Devine

TIG’s takeover has been a far from a smooth journey and has taken over two years with their first attempt halted when club members stopped talks before the group took their offer off the table in January.

However, in June, the members authorised for the club’s management committee to enter formal negotiations with TIG and Monday’s eventual vote passed with 81% in favour.

“If you stand back and look at this, Cliftonville is a club that is held dearly by so many people,” he added.

“It was owned and controlled by the membership, so obviously, members are going to be reluctant to let it go effectively, especially to a private company. I understand all of the complexities around that.

“If you want to be open and honest about it, it just goes to show how much this club means to people. I just hope when it is complete, we can move together stronger as a team.”

Devine added that the Canadian consortium will be investing long-term and that it is a “passion project” for the group.

“This is a long-term play, this is not a five, six or a seven-year thing,” said Devine.

“One of the first things the guys said to me when we looked at this was that they are 25-year people, they are long-term. That is very unusual.

“These guys have spoken about ROIs [return on investment] or return in money; this is a passion project and an impact investment into the local area.”

The Hundred women’s competition, Sophia Gardens

Welsh Fire 177-4 (100 balls): Devine 52 (29); Matthews 2-52

MI London 117 (92 balls): Henry 30 (23); Potts 3-24

Welsh Fire won by 60 runs

Scorecard. Table

An impressive Welsh Fire earned their first win of the women’s Hundred with a 60-run thrashing of MI London in Cardiff.

Fire suffered a poor defeat by Southern Brave in their opener but bounced back to post 177-4, comfortably the highest total of this year’s tournament and the third-highest in the tournament’s history.

After openers Ella McCaughan and Georgia Voll added 49, captain Sophie Devine and all-rounder Georgia Wareham added 79 from just 35 balls for the fourth wicket as MI London’s bowlers wilted.

Devine was stumped from the penultimate ball for 52 from just 29 balls including four sixes, one of which was smacked out of the ground, while Wareham finished unbeaten on 43 from 20.

To conclude the entertaining innings, Em Arlott came out with one ball to face and launched it for six, as Fire’s performance provided some much-needed entertainment for the women’s tournament where the previous-highest team total so far was just 126.

In reply, MI London – despite a batting line-up stacked with international quality – crumbled to 117 all out and suffered their second successive defeat.

Fire seamer Grace Potts dominated the powerplay with figures of 3-24 as MI London crumbled under the run-rate pressure. Potts accounted for MI London’s powerful top three of Hayley Matthews for 10, Danni Wyatt-Hodge for 12 and Kira Chathli for two.

Devine backed up her knock with figures of 2-15, including the wicket of Chinelle Henry who was MI London’s top-scorer with 30, while Welsh left-arm spinner Sophia Smale chipped in with 2-17.

MI London will take on unbeaten Southern Brave on Monday as they search for their first win, while Fire face Trent Rockets on Wednesday.