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Although I’m laid up at present I’m hearing a wee whisper that there could be a sensetation in the Senior Cup

NEWS RELEASE: MATCH OFF (AMENDED)
The unique cricket match to celebrate the centenary of Brigade’s ground in Londonderry and pay tribute to the club’s former chairman Roy Torrens has been called off because of the COVID pandemic and the increasing risks posed by the new variant.
Six current Ireland players were to have lined up in the T20 challenge at Beechgrove between an Ireland XI and Brigade Select on Sunday (July 4) and are in the squad for the forthcoming series against South Africa.
Former Ireland captain William Porterfield was to have led the Ireland X1 which consisted entirely of players who had each played at least 100 internationals. Other players in the squad against South Africa are current captain Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling and George Dockrell. Fellow squad members Andy McBrine and Craig Young were to have played for Brigade Select.
Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, said:
“We are greatly disappointed by having to reluctantly make this decision, but an unavoidable one which we have done in consultation with the Brigade Cricket Club and event organisers. Our hearts go out to all in Brigade and to Roy's family but we will work with the Club and the Irish Cricketers Association on alternative plans, and continue to provide our support where we can.
“With less than two weeks until a major international series, and the combination of players not fully vaccinated and a major spike in COVID infection numbers in the region driven by the Delta variant, the risk was considered too high for players, volunteers and attendees. We all remained hopeful about the match being able to proceed and had looked at additional measures to keep the national players as safe as possible within the club environment but Tuesday's infection numbers showing the highest rate since January meant we had to make this difficult call.
"We are all aware of the heightened
emotions around the occasion and desire to properly celebrate Brigade’s ground centenary and the life of Roy Torrens, but we all want to do so in safe and healthy circumstances without the need to put a cordon around our players
“We look forward to helping celebrate these occasions at a later date, and would like to thank the Club and event organisers for acting so quickly and cooperatively.”
The Brigade club committee will meet tonight (Wednesday) to consider alternative plans later in the season.
Ends
Inquiries: Robin Walsh (07733100821)

MTB Northern Knights Head Coach Simon Johnston has named a 13-man squad for the final Inter-Provincial Cup match of the summer against Munster Reds at Stormont on Wednesday.
Ross Adair has been brought into the squad following his impressive performances in the recent Inter-Provincial Trophy festivals.
Paul Stirling will also be available for selection having played in last weekend’s Inter-Provincial Trophy festival at Bready. His best score of the weekend (46) came against Munster Reds in the final match on Sunday as MTB Northern Knights ran out winners by 23 runs.
Ahead of the Wednesday’s match, Johnston said: “It’s the final 50-over match of the summer and we want to end the competition on a high.
“We’ve played some good cricket this year and there are positives to take away that we can build on moving through the winter months. This is a young group who are keen to learn and develop as cricketers and I have been pleased with the progress made during 2021.
“Munster have a number of good players in their squad and we mustn’t underestimate them. We saw on Sunday at Bready in the T20 match that they can be a real threat with the bat. We must be wary of this and take nothing for granted.”
MTB NORTHERN KNIGHTS SQUAD TO FACE MUNSTER REDS:
Harry Tector (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Luke Georgeson, Matthew Humphreys, Jeremy Lawlor, John Matchett, Graeme McCarter, James McCollum, Ruhan Pretorius, Neil Rock, Paul Stirling, Ben White

UPDATE ON NEWS RELEASE
Brigade have named five internationals in the North West team to play a special Ireland lineup in the unique match to mark the centenary of their Beechgrove ground and pay tribute to their late chairman Roy Torrens.
The Irish squad of 12 is made up entirely of current and former players who have each played at least 100 times for the country.
The North West have now added to the international flavour with the selection of Andy Britton, Andy McBrine, David Rankin, Stuart Thompson and Craig Young.
The T20 match will be ticket only on Sunday, July 4. Before the 2.30 pm start a pavilion clock donated by the Cricket Writers of Ireland will be unveiled in memory of Roy Torrens who had the idea of the match of centuries before falling victim of COVID 19 in January.
All the internationals in action except David Rankin played during his 12 years as Ireland team manager.
Tickets are being restricted because of the pandemic and applications should be made to:
beechgrove1906@gmail.
com
by Tuesday, June 29.
The North West team includes five Brigade players under club captain Andy Britton and the Irish
side will be led by former captain William Porterfield.
North West:
Andy Britton, Ross Allen, David Barr, Kyle Magee, Ryan McBeth (all Brigade),
Andy McBrine and William McClintock (Donemana), David Rankin (Bready), Jonny Robinson (Fox Lodge), Stuart Thompson
(CSNI), Craig Young (North Down)
Ireland Select:
William Porterfield, Andrew Balbirnie, Andre Botha, George Dockrell, Peter Gillespie, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Kyle McCallan, Niall O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.
Even the men in white coats can claim international status: the umpires are Roly Black and Alan Neill.
Inquiries: Robin Walsh
(077 33 100 821)

NEWS RELEASE
An unique match to celebrate the centenary of Brigade Cricket Club’s Beechgrove ground and pay tribute to the Londonderry club’s late chairman Roy Torrens is to be ticket only.
COVID restrictions will reduce the number of spectators able to watch a team comprised entirely of Irish internationals who have each played at least 100 times for the country.
The big hitting T20 game of the centuries will be staged against a Brigade North West X1 on Sunday, July 4.
Ticket applications should be made by email to:
beechgrove1906@gmail.
com
by Tuesday, June 29 and will be answered by email. Names of people requesting tickets will be required along with one contact number
for a group.
Tickets will be free and there will be a charity collection at the gate.
Brigade’s events manager Bertie Faulkner said: “We expect a big demand for tickets and will try to accommodate as many as possible for this very special occasion while adhering to the strict safety guidelines.”
Before the 2.30 pm start a clock in memory of Roy Torrens donated by the Cricket Writers of Ireland will be unveiled by his widow Joan.
It was Roy Torrens who had the idea of the game before he fell victim of COVID 19 at the turn of the year.
All the Ireland X1 taking the field played
for Ireland during the 12 year period he was team manager and will be led by William Porterfield who has a total of 303 caps.
The team includes the present captain Andrew Balbirnie and current internationals Paul Stirling and George Dockrell and among the former internationals will be Kyle McCallan and Ed Joyce.
Inquiries: Robin Walsh (email or mobile 07733100821)
Sent from my iPhone

NEWS RELEASE
CENTURIES GALORE
AT BEECHGROVE
The late Roy Torrens had no doubt how his beloved Brigade Cricket Club should celebrate the centenary of its famous Beechgrove ground on Londonderry’s Waterside.
It would be a match like no other with one of the sides totally comprised of players who have each represented Ireland at least 100 times.
The day of many centuries has now been organised for Sunday July 4 - six months after the legendary chairman of the club had fallen victim to the coronavirus.
The internationals paying tribute to the man who managed them for more than a decade will be led by former captain William Porterfield who has played 303 times for Ireland. The team will include the present captain Andrew Balbirnie (143) and current internationals Paul Stirling (292) and George Dockrell (227). Former centurions include Ed Joyce (151), Kyle McCallan (227) and Gary Wilson (292).
John Mooney (182), Andre Botha (142), Niall O’Brien (216) and Peter Gillespie (124) complete a line-up that includes seven of the 10 most capped players in the history of Irish cricket.
The big hitting T20 match will be against a Brigade Select X1 side featuring North West players. Before the 2pm start a pavilion clock will be unveiled in Roy Torrens’ memory on behalf of the Cricket Writers of Ireland.
The Irish players will turn out in specially adapted international shirts donated by O’Neills. “Team Torrens”will be on the front and 507 on the back - Roy’s number on his 30 appearances for Ireland.
Brigade’s events manager and former chairman Bertie Faulkner said it was fitting the match would be one of the most intriguing ever to be staged at Beechgrove.
He said: “The players on parade will make it an unforgettable occasion in the history of the club. It’s wonderful that so many icons of Irish cricket have made themselves available to honour not only Roy but also the club he loved.”
William Porterfield said there was no problem in assembling the team.
He said: “Everyone accepted straightaway. They want to celebrate the life of a true friend they respected and loved as well as play again at one of Ireland’s finest grounds.”
Roy Torrens managed Ireland’s men’s team from 2005 to 2015 and included the final stages of three ODI World Cups and four T20 World Cups. On his retirement he returned to his lifelong Brigade club and was chairman for his last five years.
The Brigade club was founded as Church Lads Brigade in 1906 playing its first games at Brandywell. There was to be a second ground for a year in 1920 on the Waterside area of the city before the club settled in the nearby Beechgrove. The name Brigade was adopted in 1923 and back in 1954 the club bought Beechgrove for just £800.
Down the years Brigade have won the North West Senior League 15 times and the Senior Cup 11 times.
The double came to Beechgrove twice and Roy Torrens was at the centre of both. He played in the side of 1973 and when the two trophies were again won in 2019 he was chairman of the club.
Ends.....,,
INQUIRIES: Robin Walsh:
(07733100821:
robinwalsh556@gmail.com)

Inter-Provincial Cup fixture date change
The upcoming Inter-Provincial Cup fixture between Northern Knights and Munster Reds has been moved to 30 June 2021.
The match was originally scheduled to be played on Thursday 10 June 2021, however due to the mandatory five-day self-isolation period for the Ireland Men’s squad returning from the Netherlands, it was agreed that the fixture should be rescheduled rather than played without these international players available to play.
The venue for the match will be advised in due course, but will be within the Northern Cricket Union.

Ed I am not a very happy man this morning after a series loss to the Dutch, don't get me wrong they are a good side but they were missing some big players and yet we struggled against them. The bowling was good but let them of the hook in match one and left it to late yesterday in match three. The batting should have been much braver but the players went in to a shell possibly afraid of what a negative outcome would be and at the end of the day this is what happened
This side has been on the slide since the T20 qualifiers in Ireland in 2015 losing to PNG and HK within a 3 day period and losing to the Dutch in 2 T20 semis 2015 + 2019 and a pool match in 2016 has been heart breaking to watch, even losses to Hong Kong in 2 T20s losing to Netherlands yet again in 2 T20s and even losing to Oman in a pool match in 2016 and even the UAE aswell has inflicted us with a defeat.
If this was any other Nation the coach would be sacked and a maybe even the Board at CI would resign on mass
The Fords with Greg at Balbriggan and Matt at Malahide, Jeremey Lawlor up in Carrickfergus and some others that have played in Ireland need to be fast tracked into the side now.
I now have more faith in the Womens side of sport at the moment with the 2 soccer sides from Ireland putting up a better showing than there male counterparts and even the Rugby (women have reached a World Cup Semi-Final), Hockey (have reached a European Final and qualified for Tokyo although the Men were unlucky) and even our Cricketers. Golf is the only sport where there is parity with performances
A very sad Cricket supporter singing off now and Ed stay safe

George Orr
I am researching the late George Orr, our former NCU Hon. Sec, Chairman and President. He was a lovely man and played at YMCA CC. Unfortunately, we don't know much about his background (family/Church/education/funeral etc.)
If you can help me with the blanks please email me at
jamesclarencehiles@gmail.com
Thanks,
Clarence

About 40 years ago a local cricket club was fighting its corner in Section 5 or 6 of the NCU . They played on the local council playing fields and weren't really viewed as a club that would ever be a major force at the top level.
Around that time the club committee made a truly ground -breaking decision to raise money to buy land, develop a cricket ground and build a club-house. Some of us in the NCU at the time scratched our heads and wondered if they weren't being a touch over-ambitious.
But we were proved wrong - because that club was Carrickfergus C.C.
And surely yesterday's memorable T20 cup win ( their first major senior trophy) is a fitting culmination to the plans of those far-sighted committee men and all the hard work since.
Congratulations Carrick - you;ve shown other smaller clubs just what is possible with imaginative planning and hard work

I would like to offer my most sincere sympathy upon the passing of Reggie McNally. He was an excellent umpire and very friendly at all times, indeed he had a great knowledge and approach that will be sorely missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family at this very sad time.

I would like to offer my services as a Scorer for any club in the NCU for the 2021 season. I am a qualified scorer 25 years experience at local, interprovincial and international levels and am available to score anywhere and travelling is not an issue. If you are interested please contact me on 07719382199 or email me at jonathan.lyttle@nihe.gov.uk

Dear Ed
My laptop had been not dowloading some pages fully that is why I sent you that message.
On to the Finals over the weekend and what a weekend with every match having everything. Drummanes Superkings win over Victoria was thrilling by the posts so far as no updates to be had anywhere whilst Waringstown II had a bit of a stutter in replying to Muckamore II but they got there in the end
The main Final over the weekend at The Lawn was the most entertaining I have followed in the NCU for years and well done to Carrickfergus on their win. Major credit should go to Jacques Snyman for his all-round performance and Jeremy Lawlor in the Carrick side, whilst Luke Georgeson and Neil Rock in the CSNI side. Waringstown ground staff should be praised here for getting 2 pitches ready for the weekends play
And it was nice to see pictures from various sites of all the matches over the weekend with a crowd in attendance hopefully the dark days of only players, staff and officials being at a ground of any description is behind us.
May I also congratulate the grounds staff at Stormont for making it look immaculate for the recent Ireland Women vs. Scotland Women series. I knew we would win the series but I thought it would be a clean sweep bar 10 overs of match one it so nearly was but the batting especially with the form of Shauna Kavanagh and Gaby Lewis if these two got scores then we would win and well done to Cara Murray along side Lara Maritz in the bowling area. And all this without Mary Waldron and Eimear Richardson Nice to see Amy Hunter in the squad and there was a nice picture of her and Cara with Mary Peters promoting her Charity Day.
Scotland Women rely to much on the Bryce sisters and occasionally Abatha Maqsood because without Olivia Rae (a surprise as she had played for Surrey in the matches) in the side you knew once these went it was match over. Samantha Haggo and Abbi Aitken-Drummond didn't perform and this was another reason to.
Stay safe Ed and all at Ulster Cricketer

if not in body, in willing spirt
every ball a challenge,
either from hand or willow,
ratify, the flesh may grow weak
father time alludes,
compounds, creaking hinge

yet, to seize, give way, like a
lamb without choice,
grim-reaper, loves to acquiesce..
Begone his grimace, his covetous
pledge, have one's soul,
if not, sap life's juice from inner core..

where there is joy, kindred bond
fellowship, competitive spirit,
past friends, past players, speak loud,
let not your heart be bowed, sorrowed,
a hallowed turf awaits ye of faith, entrust
passion for life..

a five for or fifty plus, the crowd rejoice
never doubt, refute that challenge,
inspired, spearheaded ,
remember them with grace!

Just home after watching Drumaness Superkings win the T20 bowl.
Congratulations to them on the victory, but huge congratulations to both sides for the game,the groundstaff for the preparation of the pitch, the officials for umpiring the game, the barstaff and the hospitality shown to ourselves after the game.
Cricket how it should be, feisty at times? Maybe, fiery possibly, but two sides giving it their all on the field, and sharing a pint after.