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UB Account holder
Typo mistake on the population. If you did the calculation you would have worked that out although you aren't too good at working things out reading your comments. You are a sad person with a chip on the shoulder. Are you an ex NCU man perhaps? Maybe a website S*** stirrer with your own agenda? I replied to your postings for a laugh and I've been laughing ever since.
If pigs can write they can fly!

The Dawn of a New Cricket Season

As the cricket season draweth near, the winter doldrums fast do disappear
Players and officials most revere, search for crumpled whites and dusty gear
The great fraternity from hibernation reappear, an awakening bear, stern and austere
Then imbue each other’s speculative ear, with various conundrums, intended sincere
Their curiosity doth blend and cohere, as prophets gazing into a crystal sphere
Before a ball is bowled cavalier, or struck back eagerly without fear!

Will the sun from a blue background adhere, to shine warm, bright and clear?
Which team will lift the cup in cheer, or sit proudly atop the summit of the premier?
What bowler and which batsman will domineer, to top the averages for this year?
Long into the night shall they persevere, about the game all do endear
From common man to noble peer, the answers all must wait, patiently to hear
As no mortal human mere, can ever hope to interfere,
With father time, as he rows a pearly craft of rich veneer, unceasingly forward, at an always, steady steer
....The Celestial Gondolier!

By Caleb Kirkpatrick Boomer

Re UB Strange

I must have a couple of pints of what you are on.......I will then see all the thousands of players and supporters at NCU matches in future.
I presume the matches will managed by PAID administrators with full time PAID groundstaff,umpires and scorers.
Hope the matches can be fitted in between end of winter sports season and the following pre season matches otherwise the television sports programmes and newspapers won`t have enough resources to cover and report on them all.....I`m sure soccer,rugby,gaelic will take a backseat anyway.

New cricket clubs will be springing up everywhere with no inherent sign or human behavioural attitudes of pomposity,arrogance and with respect to other clubs by not suggesting that they should consider themselves as feeder clubs for the cricketing gods in Norn Ireland.[population 1.7892256 million of which 0.1% play cricket]

AND PIGS WILL FLY

AND

Re UB Strange

I don`t think you should in this instance equate acceptable human behaviour with a "greater than thou" attitude which contains elements of pomposity,arrogance and which may insult "feeder clubs" who have been in existance for decades and even over 100 years within their communities. Remember that in the world of cricket WE ARE VERY VERY SMALL FISH irrespective of what league we play in within the NCU.

Clubs BUYING umpires from other clubs doesn`t solve the overall problem of umpire shortage, SO IT DOES MATTER WHERE THEY COME FROM if the "feeder clubs" get fed up doing all the work developing people without getting the benefit.

I doubt if England/West Indies will be regular visitors and when they do visit it will be to the Malahide development for the forseeable future.

Re Playing Numbers..... just check the number of current clubs against 40 years ago......I seem to remember clubs at Queens,YMCA,North or Civil Service,Collegians or Cooke,Shorts,ICI,IEL,Crossgar,POSC to name but a few. How many new clubs have there been in that period?.

I think you will find that only 0.1% of the population play the game NOT 1.0% as you state.

Re Advertising/Marketing, compare the coverage of the JUNIOR FOOTBALL with Senior cricket in provincial press,eg 12 page pull out EVERY Monday in the Belfast Telegraph covering leagues from lakes of Fermanagh to Scrabo Tower not to mention Seenior football coverage.......LOCAL cricket coverage on TV/radio ??????.

I am still looking for ALL these paid groundsmen/administrators at local clubs.......perhaps you could let me know where they are at our 37 clubs.

Sports Quiz
In aid of the Lords Tavs Fund NI commencing 8pm on Fri 29th March at NDCC,Castle Lane, Comber.
Teams £10 entry.Please support this great cause. Email for details if required.

Regarding the shortage of umpires I can't help thinking that everyone is missing the main point - and that is that people can simply no longer commit the time required to participate in the game. This is the main reason why the number of senior cricketers is rapidly declining and I would imagine that the same applies to umpires. Given that a 50 over match can last 7 hours, and that teams try to turn up an hour before the game and may stay for a drink after, and depending on geography could have a possible 120 mile round trip players and umpires alike can be looking at a 10 hour day. Society has changed in the last 20 years and it is no longer the norm for someone with a family to work 5 days a week and then head off all day Saturday as well as some Sundays and games during the week. So the reason that players are no longer going in to umpiring is that the very reason they have stopped playing in the first place is because of other priorities at home and work. Until a situation is reached were players and umpires are no longer required to dedicate so much of their time to what is essentially a hobby then the drain of players and umpires is set to continue.

"I assume by "big" clubs Davy you mean wealthy?
And is this a no-win situation for certain clubs - put down for not supplying umpires and put down for providing a potential solution?
Yours are valid points but don't offer any alternative solutions..."

No, by big clubs I dont necessarily mean wealthy clubs, there are big clubs with large memberships that provide very few umpires, there are also small clubs that have provided two or three umpires at least, as well as very good umpires that never to the best of my knowledge played the game at a competitive level.
I dont offer any solution as I am not sure what the solutions are, but making players pay more at all levels of the game for something they will never (or seldom see) is the way to drive people away from the game, not encourage them to start.
As to docking points off a club that does not provide an umpire, what happens then if an umpire qualifies with a club, but then because the club he played for does not have a youth structure, they register with a different club to play with their children? who gets points and who gets points deducted? or is a club has two qualified umpires that are unavailable one weekend in the season, do the club get deducted points for that weekends fixtures, but awarded double for the days when they have two members standing?
I can think of four or five former players that would make excellent umpires and would already know all the LAWS of the game, though would obviously need brushing up on the by-laws and rules of the different competitions, and if approached, might be willing to stand in the shortened version of the Senior League implemented this year in Section 3 (or whatever it is now called).
Perhaps the 35 over games will encourage former players to take up the white coat and get experience in umpiring, and then we can have 35 over games from the premier league right down.

Just wanted to come in on the umpire debate. I do believe financial reimbursement is essential to attract umpires to the sport, as Ivan has said football referees are well rewarded for 2/3 hours work on a Saturday afternoon. Asking an individual who is working full time during the week to give up a Saturday or Sunday ‘for the love of the game’ and no fee is not feasible now and is unlikely to be again. I completed the Level 1 umpire course 2 years ago and have yet to officially umpire a senior NCU match as I am still an active player.

Though some clubs may have the means to fund additional umpire fees many do not and from experience it is not as easy to raise funds for those smaller clubs as has been suggested and any increase in financial pressures is likely to force many clubs to fold. It is not feasible therefore to ask clubs to increase contributions and the NCU must actively seek additional outside funding or look to cut costs elsewhere.

The NIACUS could help in attracting umpires or encouraging those who are umpires to play a more active part in local cricket. There is no easily accessible information on umpire reimbursement either through a match fee or travel to matches. The NIACUS should also provide development opportunities for umpires explaining how they can progress through the levels if they wish – seeing a bigger end reward from taking up umpiring early may attract younger members to get involved in umpiring.

Over recent years the job of the umpires has become more difficult with new formats of the game and also an increased intensity of the games placing more pressure on umpires. You never want to see the senior leagues reverting to the umpiring structure in the junior leagues as that is farcical but unless umpires can be attracted there may be no alternative as the NCU is not big enough to be contracting umpires from outside of NI for what would be inflated fees.

I would intend to umpire some senior matches this season but after paying a subscription to my club I would require a reason to choose to umpire over playing or supporting my club at my leisure.

Easy solution to shortage of umpires one umpire per game none sent if clubs dont have any of their members who are not a member of niacus or have not put anybody forward who is willing to help out then they will find out what its like playing with no umpires where clubs cheat every week I know I play in junior 1 and it is blatant

Good to see common sense for UB - I have been saying (and posting) that our local cricket at the top level is a step away from village green cricket (not exactly the Champions League!) and yet we tinker about with changes in the regulations. My view is that the introduction of power plays meant absolutely nothing last season - unless someone can suggest that teams were able to utilise them to advantage. The "cash for play" scenario has plagued the NWCU for many years and Limavady isn't the first club to feel the draught. Perhaps the message will eventually reach the NCU and clubs will start to spend a bit of money in their infrastructure - can think of at least one Premier side that could invest in a set of proper sightscreens! And don't get me started on changing facilities!!

I would be keen to hear any views on why a cricket type person might decide not to become an umpire.
Why and what puts them off?

Jonathon, with respect maybe it's you that's missing the point. What more can club's do? Seven people at the latest course that's been promoted to every club, it's been on every website as well. The truth is that in 2013 spending ten hours out of the house on a Saturday to umpire a game of cricket is not an exciting option. Offering a reasonable fee might just get another twenty guys. ( and £100 for what is a ten hour day isn't that exciting ). I don't think all umpires have in the past come from ex players and maybe by offering a proper match fee we could attract others to take up umpiring. The money will just have to be found unless someone has a better way but doing nothing is not an option.
Maybe a small help would be if when Senior clubs have no game should they be out of the cups or what ever that Professionals are tasked with umpiring .

Quite interesting to read debate on fees but you all miss the key point. Where is the finance coming from? Many clubs are struggling and yes there are some who can splash the cash on players but that is a beauty contest as winning the Premier League means nothing in most parts of this province. When CIYMS won the league last year was it the main talking point in Casement Park or better still Windsor Park? Cricket is a sport that has relied on former players stepping into the breach and wearing the white coat. It is the clubs who must take action here. They want to improve and push for excellence but are unwilling to assist. Our Course being run by our excellent Training Officer Keith Smith has 7 people studying for Level 1. To fill our gaps for 2013 this number is totally inadequate. So we need action not words. I admire those who go out each Saturday and do the job for a small fee compared to other sports but we want the right people to take up the role. Money should not be the number one incentive to go out there. The ball is firmly in the clubs court and they must wake up as they are sleepwalking to a place where matches will be decided by individuals who have little or no knowledge of laws and bye laws that change frequently and this will ruin the game that we all love so much.

You got a few monkeys off your back there UB account Holder. Despite some of the rants you also made sense on a few or did you?
1 Feeder clubs - it's been happening for years.
2 Greater than thou environment - again happening for years in all sports, schools, universities, jobs and life in general. Its called human behaviour.
3 Buying umpires - does it matter where they come from? If we don't get them from somewhere we are buried.
4 1% of 1.789 million (2010) = 1,789. But if we can get thousands to watch England/West indies etc there must be cricket players and supporters out there five times that figure.
5 Not increased in 40 years - nonsense! state your source of fact.
6 Paid administrators and groundsmen - they are everywhere.
7 Competition with bigger sports - cricket is a big summer sport. It doesn't really compete with the bigger winter sports. It competes with Saturday afternoon shopping, holidays, TV sport and golf.
8 Sponsors get their name promoted and associated with a clean sporting image. They support the community and they get tax relief in their accounts.
9 NCU Marketing - you may have a point there! What is their strategy?

RE - Ulster Bank Account Holder

At last some common sense and reality

0.1% is it even as high as that ?
Therein lies your problem...!

When we all finally come to terms with that, maybe we can move on

I have to say I have never been closer to saying "enoughs - enough" and walking away

Maybe the "minows" should form a breakaway league and get back to basics.

That would certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons...!