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Terry,
Your last two sentences sum it up. That's exactly where we all want to be.

Neale,

Thank you for your reply.

On cherry-picking statistics, I would argue that every statistic is arbitrary in the first place, and every statistic that is employed is necessarily cherry-picked. All counter-arguments are therefore open to the same accusation.

Would the use of a word other than 'bullshit' have detracted from the substance of the article? No. Would the use of another word have been more diplomatic? Almost certainly. But has the use of the word 'bullshit' grabbed attention and provoked debate on matters about which everybody should be concerned? Yes.

Even so, here are a few explanatory citations:

‘The impressive growth of cricket in Ireland…Cricket is the fasting-growing sport in Ireland’, [http://northerncricketunion.org/database/2015/news/articles/article613.shtml]

‘The rapidly-growing popularity of cricket in Ireland is showing no signs of slowing down.' [http://www.cricketireland.ie/news/article/cricket-continues-growth-across-ireland, 9 April 2013]

‘Cricket – which is now the fastest growing sport in Ireland’, [http://www.cricketireland.ie/extra-cover/article/nothing-short-of-inspirational, 19 November 2013].

‘The Union began to receive increased funding...from the Irish public purse and from the commercial sector, confirming the growth of the sport among key stakeholders’, [http://www.cricketireland.ie/about/history]

These lines, merely a few that I found during ninety seconds of research, bear no relation to what I - and others - have been witnessing within the sport over the last few years,

Michael

the decline in cricket in england where i played league cricket for twenty years in 2013 908.000 played in 2014 it dropped to 844.000 the number of matches conceded because teams could not muster 11 players stood at 5 percent now in the birmingham league they play 55 overs aside a lot of guys who are good enough to play saturday cricket are opting to play parks cricket at twenty overs aside an initiative from the ecb is to introduce an u19 league is to be introduced to help teenagers to make the leap from youth to adult cricket the ecb was put on notice by sport england that it risked losing £27.5 million in government funding for the period 2013 to 2017 if participation levels do not increase so taking that into consideration the ncu is doing quite well considering we have no chance of ever getting funding like that if the so called good and great in english cricket cant manage put that into perspective and realise there is always someone worse off lol I am not taking any credit for this article because it was wrote by nick hoult the cricket correspondent for the telegraph and he has somehow managed to write it in such a way that he hasnt offended any unpaid officials that give up their time for free and also without profanity just remember mt if you give it you are also liable in your priveleged position to take the criticism we are not in intensive care just recuperating so the funeral has been postponed indefinitely haha. on another point its saturday the forecast is good lets all enjoy and good luck to everyone playing at whatever level because thats the whole idea of the beautiful game ps look forwards and dont dwell on the past

Lots of sensible discussion and then Mark goes and suggests we get rid of the teas! I think we can stop talk of that now!

We seem to have got very bogged down in blaming young people and alcohol for a lot of this alleged death of the local game.
I've played a large amount of games this season at second and third eleven where the majority of players have been youths. I played away at Downpatrick 2s a few weeks ago, two fairly young teams, a decent game, majority stayed for a drink afterwards (something which I miss and seems to be getting rarer these days too!) and everyone was happy because we were back home for not too far after 6, at most there's a few going out afterwards, not the entire team the way you'd expect from the suggestions you read sometimes.

I've gave Neale my views on the regional idea before, I believe it's a handy way out for the late finishes rather than sitting down and properly sorting something out with the schools and getting early starts all year. Give most of those school boys the option I'd imagine they'd all rather only be playing one game on a Saturday and one some other day of the week than trying to squeeze in well over 100 overs in one day! I also imagine there's bound to be some level of player management/welfare issue in there somewhere.

As well as start times I think it'd be worth starting the season a few weeks earlier, as it is we're starting the last week of April, 6 weeks of exams, 2 weeks on holiday, very few games over the twelfth and you're well over half way into the season and kids are saying what's the point if I haven't played before now. Start week 2 of April, get a few games in and give them something to look forward to getting back into. It'd also create a few more playing dates to prevent all the double headers complained about.

RE: Michael Taylor's latest article.

The article on the Strange Death of NCU cricket appears to have provoked a genuine debate on the position and future of NCU cricket and as the Director of Domestic Cricket for the NCU I am delighted. Over the last number of years we have been trying to find innovative and constructive ways to halt the decline in particularly male adult participation this is an ongoing and developing process and the contribution of cricket players, officials and lovers of the game is refreshing.

As readers will be aware the NCU has put great time and effort into road shows to keep clubs informed and to take their views, to develop this into policy and to bring this policies forward into proposals at the AGM.
As a result the leagues have been restructured; starting times partially addressed; length of matches changed in accordance with the wishes of the clubs etc.

In the debate that is currently ongoing I would also ask for consideration of the 'regionalisation' of the lower tier of the junior leagues. Earlier this year the NCU set out a document suggesting that the bottom 4 leagues be regionalised - the idea to reduce time spent traveling in order to preserve the time spent playing and keep players available. Club responses were limited and a small majority against. This flew in the face of on the ground evidence of the fixtures meetings when team captains were almost universally in favour and the players (often from clubs that officially were not in favour) asking why regionalisation has not gone ahead.

Having praised the effect of Michael's article, I do have a significant number of difficulties with same - from the cherry picking of the statistics to make a point, to the failure to take into account any contra-indicative data which might undermine the point being made. But most of all the use of the privileged position of a feature writer for CE to take a cheap shot at local officials as "bullsh*t" pedlars makes for a good headline or attention grabber. However when attacking an easily identified individual or small group especially from a privileged platform then remember you may be require to back it up. So:-
1. Who are these "bullsh*t" peddling local officials?
2. What is it they said ?
3. In what way was it "bullsh*t?

I certainly have not been saying everything in the garden is rosey, and we do not give up many hours every month on a completely free basis because cricket is fine and flourishing. We do it, in the main, to keep the game which we love going and hopefully improving against the background of countless and growing pressures some of which Michael has identified.

Statistics are always open to interpretation - I see we have had a 2% increase in adult teams in the league in the last 2 years and down less than 1% over the last 13! Does this include the midweek league which had grown?

On the amount of cricket the numerous new cup competitions have not been included. T20s; Ulster Trophies; Second tier All Ireland; Women's Premier League and cups; inter pros.

On numbers the growth of women's cricket has been ignored or forgotten about. My wife assures me that they are people and often adults too. She is a doctor and very bright so I take her word for it.

In summary, we have to move with the times to survive. Nobody in the NCU as far as I am concerned is peddling "bullsh*t" in this regard. We welcome debate, ideas and fresh thinking. The old idea of gin swilling Blazers living in the past is an outdated concept used by individuals and journalists living in the past. The NCU may make mistakes or the wrong call on any given issue but we are not complacent.

Michael your articles are a breath of fresh air - Times not Sun. With a sense of humour which ranges from subtle to sledge hammer when required. I genuinely look forward to reading them for their both entertaining and thought provoking content. Keep them coming.

Jordan Wilson . Proper " attitude" .

I read all this stuff and try and think " why is Muckamore different? " . It's NOT. We field 5 teams ( and can do so on the same day if needed) , we field three Midweek teams on a Wednesday night and we get 50 odd at practice and we have a lot of the guys playing also involved in coaching underage teams .
Michael's article makes depressing reading. So why are Muckamore totally " bucking the trend ".
Simple - because we decided to get off our backside and make cricket for the masses. A team pulled out of the midweek league. Andy Clement rang Charlie Henderson , Charlie made a few phone calls having said " Yes we will get a third Midweek team together " and within the same day he had a captain and a squad organised .
The one thing Antrim hasn't had for years was schools cricket on a Saturday. We encourage people to take the game up in their thirties , it is part of the DNA handed down by Billy Boyd, Geoff Wallace, John McCormick , Harry McFaadden that you play back down the club . Of the many good things I have seen at Moylena in the past few years one of the most satisfying was this season seeing Simon Thompson a Senior player of many years playing on the back pitch with the thirds. " simply putting back to the club what an earlier generation had done for him".
Players at Muckamore have wives and girlfriends and kids. However they are part of what Neil Gill christened #themuckamorefamily.
If you want cricket to die - talk it down - if you want cricket to grow - open the gates , put the fliers around the town , go ask 50 ex players to come back and if 5 say yes there's quickly another team.
Stop blaming Cricket Ireland , NCU , drinking , other sports etc. Muckamore are good at drinking , we have loads of junior football in Antrim, we have a rugby club, a long established hockey club, a GAA club, three golf courses, marching bands etc . If I listened to the people on here Muckamore should have folded by now.
Cricket isn't dead at Carrick , it's not dead at Armagh , Waringstown to name but a few. Yes you might have to work harder but like anything in life " it's your attitude " that determines most things. Charlie Henderson could have said " sure we already have two midweek teams and left it like that " . His "attutude" said different .
Please don't read this as " Muckamore are wonderful because we are NOT " we just have a good attutude about the future of the game. Aaron's suggestion of starting J4 and below later in the season will kill the game . At clubs like ours schoolboys aren't playing schools cricket and the adults want to get started last week in April otherwise they go to other sports and we lose them. Play more - not less.
PS the Muckamore Casuals are in the semi Final of the Midweek League.

Have the bye-laws on consumpton of booze changed?

When I was running about last orders weren't called to 11pm and many's an alehouse or club that I frequented weren't to punctual about it shouting out loud....boys-a-boys such a 'nanny state' we are becoming !!!!

in regards to Sam...
I'm (Aged 20) currently playing in Junior 1 with CSN. I like the 50 over games. I think it has you prepared for that step up into senior cricket as there is a huge difference in concentration required between 40 overs and 50 overs. Therefore I wouldn't change this at all.
Earlier start times being implemented now is making a difference, getting finished at 7:30 or 8pm was too late but starting now at 11, and being finished for 6 or so, means the younger players have their socialising time too after the game. Surely there can be a way in which this happens throughout the year, and school cricket maybe gets moved to Friday evenings rather than Saturday mornings. Just a thought.

Sam

The same old argument applies to Junior 1 as 6 out of the 8 teams are premier league clubs, so where premier league clubs are thriving this no doubt will have a knock on effect to the 2nd xi teams. Outside of that the junior leagues are by far a worse standard than say 10 or 15 years ago and it is these clubs who are struggling with participation.

didn't mean to start off this debate - as I posted "I'm only saying"!. To change tack a bit I was at Lord's last weekend and was thrilled by the lunch entertainment by the Band of the Royal Marines. I see that CI have arranged the entertainment for the sponsors at the Australia game - fiddler Adam!! Say no more!!

I believe that the restructuring of the junior leagues has put a new breath if life into cricket outside of 1xi.

What about a poll.

Would a representative for each club in junior one indicate on this forum if they would be for or against reducing max duration of league matches to 40 overs ?

To pick up on a couple of points. Like Taito I had school and club cricket practices during the week, u15 club games on a Friday, school on a Saturday morning and club on a Saturday afternoon. I have to say there ARE still guys like this who will play anywhere and have an appetite for cricket and will play school team, club u15s, 2nd XI and midweek all in the same week. We need to encourage them and nurture that.

I think we need to get the clubs and schools together. I fully agree that I developed my love of cricket through my younger years at school and there needs to be a place for school cricket. But taking Clarence's point on compromise do we need to rejig things?

School cricket to continue as is in schools forms 1-4. Keep the McCullough cup format as it is for these years. These players will mostly be players on your clubs 3s/4s (or in junior leagues 4 and below). Start the fixtures for J4 and below later in the year.

School 1st and 2nd XI cricket restricted to the Schools Cups and played during the week. This frees up your better cricketers to play club 1st and 2nd XI cricket meaning you can start the fixtures as currently at end of April/early May and allows these games to start at 11am from the outset of the season.

Excellent articles from Michael Taylor Clarence Hiles and totally agree with Paul Stafford in cric ire forum /Taito and ive played 44 years but if was playing in this present set up with so many double headers 200 overs weekends = either quit game i love or divorce or being gambler = CERT FOR BOTH . The game we all love needs massive revamp as junior convenor for 7 years 90% juniors dont want 100 over cricket (ncu squad players apart )the game must compete with life in general and the present WAG will not put up with men married or single being away for anything from seven to ten hours days playing cricket . Money will eventually ruin the game we love to play umpire support or coach as when the present stalwarts and junior coaches volenteers unpaid club and groundmen that every club has passes then the real trouble and decline will set in lot worse and my friends in england say its same there cricket to long a day for young and old . I FEAR FOR A SPORT I LOVE PS thats without a DRINK

Its interesting that the issue of player decline is finally getting some column inches and provoking some good debate. This has been a problem with the lower clubs for some years and it seems to now be effecting the bigger clubs and I agree with everything that Michael Taylor has said. A few years ago I wrote an article about this for the Larne website (http://www.larnecricketclub.com/index.php/news/282-the-state-of-the-game) and although it is slightly dated the vast majority of it still applies. I would imagine that many clubs are facing very similar issues.