Forum

Interesting to read Max Sorensen's comments about joining CIYMS. Apparently he has decided not to come as the chairman of selectors of the Northern Knights has decided he doesnt want "blow ins" - there's a few questions here:
1. What is the criteria for the Knights now? Born within Counties Armagh, Antrim and Down?
2. Is it a blatant abuse of power that a player for a club's rivals should actively discourage a signing as it may impact negatively on his club's season?
3. Who is in charge of the NCU Knights now? Is it not best vs best anymore? Or is it possibly best mates vs the rest?
4. Did chairman of selectors have backing of powers that be within NCU before his comments to Sorensen?
5. Do you have to play for 1 of 2 clubs before you can be assured of a place on the Knights?

it will be very interesting if any ncu clubs go for yogesh takawale seeing as he is a free agent and given his record of big centuries a welcome addition to any batting lineup as he wont be getting ipl cricket this year

Congratulations to Roy Harrison.
The Duke and Dutchess of Mid Ulster and now an MBE.
Love it!!!!

Hi Everyone,
In relation to my ongoing research into cricketers (of any ability or club/school etc) who had a connection to the game in Ireland and who died in the Great War, I wish to seek your assistance. My query relates to the North of Ireland Cricket and Football Club Great War memorial erected at Ormeau. Is this memorial still at Ormeau or has it been moved to another location since the club departed the Ormeau grounds?
Any help is greatly appreciated.
Happy New Year to one and all.
Pat

Happy New Year to everyone.

my take on Jeff's challenge!!! very very interesting topic and some great players mentioned already i see...........

1 Best ground played at obviously my home ground in Saintfield or The Green at ND
2 Best player played with Mark McBriar. Unplayable on his day and technically gifted bat without really showing it
3 Best bowler faced Ryan Eagleson or Joel Maguire
4 Best batsman bowled at Johnny Hewitt
5 Best overseas pro bowled at.......Indrajeet Kamtekar
6 Best umpires Ian Houston or Jarleth McCready
7 Best teas Downpatrick/Laurelvale
8 Best fielder Paul Mullan like a cat on the boundary
9 Best all rounder Darren McCann
10 Best wicket keeper played with Derrick McCann
11 Best moment in cricket scoring my first senior hundred against Woodvale or winning the Junior Cup with Saintfield

Congratulations to Roy Harrison on being named in the new years honours list. A proud moment for the family and for Irish and NCU cricket.

1 Best ground played at : Lurgan Park
2 Best player played with : Gerald Johnston
3 Best bowler faced : Gerald Johnston ( during a brief hiatus at another club)
4 Best batsman bowled at : Greg Mullin
5 Best overseas pro bowled at : N/A
6 Best umpires : They're all excellent
7 Best teas : Victoria C.C.
8 Best fielder : Me
9 Best all rounder : Again, can't see past myself
10 Best wicket keeper played with : Robbie Streat/ ?
11 Best moment in cricket : Defeating Portadown 2nds in a 2 nighter match ( it was an epic ) !!

congratulations to Roy Harrison on his award in the New Year Honours - richly deserved

Jeff,

Interesting topic, very difficult to pick after 20 seasons of senior cricket but here are my picks.

1. Te meadow strangford road and the lawn.
2. Ed joyce and Jim Patterson
3. Kyle Mccallen, Gary Kidd
4. Robin Haire, this one isnt in the NCU but Decker Curry.
5. Raman Lamba, Matt Horne
6. Jareth McCready, Mark Hawthorne
7. Downpatrick, Lisburn
8. Ray Mccavery, Brian Ferris
9. Geoffrey Ferguson, Garfield Harrison
10. Jonathan Bushe, Allan Rutherford
11. Winning the Challenge Cup with Downpatrick when i was 18, closely followed by playing in the under 19 world cup in South Africa.

Ivan, hope you're well. OK, here's a couple of answers, but how could you forget our opening partnership at U19 of 54 v Ulster Town at Woodvale (Burrowes 51, McCombe 3)?

1. Holywood.
2. Stewart McCormick
3. Kemal Merchant
4. Raman L.
5. Raman L.
6. Not necessarily the best, but favourite: Sam McCormick and Sam McMurray. And Pete Reith for his never ending supply of sweets.
7. Laurelvale. (More scallions, Gerald?)
8. The Goat.
9. The Goat/ Simon Corlett.
10. Paul Moore/ John McCormick.
11. Winning promotion to section 1 with Holywood.

Thanks Jamie W. It's always good to have people like you checking over the content. Maybe if you had read the post from Pete who posted the original team as closely as you had read mine you would have understood that his team was selected to a certain criteria but youth wasn't one of them.

Mulder's performances at North Down were certainly impressive and it will be interesting to see how he goes this season.

There seems to be a feeling that some of best players playing in the NCU are not playing in the Northern Knights for a variety of reasons. It would be interesting to know if the other two Unions are in a similar position or are they able to select from their whole compliment of players who are playing club cricket in their Unions?

On a separate topic watching on Sky over the holidays and seeing how one sided Aus v WI and NZ v SL have been is their an argument for 2 divisions of 6 countries playing Test, ODI and T20 cricket maybe over a two year period with promotion and relegation between the two divisions and allowing the top associate country a chance to replace the bottom team.

My Cup Runneth Over

Though the well may be dry, no need to sadly sigh
and wither on the vine
For the challenges of life, in comfort or in strife
is to walk the righteous line

The spoils of decadence, soon rapidly condense
viewed through a discerning eye
If consumed by wanton greed, a heart cannot bleed
when little children cry

The corrupt and morally unshaven, seek sanctuary or haven
behind walls of ill-repute
But a house is not a home, if built on tainted loam
and will bear forth, rancid fruit

So take a leaf from the good book, don’t grapple on the hook
of avarice or imposition
For if the soul is pure, it is written de facto, de jure
your cup will overflow, due to wise volition

A happy cricketing new year to all !

is Mulder returning to Northdown?
with Cameron Dow gone? mulder is the clear choice for mine to take on the role. trevor britton for mine has had his chance and has no future for ireland, while he is a good bowler i feel we need to look to the furute and that could be mulder who has performed at a good level for 3 years now in the ncu and has made it clear he wants to play for ireland. we need to put time into players like him and get games under the belt of some youngsters... I feel that Mulder may have upset some people in the NCU last year with the issues at carrick... can anyone shed some light on what actually happened?

P.s ivan it would help if you got some names correct. James & Adam from waringstown.

Jeff's challenge.
Interesting to look back like that . Having played senior cricket for 24 seasons and probably 400 games with three clubs Muckamore, Saintfield and Ballymena across what is now the Premier League and Section One you forget just how many top players you played against. In that period '73 to'96 NCU produced a lot of internationals and there were some fantastic overseas players about as well.
But here goes.
1. Moylena / The Lawn
2. Archie McQuilken ( THE best) but it's difficult to call between John McCormick / Andy Clement / Mark Napier / Adrian Goodrich
3. Dermott Monteith / Simon Corlett ( although I never faced them for too long as they were always too good for me).
4. Asif Mashood ( and I got him out with the only delivery I bowled at him ) / Jimmy Kirkwood
5. Raman Lamba / Rahaul Mankad
6. Trevor Henry / George Archer
7. Waringstown / Lisburn
8. Adrian Goodrich / Andy Gleghorne
9. Garfield Harrison / Michael Reith
10. Nile Smith / Paul Jackson
11. Captaining Muckamore to promotion in 1995 and then in the top flight in 1996 after a gap of 24 years / Captaining Muckamore 2nds to win the Ulster Plate in 2012 on my 55th birthday and becoming the first NCU club to win it.
This got me thinking about picking a team of the best players I had played WITH and again that's not easy.

1. Alfie Conn
2. Archie McQuilken
3. Mark Napier
4. John McCormick
5.Adrian Goodrich
6. Davy Napier
7. Andy Clement
8. Dessie Kane
9. Harry Cook
10. Nile Smith
11. Adrian McCoubrey