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george

home

15th Aug 2013

Has anybody more photos of the junior cup final

Andy McCrea

Ballyclare

15th Aug 2013

RE Belfast Under 14s

Well done to all involved.

What is the current criteria to become a Belfast player and how was this team selected and what was the nomination process
As a club and school coach no information came my way.

Andy

Mark Butters

Australia

13th Aug 2013

The standard pretty good with several clubs having professionals that play 2nd eleven cricket with County teams. Those players certainly didn't dominate the competition and I think they would say their time here was great for their development.

Mark Butters

Australia

13th Aug 2013

Hey guys,

A mate of mine, Phil McCormick put me onto this forum. My name is Mark Butters and I coach St. Patricks C.C in Albury, NSW, Australia. We are trying to recruit an overseas player for the up coming season. I played a season two years ago for Holywood and we would love to give a young Ulster cricketer an opportunity to live and play cricket in Australia. We would love a batsmen that can bowl some spin but are open to all applicants. We can offer flights, accommodation and work. This would suit an 18 to 25 year old that is looking to experience cricket and life in Australia. Please contact me for any questions at mark_butters@hotmail.com

Response

Thanks Mark - What sort of standard in relation to your time at Holywood?

Ivan Mccombe

Home

12th Aug 2013

Clarence , I agree totally about the guys getting back to watch Senior cricket . For the olde guys its a chance to have the best of both world's playing and watching and for the younger players its a chance to see the players they only see in the nets in action. To grow the sport we need to get people playing more years and with a 30 over game it can be done and dusted in 4 and a half hours the same time as a round of golf. . So start those games at 11am and see the last 20 overs of a Senior game or the recreational cricketers I described in my previous post can get back for tea.

Clarence Hiles

HQ

12th Aug 2013

Good points Davy. This is the place and the time for topics to be discussed. I think the leagues define Junior and Minor cricket and as for getting home to watch football I hope you are not suggesting irish League!!!!
However, I know some players like to get back to their club to watch the end of 1st XI games. It may not work everywhere but when all the teams return to the clubhouse there's a great atmosphere.

davy mcd VCC

Working overtime on a Saturday morning & missing cricket)

11th Aug 2013

Clarence,
Ref amount of overs in a game, all senior games 50 overs, no problem with that and i am fully supportive, but when you say 40 overs for Junior and 30 for minor games, what about when a clubs second eleven are playing another clubs fourths? is that a junior game or a minor game?
As things stand the noon enforced start for 30 & 35 overs games as per regulation H2 needs addressed as there is no need for the shortened games to be starting before 1:30 or 2pm, they would still be over for about 6. (or do we want the cricket over in time to get home to watch the 3pm football?)

Clarence Hiles

Cooking in the Kitchen

10th Aug 2013

Great work Ivan and plenty of good ideas for clubs to consider.
I particularly like the encouragement across the cultural divide and the introduction of ladies cricket. But a word of caution-watch the curry cooking in the clubhouse as the Ormeau kitchen couldn't get rid of the smell for five years after Partha Sharma's wife cooked the lunch for the 1986 Indian tourists!
Just joking-it was three years!

Clarence Hiles

Twenty20 TV armchair

10th Aug 2013

I'm not sure if the Limacol CPL matches are televised in Ireland but if so I hope some people saw Kevin O'Brien's tremendous innings of 70 for T & T Red Steel against Guyana Warriors in front of a huge Trini crowd last night. Tremendous fillip for Irish cricket and shows how good the big man is when he attacks. Red Steel won by 3 runs in a thriller.

Clarence Hiles

Wet and miserable Barbados

10th Aug 2013

During July I spoke to a number of players at all grades about the length of matches and the general feeling was 50 overs for senior cricket, 40 overs for junior cricket and 30 overs for minor cricket. If this is the opinion of teams then now is the time to make their views known as come the end of the season and AGMs they will be long gone. Can team captains ask their players what they prefer and send their findings back to the Forum? This would give us accurate and authentic feedback from the players involved not club committee decisions that may not present the true picture.
Many thanks.

Ivan McCombe

Resting

9th Aug 2013

Who said cricket is dead ? I put an article into last weeks Antrim Guardian headlined " any one for cricket " appealing to people who had never played, or played at school or had just moved in to the town to turn up at the club on Thursday night.
Seven guys turned up , four who had played at school up to 20 years ago and three guys who just fancied trying cricket. To grow cricket we need to look at those who want to play what I call recreational cricket as well of those who want to play at the highest possible level.
I intend to make further appeals and look at having a " grass roots " coach to help the newcomers. We also have a host of new players from the Indian community who are holding a seven team tournament at Moylena on Thursday 15th ..I have never seen so much activity in over forty years at Muckamore.,We will be entering a 5ths next season and with the numbers at our boys night a 6ths team could be a possibility next season. We also will enter a second team in the Midweek League and plan to have a Ladies team.
None of this happens without a lot of hard work and marketing cricket as a great sport not only to play but from a social and community perspective .,My next plan is to get posters up in the local schools, leisure centres, rugby clubs, GAA clubs asking " anyone for cricket ? ". If every club did the same then the spin offs would be tremendous .

andy kennedy

bar-b-q time in Buckna

9th Aug 2013

Hi Ivan - for those who don't do twitter or tweet (was that not a canary in a cartoon?!) do tell!!

C Boomer

Home, looking for an idea for another poem !

8th Aug 2013

Ivan,

I heard about it too, absolutely scandalous indeed, what was he thinking off ? A man in his position, constantly under the public eye ?

Has Monty Panesar lost the plot ?

Peeing on the bouncers in a night-club after a night out on the raz !

What ever next, dare I even go there ?

JONATHAN LYTTLE

WARINGSTOWN SCOREBOX

8th Aug 2013

Correction to your averages

Both Lee Nelson and Greg Thompson have a batting average of 30 for this season.

Ivan McCombe

At home just up the road from Hubert

7th Aug 2013

In the week that was I am sure Michael Taylor will be having a chuckle that he should be the subject of debate on this Forum , when there are at least a couple other incidents doing the rounds on Twitter and the Sunday papers .