Forum

surely the answer is quite simple - make the regulations the same throughout the leagues apart from the Premiership & Section 1 where there are differences regarding close catchers, power plays, etc.

Couldnt agree more with you Sam. This did come up at the AGM I believe but was voted down which we were surprised at.

We at Cregagh have already come across this scenario this season and it really kills the team chasing the total as it ends up with everyone on the boundary turns the game into a bit of a farce.

I know where Ivan is coming from in terms of umpiring our own games but is it really that moreonerous to ask for one circle to be marked out and that at least 4 players must be in there at all times excluding the wicket keeper!

Re Ivan and inner ring.

Singles aren't going to cut it when you need 30 off three !

Ref Sam and four fielders " in the ring ".
I have played 8 games this season in Junior 4 and not in one of those have a I witnessed myself or the other captain ringing the boundary. With cricket st this level being " self umpired" I think adding further bye laws just complicates the issue.
The simplest way to counter act deep field placing is to start taking singles and twos and forcing the opposition to change the field. It's not techniques that I notice lacking at this level but more understanding of how to compile an innings and from a bowlers perspective working out that " dot balls " are important.
Calum's post about Gerard Johnston has certainly made me think that I should be thinking of playing for 60 years rather than the 50 , I thought I would stop at in 2020.
The other week I played against Don Shields who I believe is 70 and he gave a performance any 17 year old wicketkeeper would have been proud of.
He also said something to me at the tea interval which made me realise he is a true legend. I asked him about his hamstring which I had read he had hurt the previous week and he said " I didn't warm up properly ". No reference to his age as an excuse.
Ask any ex player watching this weekend and they will tell you " it's a poor substitute for playing ". If you really want to support your club get the whites out and pass on your experience and love of the game to the youngsters coming through.
A guy said to me this week " you would probably be happy to have a heart attack on the cricket field " . He was shocked when I told him I already had ( in 2006 ) and now look forward to my second successive double header weekend.
I can think of nothing better to do this weekend than to be playing at The Mall on Saturday and Moylena on Sunday.

Caleb - that is truly remarkable and Gerald is to be congratulated. However I shouldn't really be surprised as I recall his energetic dancing with Flossie at that brilliant night at the Victoria awards night!! Took her about 3 days to cool down!! I met him at Lurgan last year and he was looking really fit & well. And still prepared to answer the call to help out the 3rds!! As I was saying the other day that I never heard anyone say that they retired too late.

Am I the only person who thinks this World Cup is fixed? Too many funny results and strange things happening. Fixing doesn't just happen in cricket.

Ryan,
Why can't we have schools cricket and club cricket on Saturdays? It has worked for years so what is the big difference in 2014? We also had schools rugby on Saturday morning and I recall playing football for Comber Rec seconds in the afternoon on many occasions. OK there are logistics with shorter games but we still got home around lunchtime, Mum made a fry for whoever I brought home and we headed off to play our afternoon games. Saturdays weren't that complicated until girlfriends and drink came along! LOL

Up in the northwest of the country, the Glendermott 'Pro' wasn't the only cricketer this week who was rewriting the records books on the field of play and thrilling the watching crowds with his prolific batsmanship!

At around the same time last Saturday playing for Victoria 3rds in a Minor cup match, a certain sprightly Mr Gerald Johnston bowled his allotted spell for 12 runs and was very unfortunate not to have at least bagged himself one opponents wicket during his tidy spell!

Of course unlike Mr Silva, neither his name nor bowling figures will appear up in lights for future generations to read and admire and for posterity's sake.
There'll just be a little penned scribble in the corner of two junior side's score-books of when he came on as a fourth change bowler and set about this herculean achievement!

But ask yourself this question!

How will your cricketing statistics read when you are 76 years old?

I think it's about time the "4 fielders in the ring" rule be intruduced at all junior adult matches. I believe it only applies in junior 1 at present.
I have played in 6 matches this year below junior 3 and in all of them at some stage nearly all fielders where on the boundary with only one or two within 30 yards of the pitch.
This doesn't promote the learning of good tactical bowling, field placing or batting.

The real question being asked should be why are schools 1st XI sides playing on a Saturday? surely they should only play on mid week afternoons as it is costing the players opportunities with their club sides. Both should work together for the improvement of the game instead of the current impasse.

Wasn't meant to be critical Peter - my comments were aimed at the "social media" postings that predicted the demise of all cricket as a result of one game! Personally I agree with the principle behind the rule and if anyone has a good look at it they will see the logic. Same applies in club rugby and prevents "loading" of teams. And just to be clear, I am not in any way suggesting that this occured on this occasion.

peter I agree INSTONIANS 4th beat our seconds very easily and LOST POINTS in my opinion they should not be penalised as no fault of the team that played fair and square as no matter what people keep saying cricket is no were as near strong as people think if you take away STALWARTS in clubs every team be in trouble and this nonsense of playing two matches nearly every weekend is going be ruination of a sport I love as its wrecking lives never mind clubs .rules are rules but even its only my opinion I think that exceptional circumstances like sat should never result in penalising teams that do play .

Andy I believe Instonians fell foul to a school match dragging on due to the travelling side arriving late from the north west and not agreeing to reduce the match. They had legitimately selected their sides and due to unforeseen circumstances had to forefit their match. It's my opinion their junior teams losing points due to this is harsh given the genuine reasons but as they say rules are rules. Hardly worth criticism.

Flossie and I have just discovered a cricketers hideaway - Archana on Belfast's Dublin Road. And my good pal and fellow umpire Ashok Sharma always ready to give his opinions on every aspect of cricket - bit like this Forum but with excellent Indian food added!! Tonight's subject was the failure of Instonians 2s to get a side out and the angst on the social network of the effect on the more junior sides. We agreed obviously a selection problem within the club rather than the demise of junior cricket as described by pundits on that media.

The criticism of the Bowl Out in the Irish Senior Cup by Alastair Bushe amongst others is well made and I would strongly support moves to have it removed from the NCU Cup competitions as well. These matches should be determined on the pitch and not in Duckworth Lewis contrived permutations or skittles style lotteries and hopefully clubs like Waringstown will make proposals to have the rules changed. And hopefully they will be supported.