Regan West facts for kids

Regan West, born on April 27, 1979, is a former international cricket player. He was born in New Zealand but played for the Irish national team. Regan was an All-rounder in cricket, meaning he was good at both batting and bowling. He batted left-handed and bowled with his left arm, using either a fast-medium style or a slower, spin style.

Before playing for Ireland, Regan played for teams like Central Districts and Wellington in New Zealand's top cricket competitions. He joined the Irish team in late 2008. Sadly, he had to stop playing cricket in 2011 because of a shoulder injury. His last game for Ireland was in August 2009.

Regan West's Cricket Journey

Starting in New Zealand

Even though Regan West later played for Ireland, his professional cricket journey began in his home country, New Zealand. He played his first big match, called a first-class game, on March 22, 1997. He was only 17 years old. In this game, he played for Central Districts against Northern Districts. He took one wicket for 38 runs in that match.

Regan also got a taste of international cricket early on. In 1998, he played for the New Zealand Under-19 team in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup. He played six matches in that tournament. During his time with Central Districts, from 1996 to 2005, he played 13 first-class matches. He scored 211 runs and took 25 wickets. He also played one match for Wellington in the 2000-2001 season.

Playing for Ireland

Regan West moved to Northern Ireland and married a local girl. By 2005, people were already talking about him playing for Ireland because he was doing so well in local cricket. He was even named the Northern Ireland Player of the Year.

After living in Ireland for a certain amount of time, Regan became eligible to play for the Irish national team in 2008. He was very keen to play for Ireland and worked hard to get ready. He made his debut for Ireland on August 25, 2008, in a One Day International (ODI) match against Kenya. This was his first international game and also his first List A match. The game was stopped because of bad weather.

Regan played his first first-class match for Ireland on October 3, 2008, against Namibia. He didn't bowl much in that game, but he showed his skills in his second ODI against Kenya on October 18, 2008. He took two wickets for 35 runs in that match.

Big Moments with Ireland

In April 2009, Regan West had a fantastic performance in a one-day match during the ICC World Cup Qualifier. He took five wickets for only 26 runs against the Oman national cricket team. This was his best bowling performance in a one-day game. Ireland won that tournament, and Regan took 14 wickets in total, making him one of their top wicket-takers.

He also set a record for Ireland in a first-class match against Scotland in 2009. He took seven wickets for 88 runs in one innings, which was the best performance by an Irish player in that competition since 1990.

Regan was even nominated for the "Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year" award in 2009, which is a big honor for players from smaller cricket nations.

Retirement from Cricket

Sadly, Regan West had to stop playing international cricket in April 2011. He had a serious injury to his left shoulder, and continuing to play might have made it worse. He said that playing for Ireland was the best and most enjoyable part of his cricket career. He felt very lucky to have represented Ireland.