Cricket tyro Tim Tector continues a proud family tradition

Tim Tector captains Ireland at the U19 Cricket World Cup - following in the footsteps of his brothers Harry and Jack

Ireland U19 captain Tim Tector. Picture: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

The Tector brothers were always destined to excel in sport.

For cricketing siblings Jack, Harry and Tim, the genes are impressive on both sides of the family. The boys’ maternal grandfather, Tom Dixon, won an All-Ireland SHC title with Wexford in 1956 while the previous year, Bill Tector played rugby for Ireland in the Five Nations championship.

The current generation are making their own history however, as on Saturday, in Guyana, Tim will complete a unique treble by captaining Ireland at the U19 Cricket World Cup - following in the footsteps of Jack (2016) and Harry (2018).

The older two Tectors led Ireland to 13th-place finishes in the event, with the country’s best result being 10th in 2010 - a side that included current senior skipper Andrew Balbirnie and Paul Stirling.

For Tim to grab family bragging rights, victory in Saturday’s opening clash with Uganda will be required with group games against South Africa and India scheduled for next week.

“Mom and dad are just so proud,” middle son Harry says, speaking from Jamaica where he is with the Ireland senior side who are touring the West Indies as well.

“It’s an amazing achievement for Tim, he’s probably the most dedicated of us, he’s very determined.

“Me and Jack help him out where we can but also there’s only so much you can say, most of the learning has to be done on the job. The U19 World Cup is such a great opportunity to go out and play well and push for higher honours. If you do well, you can be fast-tracked a little bit in Ireland into the Wolves (Ireland ‘A’ team) or into the inter-pros.” 

With the professionalization of the sport here (Harry Tector is one of 17 full-time contracted players with Cricket Ireland) there is the added incentive for players who are talented in multiple codes to stick with cricket as there is now a chance to make a living playing the game - while being able to stay on these shores.

“For young players to have that opportunity in Ireland that if they perform and if they play well they can go out and make a living off it is brilliant and it’s very important that they can see that it’s a viable path,” said Tector.

While this competition can be a platform for greater things - senior World Cup winning captain with England Eoin Morgan is the U19 competition’s all-time top scorer while representing Ireland - it’s not the be all and end all

Tector said: “The U19 World Cup doesn’t define you as a player, it’s about what you learn, how you go forward from there.”

Ireland enter the tournament on a high after a convincing seven-wicket victory over Scotland in their final warm-up match on Wednesday with Nathan McGuire taking five wickets and David Vincent scoring an unbeaten half-century.