...because as far as local cricket goes, history is rarely wrong. That’s not to say there won’t be a few twists and turns over the next few months, but to use two well-worn clichés “the proof of the pudding is in the eating” and “it’s never over ‘til the fat lady sings. How true these words ring when it comes to local cricket.
If the Internet has got one thing right, then it has been its ability to communicate at every level, and for cricket this means everyone can have a say on virtually any topic. Over the years we have always enjoyed having a go at selectors for not picking our favourites, but these days we have armchair experts criticizing the National Coach for not only his selections, but also his tactics, and of course Cricket Ireland gets lambasted for virtually everything and anything that involves Irish cricket, not least from people who make no contribution at all. It’s all part of the world we live in, and unlikely to change as the Internet has empowered everyone.
But it doesn’t win cricket matches!
All the posturing and banter that precedes a new season means nothing on a cricket field as only results count. I’d love to re-visit some of the outrageous predictions and claims that are made on cricket forums, but the real world is a much better forum to live in. And in the real world, history is rarely wrong.
It is no accident that Manchester United and Arsenal are at the top of English football every year, that Scottish football is dominated by two clubs, that Barcelona and Real Madrid are the only two teams in Spain, and that Linfield and the Glens capture most of the local football trophies. Top clubs are well structured for success and behind the players that take the field there is a winning formula that has stood the test of time, and if carefully nurtured, can be sustained for many years. Sport is about winners and losers, and while we all understand the amateur ethos and the need for recreation and enjoyment, much of that ethic has been eroded by the winner-take-all culture of professional sport. It’s the world we live in, so you either catch the bus or walk home.
Our local cricket history has shown many similar characteristics to the top football comparisons. Waringstown and North Down are always to the fore in NCU competition, and their success rate has been phenomenal, while up the M2 Donemana and Limavady have blazed a trail of invincibility that has only been broken on sporadic occasions. No club is invincible, but to break into the big league, takes a lot more than eleven players, if longevity is to be achieved, and surely that has to be the objective of any visionary club?
A new season dawns, and for obvious reasons, the burden of expectation falls heavily on clubs like Brigade, CIYMS and Muckamore. These three ambitious clubs have publicly set out their stall and intend to sit a the top table in future years and lift themselves from the “also-rans.” But history is not in their favour, unless their business model backs up their cricket prowess over time. On the field there are many variables, not least the performance of individual players, umpires and the bane of Irish cricket, the weather. Off the field, some critics will say it is all about money and who has, and who has not. But the core issue is much deeper than the pockets of well-meaning benefactors, so come September, don’t be surprised to look back and see that the same well-focused and well-managed clubs have come up trumps again.
However, let’s welcome the initiative and ambition of every club, as change is the engine of growth, and we need clubs like Brigade, CIYMS and Muckamore to rock the proverbial boat and raise the bar.
Good luck to them.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
