht
VRA Ground, Amstelveen		 Peter Borrenn/a
ReiversForthill, Dundee
Lochlands Park, Arbroath
Raeburn Place, Edinburgh		 Richie Berrington Steven Knox
Southern SeafarersHazelaarweg, Rotterdam
Sportpark Duivesteijn, Voorburg
Sportpark Thurlede, Schiedam		 Stephan Myburghn/a

Grounds
Location of North Sea Pro Series grounds, 2014

Champions

Pro 20 Championship
Year Final positions Pro 20
Winner Runner-up 3rd Place 4th Place
2014 Highlanders Northern Hurricanes Southern Seafarers Reivers
2015 Highlanders Southern Seafarers Northern Hurricanes Reivers

Pro 50 Championship
Year Final positions Pro 50
Winner Runner-up 3rd Place 4th Place
2014 Highlanders Southern Seafarers Reivers Northern Hurricanes

2014 season

Squads
Highlanders[6] Hurricanes[7] Reivers[8] Seafarers[9]

Table

Pro 20 Championship
Position Team Matches Won Lost Tied No
Result		 Points
1 Highlanders 6600024
2 Northern Hurricanes 6230110
3 Southern Seafarers 613028
4 Reivers 614016

Pro 50 Championship
Position Team Matches Won Lost Tied No
Result		 Points
1 Highlanders 6310219
2 Southern Seafarers 6210315
3 Reivers 6230111
4 Northern Hurricanes 613028

2015 season

Table

Pro 20 Championship
Position Team Matches Won Lost Tied No
Result		 Points
1 Highlanders 121010142
2 Southern Seafarers 12560122
3 Northern Hurricanes 12360318
4 Reivers 12270314


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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. http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES8/articles/000034/003424.shtml. Retrieved 22 August 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "404 – Cricket Scotland". Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  5. John Pennington (1 April 2014). "Dutch, Scottish Boards Launch North Sea Pro Series" – Cricket World. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  6. Batting and fielding for Highlanders, North Sea 20 Series 2014 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  7. Batting and fielding for North Holland Hurricanes, North Sea 20 Series 2014 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  8. Batting and fielding for Reivers, North Sea 20 Series 2014 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  9. Batting and fielding for South Holland Seafarers, North Sea 20 Series 2014 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
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