Forum

G Mullin:

Greg, Mr Boomer is fine, but Sir, has a much better ring to it ! Don't you think?

Mr Boomer [can i call you mister] all this stuff your putting on here is old , have you nothing new ??? maybe you need to come out of retirement and play a few matches so you can get some new material or dare i say it don't touch that BUTTON !!!!!!

Felt I had to come on and share a memory about the Legend that is/was Dessie Kane.
The scene was Woodvale and it was a 2-nighter v Waringstown.
Woodvale batting and Bertie Magill having quite a degree of success from the Bowling Green end.
Seated or more correctly sprawled on the bank close to the end of his run up was Dessie and his Ballymena playing buddy of the time Brian Stirling sharing the contents of a 'Brown Bag' between them.
Late on as Bertie arrived to start what was probably his 20th over of the night Dessie greeted him with, "You always were a good bowler Bertie!"
As Bertie acknowledged the compliment with a raised hand Dessie quickly added more loudly, "In the DARK!!"
To quote the words so often repeated by our current FIFA Vice-President:
"Well bowled Dessie Kane!"

Stevie Max:

Perhaps if/when the PSNI C.C. get their act together and get going again next season, you may get your opportunity on the field of play to exact revenge, 'long runs the fox' and all that !

G Mullin:

Fair enough Greg, suppose I deserved that, but I wouldn't push to far if I were you, remember there's still an awful lot more rare old tales hidden away in cyber-space that can be retrieved at the touch of a button

Most of which concerned yourself, if memory serves me right !

And while I'm here, may I also congratulate Arthur Bowron on his award from the NCU for his services to T/patricket C.C. and cricket in general.

'Richly deserved indeed Arthur, keep up the great work'!

it is with real sadness that JeAn & I learn of the death of Dessie Kane - one of the REAL characters of his era.

some good points mr maguire what about all 1sts games 50ovs junior 1/2/3 40 junior 4/5/6 35 junior 7/8/9 30 and if it looks like rain or is damp rain on its way reduce straight away instead of waiting for hours more people will want to play it will be more enjoyable for old and young make it easier for captains

Congratulations to Arthur Bowron on gaining your much deserved recognition. One of the unsung heroes at Templepatrick cc. No real surprise in their continuing growth with hard working men like Arthur and Andy.

Well done.

Caleb,
I like your style. Maybe, when you're at it, you could have a wee word with Sir Ronnie about the 'minor offence ticket' I think is in the post for me from last Saturday. All I was doing was getting down to the meadow to do some some needed work and his mates though my right foot was rather too heavy..

Our club just had its annual awards dinner and a very enjoyable night was had by all, it reminded of a few years ago when at our dinner we had a draw/ballot and a certain guy won a prize 'a large sailing boat' which brought a big cheesey grin to the face of the prize winner only to be told it wasn't a ballot prize but was part of fittings of the establistment/restaurent in which dinner was taking place and with the owners quickly claimed it back the prize winners face quickly turned into a 'Lurgan Spade ' or was it a 'Moira Shovel'

This is my personal opinion on what might work , 40 over league cricket below the premier no power plays and 1 re arrangment both clubs have 6 weeks to play it until august then 22 days after aug id also like see few 2 night 40 games start 630 latest (means less practice nights)and lot less sunday games as family life is being ruined by sat/sun double headers , if it was 40 over the teams would still score close same totals.I played 40 years but it near impossible with the ammount of games league and cup and sat /sun for players maintain relationships and keep enjoying the game we all love . My ideas is try it for 1 year then let clubs decide if they want remain at 40 or revert back 50 overs. Think we need to try it as theirs no way i would have played 40 years under the amount of committment that is required now.As i say its only few of my ideas

Have just thought of the cure to people not wanting to play a full game of cricket.
Start all games at 3pm, side batting first get to bat for 45 minutes, then a bell goes the pavilion, finish that over. Take a 15 minute break to have a drink, then side batting second bats for 45 minutes. All over for 5 o'clock.

Should work OK for all, though I will be sunbathing somewhere along the north coast.

I hope Sir Ronnie remembered to have a few words in the ear of some PSNI big cheeses at HQ's, when he was over doing his bit for local cricket.

As I have previously spoken about, much more prudent to put 11 men, (and/or women) out on a Saturday afternoon to play some cricket with the rest of us and show the public a bit of community spirit and 'normality' (which they seem to praise themselves for?) Rather than worry too much about how many paltry minor offence tickets they can shell out between themselves !

Although encouraging to see the NCU development directorate addressing the withdrawals of both the PSNI & Clogher cricket clubs from senior 3 this season, hope they can encourage both clubs to get back next year.

( Maybe Sir Ronnie will pitch in too )

Re-NCU Dinner
Further to our last mail the Ulster Cricketer wishes to apologize unreservedly for any personal offence caused by recent emails regarding the NCU dinner. In particular the comments made about Robin Walsh were not those of the Ulster Cricketer and we apologize to him if that was inferred. Robin's integrity and professionalism are of the highest order.

Re - NCU Annual Dinner
We have received a number of postings on the recent NCU dinner and wish to clarify and explain why some postings have been withdrawn and others not been shown.
Where the postings are personal criticisms and anonymous we will not publish. That said, we respect everyone’s right to comment but please keep the comments general. For everyone’s information and in general terms, virtually all the emails have been critical of the speakers, some comments made about the CI club, the general administration of the night, poor sportsmanship and respect shown to trophy winners - both club and individuals, and delays and mistakes made from the platform. This is as diplomatic as we can be because some of the comments have been very caustic and personal.
We have no problem airing general comments either good or bad.

Clarence Hiles
Peter Shields

MY FINEST HOUR

It’s with the fondest of regards,
I return to heady days,
played out between 22 yards
on a green and pleasant field
First I shall refer, to a final, I played with flare
Like King Arthur with Excalibur
My bat I did courageously wield.
From the bowlers I pillaged and plundered,
until they were well and truly scundered
As against me, their resolve did totally yeild
And later in scenes of tumult and rapture
I raised up my arduous capture
Of that much coveted, silver shield.

Or from a recess in my mind,
Thoughts aplenty, return in kind
Of an unforgettable game sublime,
Being not the sort of man,
To bury his head in the sand,
Like an ostrich who can’t understand
As the skipper in his dire need,
Threw the ball to me at great speed
To take matters firmly in hand
First, I got one to dart from a rough patch
Snaffling up the returning catch,
Then duly bagged the last five in a batch
The victory from jaw of defeat, I did snatch
To win a most enthralling, engaging
And highly unlikely cricket match!

Now long in this bliss,
have I spoke of my reminisce
Of my memories, nostalgia and fun
Though my finest hour
The greatest by far,
The emotion I felt
Causing my heart to melt
That feeling of elation, joy and sensation
Better than anything else I have done
Was today, as I walked out for the first time
A proud father to play cricket with my son.

By Caleb Kirkpatrick Boomer