Richard Holdsworth to quit as Ireland director of cricket with long-serving member of staff to “step back” from position.
Richard Holdsworth, the director of cricket at Cricket Ireland, has announced his resignation. He is the second prominent figure in Irish cricket to leave the organisation in six months.
Holdsworth joined CI in 2011 as a high performance director before taking on his most recent position last year. Holdsworth has been with CI for almost 15 years. Holdsworth would “step back” from his position in Ireland “to embark on the next chapter of his professional life,” according to a statement from CI.
After Warren Deutrom’s retirement as CEO in August of last year, this is the second significant departure from CI in a short period of time. Since then, Deutrom has assumed the position of chair of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), which was postponed in 2025 and is scheduled to begin this summer.
In October, CI declared that Deutrom will be replaced by Swim Ireland’s long-time CEO, Sarah Keane, with Ross McCollum acting as a stand-in until March of the following year.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved together working with a team of outstanding staff,” Holdsworth said in a statement. “From our collective efforts to professionalise structures and support players at the highest level, to seeing Ireland compete with distinction on the global stage — it has been a privilege to be part of this journey.
“Cricket Ireland will soon welcome a new chief executive officer, further marking a transition to the next phase of the organisation’s strategic growth and ambition, and I wish Sarah and the team continued growth and success.”