Warren Deutrom is delighted by the new sponsorship deal

Cricket Ireland has announced that it has obtained a new sponsor for the country's national teams.

RSA, formerly known as Royal & SunAlliance Insurance, will sponsor the men's senior squad as well as the A, Under-19 and women's national sides.

The deal is initially for 2008 season and may be extended beyond this year.

"We are delighted to be partnering with such a globally recognised blue-chip brand as RSA," said Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom.

The agreement will see RSA having exclusive brand sponsorship of the teams' apparel, both playing and training gear.

The new branded shirts will be worn for the first time on Sunday when Ireland face Nottinghamshire in their opening Friends Provident Trophy game at Clontraf.

RSA's head of marketing and public relations Patrick Nally said that they were delighted to sign the deal with Cricket Ireland.

"Under their new professional structure and leadership team Cricket Ireland has embarked on an exciting strategic development phase and set high performance standards for all national teams and for the development of the sport as a whole," he said.

"Their aspiration and commitment sits very comfortably with our own brand and development objectives in Ireland.

"In 2007 the senior national team squad captured the nation's attention with their stunning performance in the Cricket World Cup.

"That performance - and other strong results in recent years by each of the national teams - has improved Ireland's standing within the international cricket community, and has resulted in extensive media exposure, both domestically and internationally."

Cricket Ireland needed a new sponsor after the Bank of Ireland opted not to extend its deal last October.