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Clarence,

I totally agree as the NCU has to progress in the line with other unions so in this semi professional era clubs have to move with times ans Waringstown are a fantastic example of an excellent club structure where they have avoided spending a lot of money to reach success, simlarly those who can and do spend money fair play to them if thats the route to success. I dont think any section 1 club would turn down being promoted to the Premier League but if you had spoken to the majority of clubs mid way through the last few seasons the common response would have been we dont want to go up. We certainly have been guilty of those thoughts in saying that im sure every club tries to win every game. Next season we will have the mindset of lets try and see if we can win the league and go up and give it a go, we might do it or we might not come close. We wont know though without giving it a real good push. Derriaghy are a fine example of a close knit bunch of boys and it will be very interesting if their spirit and togetherness wins them a few games in the Premier League, i think it might just.

Interesting point Taito. No promoted club has ever declined going up to the Premier League but perhaps it may happen in the future? It would be interesting to hear the views of other Section 1 clubs, although we have to commend the top clubs for raising the benchmark to a higher level to compete with the top clubs in other unions. To do otherwise would set us back years and reduce NCU cricket to dinosaur status. Waringstown's success in the Irish Senior Cup this year was great for NCU cricket and widely praised as they championed the union's cause. We have to accept some clubs are driven by different motives, but there is a place for everyone within the NCU structure. The challenge is to understand and manage diversity-not an easy task in Northern Ireland culture!

Ivan,

I agree with a lot you have said as in fair play to the Premier Legaue clubs who can afford to bring in top overseas and irish qualified players. No doubt playing with and against the best improves you as a player, i always loved playing against the best players. The issue i have is that Section 1 clubs did or do have ambition to play in the Premier League but as it gets more and more proffesional and more and more about spending money this has become unachievable to compete in that league for many clubs. We will be pushing as hard as we can to get promoted next season and truly believe we can do it but the Premier leageu carrot dangling isnt that appealing for Section 1 clubs.

Ivan - as much as I want Ireland to win when they play, the bottom harsh line is I don't really care that much.

My loyalties solely lie with my club - not with massaging the egos of the select few

You desperately need to get out of your Muckamore bubble of utopia - either that or someone should burst it for you

Ivan, if your last sentence is correct perhaps we should start by scrapping the Interprovincials and concentrate on the Premier League as a stepping stone to the national squad! They are a jolly for Leinster because of the Ireland player contracts and the current structure is a waste of time and money.
Neil, I understand your philosophy but most sports are semi or fully professional these days. I'm also sure there's a brown envelope or two in the NI Amateur League which supposedly caters for club football outside the professional game. Unfortunately the 'good old days' have disappeared and we live and play in a different era. I only know the finances of one Premier League club and they registered a trading profit at their AGM two weeks ago for the first time in years. They also did quite well on the pitch so there is a business model that works. Also, I think Waringstown has a genuine club culture, and is one of the lighter spenders. However, at the end of the day every club will do what they think is best for them and that's their prerogative. Good luck to you guys next season.

Michael - I'm not sure what you are reading . Neil and I are on the same page . I believe clubs make decisions based on their own ambitions . Ballymena want to play good club cricket probably in Section One and that's to be applauded.
However it shouldn't stop clubs like CIYMS , Waringstown etc wanting to play a higher standard and if that means bringing top drawer pros I think that's to be equally applauded.
Maybe we need to introduce a licencing system like you have in Football in Northern Ireland . A club can play and win the Champiobship but opt not to play in the Premier league. Ambitious clubs like Ballinamalard emerge and say " we want to play with the big boys ".
We need a strong Premier cricket league to help us develop international players in the NCU area.

Well said Neil fullerton - 100% right

Ivan - oh dear, I don't even know where to start :(

Re Neil Fullerton

You quote 'Not against players who are getting a house, a car and anywhere between 20 and 45 grand to lie about and scratch their rear ends all week and then win cricket matches' - what are you smoking?

All I'm saying is the majority of Ballymena's senior squad want to play against other players at other clubs like themselves - who work five days a week, practice a couple of times, play a match on a Saturday and have a drink in the bar afterwards.

Not against players who are getting a house, a car and anywhere between 20 and 45 grand to lie about and scratch their rear ends all week and then win cricket matches.

We are simply back to the hired gun scenario.
‘Ours is better than yours’ type of thing.
And, as a club, we are glad to have no part of it.
End of.

Neil . Good old fashioned CLUB cricket I think is alive and well in the NCU. Ballymena are a great example. Four Saturday teams and a strong youth set up linked to local schools. There are many other examples of clubs working hard at coaching kids , spending money on grounds etc. There was a great post on here the other week about Ards ambitious plans and Jeff Maguire at Dundrum recently posted about the work on an off the field they are doing.

However the cricket landscape has changed. Ireland in 2016 will play South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Roll back 10 to 15 years to see who the opponents were.
To keep up with this the infrastructure of club cricket needed to change and that meant adding a semi professional Inter Pro set up and now we need a proper Premier League where the best players both local and overseas play.
The current system allows any club to make there way into that Elite group and Ballymena played there for many season and I'm sure people like Michael Glass enjoyed testing himself against the best batsmen and the likes of Janes and David Kennedy enjoyed proving they could score runs against the best bowlers.
As I see it Ireland will get stronger , the Inter Pro series will get stronger and the Premier League will get stronger and below that there will be stronger, healthier old fashioned CLUB cricket with more people playing , more coaches , better facilities .
I think clubs then have a choice and that's for their players, officials , spectators and sponsors to decide - do we want to play good competitive CLUB cricket or do we want to play in the PREMIER league.
Those clubs with no ambitions to play in the PREMIER league and the funding and commitment that entails should then encourage any "gems" they discover to go and play at a PREMIER club and test themselves against the best and then be proud of their achievements and hope they go on to play against South Africa or Australia and if it doesn't work out come back at worst a better player.
I think cricket is healthy but it does need us all to realign our thinking to the realities of where we are now compared to 10 to 15 years ago.

It is great to see so many quality pros being signed for next season as well as the likes of Sorenson now coming to play in the NCU. Surely this can only help the standard of young cricketers getting to play with and against players of this quality.

You only have to turn on the TV to watch Van Der Dussen who played recently in NI with CIYMS to see the standard of these pros.

Should make for a competitive 2016.

... and thank God for that, Sam.
I can assure you.
The cricketers of Ballymena CC are glad to be out of the rat race for a while.
Bring back good old-fashioned CLUB cricket

Lovely happy cricket photos on your home page. Keep them coming as cricket is a fun sport and it is good to see so many people enjoying it.

Neil, no need to be fearful. You and your club are unlikely to suffer from the effects of this new law ! ! !

Some time down the line I fear there will be a new law in NCU cricket.

A33 reads: Only two players not normally resident in South Africa may play in league or cup competitions for a club in the Premier League, at least one of whom must be qualified to play for Ireland.