The problem was exacerbated by a railway system that was not dependable and delays and breakdowns seriously disrupted the timetables. But it was still workable with some compromise and in the 1890s many of the starting times were organized around train schedules and as soon as the visitors arrived at the ground a time match of four hours took place. But there were also flaws and the team batting first had a huge advantage as they could bat as long as they wanted before making their declaration. Unfinished matches were inevitable as teams rushed off to get the return train late in the evening.
In their attempts to promote and develop cricket in the rural areas both the Northern Cricket Union and their counterparts the County Derry Cricket Union “fixed” cup draws to limit the amount of travelling and produce cricket finishes without teams having to concede or worse still, have to travel back for a continuation. The NCU fixed the early Senior Cup draws with preliminary rounds involving Armagh, Monaghan, Lurgan Demesne, Milford, Bessbrook and Banbridge and introduced the Radius Rule, which effectively grouped teams according to their geographical locations. With so many senior and junior clubs in Belfast and the immediate area the voting delegates in the Senior Committee called the tune. It worked for a few years before clubs voted it out because they still wanted to travel to country clubs where the hospitality was good and the game was played in a competitive, but sporting spirit.
Fast forward to 2012 and NCU Director of Development Andy Clement says the concept has been discussed at junior level as a way of reducing travelling time on Saturdays to and from matches. There are certainly advantages as junior teams depend heavily on car transport and driver availability, and of course there are time challenges if some of the players are involved in schools cricket. If shorter travelling times were involved these matches could start later and players could still return home at a reasonable hour. The negative of course is that clubs that have played each other down the years will not have a fixture and the lower leagues could become very parochial and perhaps boring. The idea needs a lot of fine-tuning to see if there is a winning formula, but it will only get off the ground if enough clubs promote the benefits and the merit. As Andy explains’
“This won’t be an initiative from the Development Committee, but we will help provide a forum for debate and discussion. The idea was mooted at one of our committee meetings and it is the type of topic that can be aired within a smaller group to see if there is enough interest. If clubs have any ideas on the subject I’d welcome them.”
Over to you guys!
Clarence Hiles
Editor
