…and long before the season ended in September, most people had lost interest. A wet summer in Ulster is hardly rare, but this season was particularly bad, and for many grounds there was too much rain and never enough time to recover. Little wonder the rulebook was tested to the limit, but in fairness, no rulebook can adequately cater for the horrendous weather we suffered this year.
Against this background it would be difficult to assess either team or individual 2008 performances, but the old adage in show business is that ‘the show must go on’ and full marks to everyone associated with the game that it did, as a huge effort was made by lots of people to ensure the season had meaningful cricket, albeit in extenuating circumstances.
I doubt if anyone felt the quality of cricket at the top of the NCU improved this season, although as always, there were some outstanding performances. The predictable two-horse monopoly remained, but the emergence of Civil Service North as another team that could win a trophy created an extra dimension, and took the season right to the finish line. However, in fairness to both Waringstown and North Down, the gap was significantly narrowed by Ireland representative calls, and with no disrespect to either winner, some important matches were played between teams at less than full strength. Perhaps this was inevitable given the huge fixture list now in place at national level, but whether we like it or not, the top players are going to miss more and more club league and cup fixtures in the future. This may not worry the clubs that are not affected, but it will continue to water down senior cricket (excuse the pun), and fuel the ongoing concern amongst former players that the standard of senior cricket continues to fall.
Another area of concern is the quality and availability of senior cricket grounds. Yes, this was a difficult season, but too many clubs were found wanting, and it begs the question….is enough money being spent off the field as on it? Add the pressure on clubs to host representative matches/cup finals, and to accommodate clubs in need like Cliftonville, and perhaps it was not surprising that so many grounds were unplayable at certain times, and that sub-standard wickets appeared more often than wanted.
Amazingly it was against this background that both the premier trophies in NCU cricket were decided by the closest of margins. Civil Service North beat North Down in the semi-final of the senior cup and thenpippedWaringstown in the final by four runs in a frenetic low scoring game. Many people felt the Villagers should have won had they taken their chances in the seesaw exchange in the final overs. But that’s the culture and excitement of cup cricket. The Stormont club was riding on the crest of a wave all season, and with a depleted Waringstown team out of the league chase from early on, their two-horse race with North Down went into September and the big head-to-head matches that had miraculously survived the weather. Civil Service North appeared to have stolen the initiative at Stormont winning a big toss and an even bigger match to guarantee them at least a split of the spoils, but there was a bizarre twist in the tale when they were docked one point for slow play. This meant North Down had to beat them and Carrick at the Green in the final weekend of the season to win the league title yet again. The Comber team needed no bigger incentive in a season where they felt they were chasing adversity from start to finish. Was there an irony that the rulebook should decide the league title in their favourgiven the acrimonious circumstances that took it from their grasp two seasons ago?
Not surprisingly many people felt the penalty on Civil Service North was severe given the impact it had on the final placings, but we’ve seen enough of rules violations in the last few years to appreciate that ‘the game is not over until the fat lady sings!’
Waringstown, Lisburn and Bangor disappointingly never mounted any serious league challenge, which left five teams fighting to stave off relegation. Some of the last few matches were of very poor quality, but the two up and two down promotion and relegation changes meant there was no scapegoat, and with the weather playing havoc with ground and player availability, getting a match played was as big a challenge as getting the points. It all came down to several vital head-to-head fixtures late in the season, and when the final curtain came down both Derriaghy and Cliftonville lost out, the latter by the skin of their teeth to the advantage of CI.
You could be tempted into thinking it was a season to savourgiven the closeness of the final placings, but you have to have some sympathy for Cliftonville in losing out by net run rate after playing all their games away from home, and for Civil Service North at the top of the table losing out on sharing the title by a one point penalty for slow play.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
