Forum

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

The Annual General Meeting of NIACUS was held on Thursday 11th October 2012 and the following Officers were elected for 2012/2013

President Peter Lunney
Chairman Alan Neill
Vice Chairman Louis Arneill
Secretary Jonathan Lyttle
Treasurer Michael Ross
Appointments Secretary Ian Houston
Executive Committee
Noel McCarey
Kevin McConville
Alex Adams
Jonathan Kennedy

Disclaimer:

The following short story, although based on a true an actual event, bears no resemblance to any person or persons named therein. Any such person'(s) of a like minded name is an occurrence of pure chance and coincidence and the author (me), will bear no responsibility, blame or feel any remorse, if such a person'(s) take offence, huff or whatever is their inclination !

The Three Amoebas

There grew three amoebas neath a stone, down at Vic’s Cricket Club
And you could tell by the look of them, they were fond of their grub
Rare strains, scientifically coded as Shane Mullet, big Hank and bobby Mac England lovers only, but say cricket Ireland and your health they'd attack
So it came round, England drew Ireland at the 2011 cricket world cup
The amoebas grew anxious, emitting a putrefying stink and a ‘tut tut’
All because England play test cricket, Ireland an associate nation
And dare the mother land lose, it would cause upset and sensation !
But cricket's a funny old game, quite often it will throw up a twist
And England got hammered by a country they said, didn't exist!
Ireland’s Kevin O'Brien bate the pommes all around and over the place
As the amoebas went berserk, turning first green then red of the face.
Vic knew how to eliminate such germs, like those found down an old loo.
How could he put up with the stench, if England didn't get through?
So he told them dumb asshole amoebas, some silly old spake
That Paul Collingwood was feeding the ducks, down by the Lake.
Off they slithered down to the water's edge, oh so quick!
To see who could get first to the Englishman's bum, for a lick
So when all three had gathered together, he knew that he'd got’em
Shoving them into the water were they sank straight to the bottom.
Now despite what they think, the rest of us know all too well
The amoeba's a simple life form, with only one brain cell
It will live very happily far beneath, on the base of a pond
With its good friends the bacteria, leeches, toad and frog spawn
So don't worry yourself, about the amoeba times three
They say that pond life, enjoys its own company
Down by the lake their voices can still be heard
Still blabbing away about the bizarre and absurd
So feel free to wade into the water and on top of them release..
..an enormous ‘king Henry the third’ !

By Caleb Kirkpatrick Boomer

Just to remind all members of NIACUS that our Annual General Meeting will take place on Thursday 11th October 2012 at 7.30pm at Stormont. All members are encouraged to attend.

I would like to make the most sincere apologies to clubs who were offended in any way by by recent comments on the forum. They were personal views and not from any other body. I must make a huge apology to the members of my club who I let down and who have placed great trust in me. As mentioned in my previous message I am simply moving on and would ask my club to accept my apologies and wipe the slate clean. They have been great to me and as a scorer you can be blessed with a club who appreciate your work and committment to everything. I have every respect for the senior members of the club and hope that they can support me again.

William Porterfield and Gary Wilson start their Big Charity Cycle Ride on Tuesday from Cork and will travel via Kilkenny, Malahide, Armagh, Derry/Londonderry and finally to Belfast where the Lord Mayor will meet and greet them late on Saturday afternoon. The initiative will be in memory of Gary's mum Iris who passed away earlier this year and proceeds will go to Cancer Research. Iris was a wonderful person whose life touched many people and many cricketers so I would ask everyone to support a worthy effort for a very worthy cause.
Donations can now be made at www.justgiving.com/Gary-Wilson14 or text the donation to 70070 with the code CRIC50 and the amount you wish to give. More information can be received at www.welivecricket.com/bigbikeride
The charity drive will climax at a gala dinner at Belfast Europa on Saturday night (October 13) and anyone who would like to attend should contact Gary on gcw75@msn.com
It promises to be a great evening with a bevy of superb one-off auction items. Auction bids can also be made from those not attending the dinner.
Let's support two of our best cricketers in their endeavours for a really good cause.