... and it doesn't look good for the NCU in the Irish Senior Cup, the premier club competition in Irish cricket
Or is it the premier competition?
Not according to some people who feel northern teams have a closer allegiance to their domestic cup competitions than the national format, but surely this is conjecture although perhaps understandable given they have a better chance to succeed in it. The truth is, a number of northern teams lack the conviction and ambition to compete at the higher level and this has been reflected in both national and domestic competitions.
Form moves in cycles and over the past seven years Leinster clubs have totally dominated the Irish Senior Cup competition, largely because their best teams have a clear focus on winning it, they have recruited well, and in the case of North County, they have had the additional benefit of some talented overseas players. There's nothing wrong with any of that, and when the bar is raised, the onus is on the other clubs to step up to the plate and compete. But in reality, it all boils down to the top clubs in each region, not the unions as a whole.
So does it all spell doom and gloom for NCU cricket when five of their eight teams fall at the first hurdle and are things up the M2 much more rosy after five of their teams win through? Barely one day after Saturday's opening Irish Senior Cup exchanges the two northern unions locked horns in the Ulster Cup with honours shared at four wins each. And will Donemana's season plummet after that surprise defeat at Bangor? I don't think so because the men from the Holm will concede defeat on the day and return to action next Saturday more determined to get their season back on track. And they will, because it is Donemana, and there's no shortage of focus and determination at this club. There are no certs in competitive sport no matter how heavy the odds are stacked in favour of one side, and while this spirited young Bangor team will be draw strength from their fine win, they know they will be judged on their next performance not their last result.
Is the current strength of NCU cricket reflected in the success of the top teams in the Irish Senior Cup these days? Perhaps it is, given the absence of interprovincial cricket, but surely there's a lot more positives than negatives in Ulster cricket these days and if some people think that a hundred kids running around a cricket field is 'baby-sitting' and not development, surely the process starts at this level and not at the highest level. What sport generates instant top performers without hard work at grass-roots level over a number of years? (hired pros not included!)
The lack of success of the top northern teams in the Irish Senior Cup in recent times is a huge disappointment, but you could hardly say clubs like Waringstown, North Down, Brigade, Donemana, and Limavady are in the doldrums. Add Bready, Strabane and Instonians and you have eight strong northern clubs left to compete in the next round, so it's not all doom and gloom naysayers!
The Irish Senior Cup dilemma has been exacerbated by the concentration on current results rather than looking at the overall picture and you can do anything with figures. Yes, Leinster Clubs have won six of the last seven competitions but realistically three clubs have won the trophy and North County's four wins reflects their strength more so than that of Leinster cricket. Of course, we could go into the earlier rounds results and show further domination, but if the analysis is about winners then more clubs from the North-West (four) have won the trophy in the last ten years than from Leinster. If you go into the previous decade NCU clubs had seven wins and the North-West three, with Leinster clubs making only three unsuccessful cup final appearances. Overall in 26 years of this competition NCU clubs have won it 11 times, North-West 8 times and Leinster 7 times. This picture doesn't look too bad.
After Saturday it's deservedly round one to Leinster and the North-West clubs but one swallow doesn't make a summer and it remains to be seen who lifts the trophy three months down the line, because there's still a long way to go. They say form is temporary and class is permanent, so when you read that Dublin cricket correspondent Stu Daultry says three times winners North Down hasn't the class to win the Irish Senior Cup after watching them hammer 2002 winners Malahide, you could be tempted to ask who has?
One has to assume it was a cheap shot at northern cricket in general but what better incentive for all northern clubs to succeed and answer the critics?
The time has come to step up to the plate.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
