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Dear all

RE - coach education

Just to let you know of a few spaces still available on the Cricket Coach Education course below.

You do not have to have previously taken a Level 1 qualification to be available for this course.

This is a good opportunity for you or your club / school to progress coaching knowledge.

Also note - slight date changes from what was previously published on NCU and Cricket Ireland site

Certificate for Coaching Children ( replacing old level 2 )

Week 1 - 23rd Nov
Week 2 - 7th Dec
Week 3 - probably a Saturday in January
Week 4 - 22nd March.

All sessions are 0930-1630 at University of Ulster, Jordanstown

You must be 17 or over on the first day to attend this course.
Cost = £200

If interested - please contact Stephen Moreton on stephen.moreton@cricketireland.ie
For more info use the link below
http://www.northerncricketunion.org/database/2013/news/articles/article342.shtml

The pros and cons of an 8 team Premier League.

Under pressure from ICU the NCU voted in an 8 team Premier League. Its merits are clear-
1.Generally the best players play for Premier league sides.
2. The fixtures are best v. best.
3. It assists with selection for representative teams.

The negatives are-
1.Good players with ambition to play at a higher level feel they must play in the Premier League and leave their home clubs.
2. We have seen players leave clubs that to me were always top clubs e.g. Downpatrick, Muckamore, Carrick, Derriaghy, Woodvale, Lurgan, Bangor and Holywood.
3.Clubs like the ones mentioned above must be deflated by losing players and the fact that only one club can be promoted.
4. Do these clubs continue to aspire to gain promotion or do they see themselves as whipping boys in the top league.

How can we best address some of these problems??

Very much Staffy!
Many years ago the NCU 'lost' another straight-talking Lurgan visionary and local cricket was all the poorer for it. There is nothing more stimulating and invigorating as debate and nothing more lethargic than its absence. The NCU AGM used to be a platform for healthy discussion but sadly it's powder-puff stuff and routine these days.
Well-oiled or hard-boiled-you tell us?

Congratulations to Mark Hawthorne on his appointment to the T20 qualifiers - and to Ian Ramage from Scotland who would be well-known to many on this side of the North Channel. Just thinking that in our current cold climate that somebody has to do it!

Lurgan's 3 overseas cricketers?

Charlie may have been from overseas but you are very kind to call him a cricketer! Would be like calling Bunter an athlete.

Re: NCU AGM

Clarence
Surely you are not missing me?

c'mon Simon don't leave us hanging on! These aul' dark days are long enough in Buckna with only Flossie and the wet battery wireless for company!

Bothwell Vennard! Now there was a character. I remember George McKillen, I think. Dapper man, wore a tie, smoked (not the tie), glasses and well spoken. Some great scorers right enough. I remember when my dad first took me to the cricket at Bangor that a Mr Glass was the scorer (father of Stanley Glass, I think, if anyone remembers him). He seemed about 80 and his hands shook. How he completed the book I don't know. Will tell a story about Bothwell when it's a more sensible hour.

You got that right Andy. His catchphrase was "G and T please." Caught me for a tenner at the Clontarf bar many years ago but on reflection is was a small price to pay for the many laughs and the craic he provided. Scorers in the old days were characters. Dick Shaw at Lisburn was great for old stories, Pat at Ormeau was a legend and Mr Vennard at Laurelvale was another story.
Jackie Neil and John Patton just lovely people. Great memories.

the tribute to J.R. Crothers carried a picture of the Instonians team and on reflecting on "characters" there are quite a few on that team but none greater than the scorer wee George McKillen - now there was a guy responsible for some lengthy "apres-matches" at Shane Park!!

Freddie, there are still a lot of good players about the 'dee and one of the best away grounds (for hospitality off the pitch if not the "enjoyment" I have had far too often on the field lol), just keep working and it can be amazing how quickly things can turn round for the better.
All the best for next season (and hopefully we will manage to stay up and renew aquaintances in 2015 in section 2), and maybe a beer or two down by the harbour.

Bumper, I thought you had to be an all rounder to play in single wicket comps. Sad to hear about Donaghadee,s struggles in recent times but rest assured lots of clubs are in a similar state. Loved playing at the Dee in the 70s, I was playing against the Dee 1sts in 1977, batting with the great Rivelino Shields and witnessed for the only time a batsman being given out obstructing the field,Don Shields swotting the ball tennis like when he was ten yards short of his ground from an incoming throw,absolutely priceless moment,still vividly remember Rivelino with his long hair jumping to divert the ball,what a character he was, sadly not too many characters left in the game.

Trevor Sailes(RIP) certainly was a character, as a young lad playing on the same team he certainly was a competitor, That stare he would give if you dropped a catch of him, needless to say it kept us on our toes, Great memories of keeping wicket to him bowling 20 overs from one end.

Yesteryear at donaghadee.
As a youngster I recall being asked to play in a single wicket competition in the early 70s.
I drew Ronnie Elliot in the first round and was out third ball for a duck. The locals thanked me for coming down and informed me the next bus to Belfast was in 5 minutes time.
However I clean bowled him first ball and managed to reach the final where I met a true legend Stanley Hewitt. Needless to say I finished runner-up.
The prize money went into a kitty and beer and fish suppers were taken at the front beside the paddling pool.
The night ended with Sailor removing his shoes and socks and dumping a young D/dee player into the pool. He only asked 'How come you didn't make the final Sailor!! HAPPY DAYS!

to throw a few more names into Bob's mix - Alastair Kyle, big Ivan Reid & I always remember a two-nighter played to the sound of Francis Porter on an air-horn!! Things were always quiet when Sailor was about whether on the cricket or rugby field! On reflection I wonder why there are no larger than life characters in the game now. Certainly no-one comes immediately to mind when I think of the likes of Messrs. Marno, Robbie Harrison, Rex Gilliland, Billy Kirk,F.S. Hewitt, Ed Tormey et.al. to name but a few - not forgetting the gentleman from Holywood who recently discovered this forum! now there's a topic to keep us going in the dark days up to Christmas!

Some memory Simon, Rashid Israr is correct, very good batsman, maybe like a lot of the pros too good for this standard of cricket. The previos Dee pro was a more exciting cricketer, Herbie Chang, little left handed West Indian Batsmen, We did have our fair share of good players, Ronnie Elliott, Tommy Hamilton, Trevor Sailes, pity they still werent involved with the Dee