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I used to be a traditionalist in favour of 50 over cricket but I have changed my mind. My radical suggestion for NCU cricket is as follows:

1. All youth cricket : All T20 cricket with coloured clothing and white ball.

2. Junior league 2 downwards : All T20 cricket with coloured clothing and white ball.

3. Junior league 1 and Senior leagues: Two competitions. T20 league and 50 over league. Leagues could be played in group format with winners contesting semifinal and final to reduce the number of matches and allow time for both formats during the season. Coloured clothing and white ball.

I have feeling that this is what young players want and would attract more players, sponsors and spectators.

T20 has had a huge impact on the way ODI 50 over cricket is played and has even had an impact on test cricket.

One issue to be faced is how do you teach younger players to build an innings in a 50 over match but I am sure coaches can address this when discussing tactics of both formats.

I have to agree with Andy McCrea on that league games at junior leagues should be allowed one more go at full allocation of overs before going to a match 2. So in other words 3 goes before void.

In this country weather is a killer for cricket, so have to allow every opportunity to play games where possible.

More and more youngsters are being played at clubs lower teams (3rds/4ths etc) in the junior leagues - surely we should be allowing them the best exposure of the game and that is not by allowing matches that are washed out to go straight to 20/20!

I think far too many dont realise bar the ncu under age star players and premier theres serious ammount of folk that are fed up with 100 over cricket and double headers Young kids play T20 until hit senior teams and believe me massive % love the shorter game days . Dundrum will be proposing section two as 40 overs and one rearrangment to be agreed between both teams 40 or 20 over game with 6 weeks to play it until july 12th then normal 22 day s . Time people realised that we live in very competitive times work other sports family commitment = ive played 45 years and love the game but i REGRET BIGTIME never having time for my kids during summer missing out on things that everyone outside cricket get to enjoy .The AGM is a farce let every section vote on what there clubs need its not rocket science the premier is 95% hard professional cricket and section 3 social cricket so why either section votes on what suits both beggars belief ! Lets get more fun back into cricket and no dissrepect to anyone that down the leagues means shorter days get familys backing there clubs and not more cricket theres hardly any socialising anymore which is sad as you meet friends for life on and after the match getting beer /juice . The main difference is WAGS rightly dont allow even good players to miss out on there kids enjoyment sat and sunday and that is making players miss lots games which never happened before .Theres no reason not try shorter forms for at least ONE year get online surveys going and see it it suits as lots people think it is badly needed below premier .Last sat my club took a junior team to play(10p MIX UPS for tea ) on the sunday our second team would beat the firsts as with football rugby training already started add in holidays and work and theres loads clubs facing struggles but Dundrum are trying bigtime change mindsets but no doubt 100overs dont suit everyone .NCU chairman Andy Clement has been superb as even tho his own club is thriving he knows lots in bother and is trying loads good roadshows etc as i remember people slagging us for pulling out fixture few years ago but when you see the mighty Lurgan not fielding its time for change even if only for couple seasons as no reason why it cant revert to longer games if clubs want it enough . PS backed lovely winner at galway betfair SP 382/1 .LOL was 66/1 bookies and six times bigger on BETFAIR and 50/1 just to place galway plate ew Shantou flyer and Killer crow . goodwood eway yankee 200 star rider 235 qatari hunter 310 awtaad . 345 Nayyar . good luck punters

Let's get matches played.

To get debate going and linked in with fact that the NCU discussion meetings are coming up, how about these 2 proposals

1. Allow matches to be played on astro pitches. junior 3 downwards benefits from this flexibility.
If for some reason that weather has prevented grass pitch prep or water has seeped on to a grass wicket isn't it better to at least have an
opportunity to have a match played.

2. Allow a second opportunity for matches to be played as per the match 1 rules ( ie the original amount of overs ) before going to 20 overs. Too often to many matches are going to 20 overs and then being voided as they where not fulfilled on the second occasion.
3 chances to play please instead of 2.

What better way to promote cricket than actually getting people playing it.
Let's provide opportunities for people to play not restrict the opportunities.
It is a wet country so we need to be flexible to play.

Templepatrick CC have proposed these 2 items to the NCU AGM for the last 2 years but have been told the are bye laws and aren't for discussion at an AGM

Sam Todd - Valid points and I can identify with your description of our Twitter feeds. Hopefully clubs will realise we are interested in regular updates.
I would like to see more clubs use the total cricket scores app. At the moment I think it's only used by Coleraine , Strabane and Carrickfergus . It gives you an update over by over - live . And this from someone who gets to a game every Saturday , some Sunday's , inter pro's and internationals.

Anon - I hope the upcoming NCU roadshows are well attended as it seems obvious more tweaking is required in cricket below 1sts XI . One thing I think most clubs aren't happy with is the " no result ". I hate to see "walk overs " and would love to see a more flexible approach to getting games played ( after all that's why we pay a playing membership fee ). I think every effort should be made to win the points on the pitch. I hate hearing captains down the club saying " we will get the points " - I can't thing of anything that will drive people away from the game faster. Let's hear captains say " when can we get the game played ? "

Neil Fullerton - although it's never clever to count your chickens until they have hatched, Muckamore at home to Lurgan would have been favourites to win that game on Sunday but getting the four points by a walkover deprived Muckamore of improving on their NRR in the same vain as it protected Lurgan's current NRR. Maybe in leagues with NRR a walkover should be allocated as a 100 run victory / defeat.

In closing , on Sunday I bumped into ex Ballymena skipper Simon McDowell in a restaurant in Belfast and the conversation came around to "Harry Cook " and Simon sincerely said " wouldn't it be easy if every club had 100 Harry Cook's ". In all my years of playing and watching cricket I don't think I have ever heard a greater compliment to an individual.

Re: Sam Todd
Are you complaining about me seeking results for matches using Twitter that haven't been sent to me (by Twitter or email) and also then suggesting I should not thank people for taking the time to post such results?
I am just wondering how else these days I am supposed to find out this information?

I played in a junior one match on Saturday of which one side took 3 and half hours to bowl 50 overs.
Junior 1 cricket should be 40 overs. To say you need junior 1 as 50 overs as a link to the Premier league is nonsense. At the minute the ncu should be focusing on making cricket attractive in order keep playing numbers up. Keep former senior players interested so they play down their respective clubs rather than retire when they no longer wish to play first eleven cticket. I think the current junior league format has worked well since its inception a few years back. The variance in duration of matches throughout the leagues has been well received. I appreciate that a club such a waringstown might disagree but I am sure the rest of the club's competing in junior 1 are enjoying the slightly reduced over matches. I also believe that the leagues are open a far as they should go and giving second elevens the opportunity to play in senior leagues is a bad idea. Next thing will be pros for seconds playng in senior 1 !

If you look at Pros in other leagues they have been playing very well especially in Section 1. They preform week in week out. Section 1 is the best league in the ncu and the north west i have to say. Because there is 3/4 teams all playing for 1 spot to go up. Then if you do go up you only need to win 4 games sometimes to stay up like B/meana did for years. Standard wise yes the Preimer League is better. But if you want to watch teams fight it right out and only for 1 spot then this is the league to come and watch.

Ivan:
Most of the things you mention are actually disincentives to get out and watch a cricket match!
Why bother when you can sit at home, watch 'The Verdict' and follow the cricketing world remotely via the Tweets etc.
The 'live streaming' you mention is one I can't understand.
Why would Cricket Ireland want to encourage people to NOT attend a match?
There are precious few spectators at any interpro or even international without encouraging them to sit at home online.

As for the Tweeters, haven't you noticed how on Saturday afternoon your timeline is bunged with, as you say, over by over, run by run, updates from every far flung field only to discover that at 5 o'clock the world goes silent as they all go home for their tea!
Have a look at 7.00 and you'll struggle to find a result.
Wait until about 10 pm and then your timeline fills up with NCU tweets requesting results/scores/pictures of scorebooks!
And by Sunday morning what you have is a long list of 'Thanks for that Jimmy' NCU tweets.

Just not sure things are any better now than when we listened to the late news on Radio Ulster for the 'cricket scores'.
Discovered that they are on the 9.00 news now so maybe that's an improvement.

Nothing like the real thing, get out there folks and watch a match rather than live 'in the Cloud'

Belated congratulations to Stephen Warke.
I've only just read the NCU president's summer message and discovered that 'Stephen has like Jonty Rhodes represented his country at both cricket and hockey.'
Know for a fact that they are both pretty handy golfers as well.
Too late for the Ryder Cup?

Media coverage .
I have never known so much cricket coverage . Alister Bushe , David Holmes, Ian Calendar in the newspapers and all three of them Tweeting every few overs from the games they cover , club supporters tweeting , Facebook coverage and videos on Facebook Live.
Sites like The Ulster Cricketer , Cricket Europe with regular news items , live match commentary , photos and now Live streaming on Cricket Ireland.
The NCU site gives results within 24 hours, updated League tables , youth squads , Northern Knights squads.
My favourite is Twitter , follow every club, local journalists or any cricket people who are likely to be at games and Monday's News Letter gives a comprehensive round up of Premier League cricket . Local papers still carry club results and reports of the club's submit them.
So I think cricket coverage has never been so available as it is today. Maybe we could do with a bit more coverage of cricket below Premier League level but maybe clubs could be encouraged to upload match reports to their websites every weekend .

Random question; I haven't been to see as many PL games this season as I would have liked, I was wondering if anyone who has been able to could rate each of the overseas pro's performances for the season.

I highlighted Rusty Theron and Justin Kemp as my main 2 to watch, and they have not performed how I had expected. However I hear Kemp's coaching has been excellent.

Thanks

Any thoughts on the NCU development document and discussions that are to be held this week? In particular the "Invitational League" for teams in and around Section 3 with only a 1st XI and the other option of allowing some 2nd XIs to progress into "Senior" leagues (if I read it right based on application rather than automatic for winning Junior League 1).

Section One - Lurgan fail to get a side to play Muckamore today (Sunday, July 24).

But by not playing their run rate remains unaffected!!!
Is this fair to the other clubs in the bottom half of the table?

Do the NCU have anything in place for such an issue?

Whilst there may well indeed be a valid argument with regard to the dearth of local newspaper coverage, reports and photos etc. regarding cricket matches outside the premier league, it is encouraging to say the same concerns cannot be levelled at our union's hierarchy and officialdom, as amongst their many varied and busy roles throughout the season and beyond, it was most refreshing and moral boosting to have a cordial afternoon visit from the NCU President and his good lady down at Lurgan Pk. during our section 3 home game against Larne.

And it was not just a quick pop in 'hello & goodbye' encounter, Peter stayed with us for a good part of the afternoon and over a cuppa, chatted with our own club President/player Gerald Johnston, players past and present, including our opponents as well as both umpires.

Pity though he didn't bring us a bit more luck on the field of play as we couldn't quite overhaul Larne's well constructed innings score, but then again, they're an impressive outfit and great to see them oncemore blazing a glorious trail as they bring back those halcyon days to Sandy bay!

And just a little thought while I'm here, there are many worthy candidates for club person/player of the year but perhaps come the end of the season, the press will remove their rose tainted googles and look a little below the top flight when they chose the recipient of such an esteemed accolade ?

Yesterday, I overheard Gerald telling the President about his splendid knock of 1 n.o. as he held up an end during a recent JL 9 game against Waringstown, and how much he still enjoys the game since he began competitively playing NCU cricket from way back in the early 1950's ....

Not to many around who can say that is there ??