'It would be a privilege': Instonians star remains '100%' committed to achieving Ireland dream
Having loved every minute since relocating his life to Belfast, Instonians star Shane Dadswell admits “it would be a privilege” to represent Ireland on the international stage – a dream he remains “100%” committed to achieving.
Dadswell was born in South Africa and quickly established a reputation as a hard-hitting batsman – aged 20, he scored an eye-watering 490 for his club NWU Pukke, smashing 57 sixes and 27 fours to put his name in the record books.
Eight years later, Dadswell has maintained a talent for clearing the boundary rope, posting 183 from 86 deliveries in last weekend’s Irish Senior Cup win over Cork County.
In September, shortly after helping Instonians seal Premier League title glory, Dadswell confirmed his intention to leave a professional career in South Africa behind to pursue his international ambitions with Ireland.
The 28-year-old will officially become eligible to represent his new home in April 2028 and could be an exciting addition to an Irish squad looking to compete against the world’s best.
With another two years to state his growing case for selection, Dadswell is fully focused on performing for both Instonians and the Northern Knights, who he has been training with over the winter months ahead of their Inter-Provincial campaign.
"100% I want to play for Ireland,” he said. “I'm lucky that I love it here but a big part of it is trying to work as hard as I can so I can represent the country.
"It would be a very proud moment for me, my wife, my family, but I'm not counting chickens in any sense - I still have a long way to go.
"I need to keep my head down and we will get there if we get there, if that happens it would be a privilege to represent a country like this.
"I'm trying to be the best cricketer I can be so I can win games of cricket for Ireland if that comes around...I don't want to just represent Ireland, but be good enough to help them win games.
"I would qualify in April 2028, so for now the focus is on Instonians, the Knights and just enjoying what the country has to offer."
Dadswell and his wife moved to Belfast during the winter with Shane signing a three-year contract as a player-coach at Instonians, combining his talents on the pitch alongside developing the next generation of stars at Shaw’s Bridge.
He got his first taste for life in Northern Ireland after spending the 2023 season as Instonians’ overseas professional before returning in 2025.
Dadswell scored almost 1,000 runs last term at an average of over 41 – and strike-rate north of 170 – alongside collecting 38 wickets.
The all-rounder has carried that form into the start of this season, scoring 71 from just 26 balls before picking up a hat-trick in Instonians’ T20 Cup win over Lisburn on Thursday night.
"I very much feel at home,” he added. “I absolutely loved it when I first came over in 2023 and then having sorted out a deal which works for everyone at Instonians and getting my wife a gig over here and things like that, it has made it very easy for us to make that decision to stay.
"I have loved Belfast and Ireland in general.
"It's the same culture here in Northern Ireland and Belfast, people love sport, people are social, good people, good fun, I have loved it.”
Dadswell is part of a star-studded Instonians squad led by Nikolai Smith which also includes Ireland internationals Matthew Humphreys, Cade Carmichael and Neil Rock alongside Irish legend Andrew White.
They’ll have sights set on competing for silverware across all fronts this season and Dadswell believes their team bond is a major reason behind recent success.
"We're very happy with the start to the season,” he said. “With Humphreys being here, it has strengthened our team.
"You plan for these things (to make a good start), but we're very happy with the start we've had.
"I am happy with my own performances, but it's going to take 11 players to have the season we had last year again this time around.
"If we want to follow it up, it will be about more than just me, it'll be about Cian (Robertson), Cade, Humphreys, myself, Sully (Gould), Whitey, Nic, everyone is going to have to chip in if we want to recreate the season we had last year.
"We're lucky that we all get along and we really enjoy playing with each other, so that helps a lot. Familiarity is a big part of our success and the credit goes to how well we get along.”
Saturday’s Premier League matches: Instonians v Cliftonville Academy, Lisburn v Laurelvale, Muckamore v Waringstown, North Down v CI, Woodvale v CSNI.
Section One: Bangor v Cooke Collegians, Carrickfergus v Templepatrick, Cregagh v Armagh, Derriaghy v Saintfield, Lurgan v Donacloney Mill.