Marc Ellison relishing the challenges which lie ahead for him

Ellison, a former New Zealand U19 captain, has been living in Northern Ireland for three years now which means he qualifies to play for Ireland pending an application to the ICC.

The 33-year-old has been one of the most prolific batsmen in the country over the past two seasons, scoring 1087 runs in 2018 at an average of 49.41 before following it up with 882 in the last campaign.

He knows that getting a chance at the highest level will rely solely on scoring heavily for all teams and in all formats, starting with today’s Robinson Services Cup clash against Carrickfergus.

Ellison will likely play an important role for the Northern Knights when their Inter-Provincial season gets underway later this month and he can’t wait to get going again.

“I’ve really missed it,” he said.

“It’s what I prepare for over the winter to have more success there. I’ve tasted some success but I would certainly like to do it more consistently.

“From a team perspective, we had some success last year and we are improving in all forms of the game. We have a really exciting squad and the difficulty is actually getting picked in it.

“We have a lot of depth and that’s great to see. Competition is great because it keeps everyone on their toes and keeps everybody searching for more, whether it be in runs and wickets or in training looking for that extra 1% to help you perform.

“It’s all positive from a Knights perspective and it’s a product of the work that Johnty (Simon Johnston) has been putting in. It’s well-deserved and hopefully we can pick up at least one of the trophies on offer this summer.”

Working his way to the highest level remains a massive goal for Ellison and at his age he knows how hard he will have to work to force his way into the side.

“The biggest thing for starters is settling on a method in T20 cricket that is successful more times than not,” he added.

“I think scoring hundreds in T20 cricket really makes a statement so it’s building a method that allows you to do that, regardless if that’s club cricket or Inter-Pro cricket. I’m trying to break the shackles a little bit and be a bit freer.

“Wanting to contribute more often than not is a big one for me so if I can win as many games as possible for the team then that’ll be one of the goals ticked.

“Just over the weekend my eligibility ticked over for Ireland because I’ve been here three years. I’ve gone through the application process with Cricket Ireland and the ICC over the last few weeks and my understanding is that application is with them now.

“It should go ahead no dramas and then it’s about making sure I’m performing on the pitch. I’m going to have to do something special to get into the Knights T20 side because there is so much competition for spaces.

“I think I was second top run-scorer in the 50-over Inter-Pro’s last year so it’s about making sure I’m right up there again and playing those match-winning innings.

“If I’m doing that, I’m making it tough for selectors and forcing their hand to give me an opportunity. I’m well out of the (Ireland) mix at the moment.

“We haven’t had any Inter-Pro’s and they’ve had their squad they’ve picked over there with Gareth Delany opening, Princer (James McCollum) as back-up and (William) Porterfield could open as well.

“I do feel I’m down the pecking order but a couple of innings can change that as I found with the series in La Manga.”