After all, we berate the governing body for charging too much to watch games, playing them in the wrong places, staging them at the wrong times and throwing just about every conceivable negative forward as an excuse not to attend matches. Then when the governing body decides to play a special match with limited attendance, all hell breaks loose as everyone wants to attend!
Some of the website postings on this subject have to be seen to be believed. “Going back to the dark days” is my favourite. What dark days? For years two men and a dog watched Ireland games and if the old Irish Cricket Union played behind closed doors it must have been over 100 years ago. Let’s get real and stop bickering over who can and who can’t go to a game of cricket circus because if you really support Irish cricket, you would have already applied for a pair of tickets from the allocation. Of course, these are for Cricket Ireland members, so if you are not a member then do you really support Irish cricket?
The criticism of the Cricket Ireland administration in being involved in this promotion to open Peter Savill’s new ground at Oak Hill Cricket Club is well over the top and badly misplaced. This is not a big Cricket Ireland game but two Twenty20 thrashes against a Lashings show-biz cricket club which is hardly at the cutting edge of competitive cricket, despite the inclusion of some former cricket stars. Also Twenty20 in itself is largely unknown territory for the Ireland squad so any opportunity to have a competitive match must be welcomed in the context of seeing how our best players adapt and gaining some useful match experience pre the competitive matches that lie on the horizon.
On a broader issue the Cricket Ireland hierarchy should be complimented for bringing wealthy patrons like Peter Savill into the fold, as our cricket certainly needs all the patronage and sponsorship it can get these days. Mr. Savill entertained the Ireland squad during their 2007 Cricket World Cup campaign while they were in Grenada so he’s hardly a stranger popping up at the back door asking for a huge favour. The fact is, this is a good sporting and business initiative for everyone, and if the ground can’t accommodate more than 300 visitors then that’s the way it is. It is certainly a lot better than a Twenty20 trial match at a club venue.
Some critics have also ‘lashed’ out at the inclusion of previously exiled Jeremy Bray and this issue has certainly added some spice to the Savill Tea Party. The talented Australian opener opted out of theIrelandcamp post-World Cup 2007 and although reporting injured, he was also linked with various critical comments on the Ireland set-up. Not a happy bunny from all accounts was our Jeremy, but he’s also been able to play very successfully in Australia and Ireland since, so we have to assume he’s now fully fit and raring to go? Bray’s a fine cricketer and if available Ireland would be mad not to include him, but some official clarification on his return to the ranks would have been helpful in the circumstances.
Transparency in the world of local cricket is an ongoing challenge and website correspondents outside the inner circles are often too quick to come to their own conclusions without the knowledge that in many instances explain and justify particular decisions. The Twenty20 exhibition matches at the private Oak Hill Cricket Club will be very useful trial matches for Phil Simmons, it won’t cost Irish cricket a dime, Mr. Savill will parade his new ground with some aplomb, and the privileged 300 spectators who attend will have an enjoyable day in the heart of County Wicklow, weather permitting. New faces like Gavin McKenna, Shane Getkate, Andrew Poynter and Peter Connell will get a taste of cricket at the highest level and old faces like Trent Johnston, Andre Botha and Jeremy Bray will show us whether they still have the ability to produce the goods in this form of instant cricket.
There are no losers, apart from the doomsayers who can’t see the bigger picture.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
