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I've noted over the last couple of matches I was involved in as a player, a little ambiguity still prevalent within the lower junior leagues over the age old chestnut, when to call 'no-ball' of a slow bowler if the batsman receives a deliver on the full which is either..

1/ Waste height or above or
2/ Shoulder height or above,

Here is the current ruling :

Slow Bowler:

No ball when high full toss above shoulder height

Fast Bowler:

No ball above waist height and a warning.

I appreciate that some bowlers can and do bowl quite quickly of a short run up and others push the ball through at a more mediocre pace of a longer run up but if you find yourself officiating and are called upon to make a decision accordingly, use where the wicket/keeper is standing to receive the ball as a guide!

Many thanks and I hope this helps clear up any uncertainy for those unsure!

All's well that ends well.
We understand Pat Fisher has received his Irish passport.
Matter closed.
Good luck for the rest of the season Patrick.

Many thanks to Clarence on his article on Alfie Linehan. A true gentleman of the sport who has always had time for anyone, young or old. Always with Mary by his side.
I remember in 1991 when the Linehans and their good friends Cecil and Sylvia Walker were in Sydney for an Ashes Test and got to meet the legendary English fast bowler Harold Larwood at his home. Cecil that evening bought dinner for everybody as he said that he never thought he would meet his childhood hero. Harold recounted stories from "Bodyline" and his treatment by the English selectors after that tour as well as showing them the ashtray given to him by England Captain Douglas Jardine. Great memories for all!

You got that right Billy! World wars were fought on the principle of free speech and democracy, so allowing everyone a soapbox on the forum isn't asking too much.
Have to say I wasn't aware that some clubs don't allow their members to post on websites. If that's true it doesn't say much for the people who blindly accept such a dictatorial directive. I think clubs, committees, unions and individuals should use the forum as an honest platform for communication, debate and discussion. What tends to damage the medium is the personal stuff which we have tried to eliminate as much as possible without censoring an honest opinion. Unfortunately some people don't want to use their own name because some readers dwell too much on the messenger and not the message. I've always admired the person who says what they think and puts their name to it.

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY CRICKET CLUB – REUNION DINNER

Did you play cricket at Queen’s in the years up to 1974 when the club was in the top Section of the NCU Senior League? If so, then the ‘Big Reunion’ is for you! Taking place on Friday 20th June at 7.30pm in the Canada Room in Queen’s main Lanyon Building, it promises to be an unforgettable evening of memories, friendship and the chance to catch up with former team-mates with whom you may have lost touch. If you are interested, event organisers Tim English englishtim40@yahoo.co.uk or Murray Power emp@murraypower.plus.com would love to hear from you by email.

Andy - to paraphrase Voltaire - I might not like what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it, besides if you and a couple of other old faithfulls stop posting, Clarence might as well shut the forum down!

I would remind Mr. Ramsey that the said player had already played in the NCU Premier League for CSNI in previous seasons - hardly someone who doesn't know one end of a bat from another. Further, the level at which I umpire has no bearing on my right to express PERSONAL views. I am also aware that some clubs have placed an embargo on any of their members commenting on this or the CI forum. Are you suggesting that there is no right of free speech? Further, I don't believe there is such an entity as a "Premier umpire". We go to whereever our extremely hard-working appointments secretary sends us. I'm due to be at Saintfield & Cliftonville this weekend - neither of whom were in the Premier league the last time I looked! But what has that to do with my right to comment? As I stated in my earlier post I thought that I had seen an anomaly in the action of the NCU and I commented accordingly. I am now aware that the Newsletter report contained inaccuracies that I'm sure will be corrected but I'll not hold my breath.

Re Andy Kennedy

What part of the following NCU Registration Guidance does Mr Fisher qualify for Ireland under?

(i)demonstatrate (by possession of Irish passport)that they are an Irish National
(ii)were born in Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland
(iii)have resided in Ireland for a minimum of 183 days in each of the immediately preceding four years

NCU are correct so end of story - perhaps Muckamore should have done more homework into their winter signings instead of just taking anyone who could hold a cricket bat and claimed to be Irish.

As for you you are a Premier League umpire so you shouldnt be commenting on this or any other topic on this forum.

MEA CULPA. My earlier posting was based on the information as published in the Newsletter and I was querying how the situation had changed that action appeared to be taken so arbitrarily. I am not on the "inside track" of decision-making at Muckamore. I have since been appraised of ALL the facts and I accept that the story in the Newsletter did not give a proper perspective of the events. As I said earlier "mea culpa"

Andy if Ossie said that he wasn't living in the real world. It's a bit like a suggestion someone made to me a few years ago to tear up the rule book and let the captains play their own games.
Can you imagine the chaos?
I see Neale has made a balanced reply but perhaps the NCU should make an official statement as I suspect all the facts have not been released.

Re: Andy Kennedy
I'm amazed that an Umpire of your standing can take such casual regards to Rules and Regulations.
I fear you have extended the premise 'If in the opinion of the umpire....' beyond its usual boundary and are now applying it as you see fit.

I give you credit for suggesting you understand the current registration situation with Muckamore has something to do with the player previously being considered a 'local player'.
I understand this is indeed the case, him being here in the past I believe as a teacher and not a cricketer.
Regarding the NCU Rules, Ossie and yourself choose to ignore that most Rules have been brought in to stop 'sharp practice' by Clubs and a read while waiting for the rain to stop would benefit most of us.

An Infant-teacher friend once told me how she challenged a pupil who had an 'accident' as to how this had happened:
"It wasn't me Miss, a bad boy did it in my trousers and ran away!"
Probably as believable in most circumstances as, "It's in the post!"

RE: ANDY KENNEDY - PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

Andy, if I understand your post correctly, you are advocating that the NCU should have allowed a currently ineligible player to play in an official NCU match? Your comment:-
"Common sense would suggest that the notification could have been held until after the weekend".
Really? Say he had played and Muckamore won - would you support the opposition's appeal on the basis of an inelgible player playing in the match?
Further - what of the NCU? We get criticised for actually applying the regulations, I find if hard to imagine we would be applauded for not applying them.
It does not matter a jot when a club is informed of an ineligible player. It is up to the club to ensure eligibility not the NCU. In this instance there was no other option and to criticise (even impliedly) those who took the decision is unjusitifed.

Interesting timing for Muckamore to be advised of a player's eligibility - less than 24 hours before the start of a match - if the facts as per today's Newsletter are correct and I quote "it appears that the NCU had little alternative but to act. Fisher was granted permission to play at the start of the season..." Strange timing indeed. Common sense would suggest that the notification could have been held until after the weekend - especially since the same guy played for CSNI in the NCU Premier League a couple of seasons ago. As his mother came from Templepatrick was he previously regarded as a "local player"? I always remember a trenchant comment from Ossie Bailie many years ago - "the mission statement in the NCU handbook is to promote cricket and every rule in the book militates against that!"

I have been playing senior cricket at one club for over two decades now and the majority of those seasons have been spent playing in the 'top flight' of NCU cricket. It's for this reason that I mainly refer to the premier league in this posting.

I pose a number of questions, some which require an answer and others which are perhaps rhetorical.

It is excellent to see the enthusiasm of the powers that be in Irish and NCU cricket that have reintroduced the Inter-provincial tournaments and are striving for test match cricket. The work that they have done is excellent and they should be applauded for it. Despite this, I still feel that there are major issues within NCU cricket that are not being addressed or worse still, have not been noticed.

Check the scorecards of the 8 NCU Premier League teams in the Sunday Life any weekend. There should be 88 PL players. Physically put a line through the overseas players, the unofficial overseas players i.e. Irish passport holders, the North West players, the Leinster players and any other players who did not come through the NCU club or school system. How many NCU prospects under the age of 26 are there? Is the standard of cricket in the NCU as strong as we like to believe? If not then what can be done to improve it?

I would like to see an interesting tweak to the NCU T20 competition for next season..... Each team is allowed two players over the age of 27 and one overseas player or unofficial overseas player with an Irish passport. The remaining 8 players should be local NCU cricketers aged 26 or younger. Could your club get a competent team onto the pitch? Could they even get a team out at all?

I realise that this tweak is unlikely to happen as it's supposed to be a showpiece which has attracted good sponsorship but the reality has been and still is that a number of PL clubs struggle to get a full team on the pitch for midweek T20 matches. Surely we should be more concerned about developing local cricketers rather than worrying about the sponsors who in reality would probably still continue to support the competition.

I'm not so sure we are as strong as we think we are. If we achieve our goal of playing test match cricket in 2018 will there be any NCU cricketers on that first team sheet.

It is vital that the ICU and the NCU do not ignore the junior leagues and schools' cricket. They are extremely important to the strength and depth of NCU cricket in the years to come.

I hope my observations are wrong and I am interested in other opinions. I would prefer this to be an unbiased debate, therefore I have not included my name or club for the very simple reason, this is not about me or my club but about the game at all levels that we love.

Things in NCU cricket may change but one thing has remained constant - the superb teas at Lisburn! A big thank you to the ladies concerned