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Re: C.Boomer

One difference between Ireland and Sri Lanka may be that the population of this island is just over a quarter of theirs!

Maybe I am wrong, but I would also have thought that cricket is probably their national sport, rather than the fourth or fifth most popular, as it is here.

Test status is a nice idea, but the quality is not there outside the top 5 or 6 teams in each union's premier league. As Jonny said, these teams are streaking ahead from the rest.

Regardless of all that, would anyone actually go and watch test matches for five days? The attendances for the Intercontinental League games are awful.

If we had any sort of a decent cricket friendly climate, we'd not only already be a Test playing country but I'd wager a fairly handy one at that !

But don't take my word for it, I'm now looking at a world geography map on the wall above and I see Sri Lanka's land mass looks to be even smaller than our own and are you telling me they're not a fairly decent Test playing nation ?

Do they just produce better players cause they eat more currys than we do ?

No ofcourse not, they get dryer, warmer weather to play and practise the game, simple as that ! (And I don't think they're too fussed on football either)

Still, in saying all that, the sooner we get in there and competing with other test playing nations the better!

Naturally there'll be a few 'tankings' on the way, but that's no reason to shirk away from all the 'big-boys', it's time to move with the rest or we'll never get our foot off the bottom rung of the ladder !

Cause when you start off at the bottom, there's only one direction you can travel !!

Clarence my point with regards the Under 19s is the fact that we have listened to Cricket Ireland talking about being part of the big table but how can we if our Under 19s fail to impress and if our 20/20 performances are poor? Time to put test cricket to bed and concentrate on limited overs. It is how our boys are brought up and we have shown that we can spring surprises but to do this on a consistent basis would be preferable to going out against a side like South Africa and being wiped out. We also face the prospect of losing our homegrown players to England and this is a worrying concept but sport is all about results and money and if you are dazzled by the headlines and talk from the ECB you will consider putting career ahead of country.

A lot of interesting points Jonathan and a plenty to think about for promoted clubs.
I was interested in your comment about the Ireland Under 19 performance as the players, management and selectors have been lambasted on the other channel. Where did the high expectations come from given Ireland's pre-tournament rating because they did slightly better than expected albeit they struggled against the big guns many of whom are professionals. And the Scotland result should not be the benchmark as Scotland have also beaten the full Ireland team in recent times. I'm sure the same critics expect us to win the Twenty20 World Cup or was the criticism more to do with their "wee Jimmy" not getting picked?

I recall the day at Down High School - v- Downpatrick 3s (I think it was) when a certain Michael Kennedy miscounted and ended up on 98 n.o. at the end of the 50th over! When Jonny & he were wee lads I rashly promised that they would get a £100.00 note for their 1st century. Had evetually to pay up some years later!

Re: Neil Hunter
Sorry about that mate. I was the fielder who was at long on and I didn't think for a minute I would get anywhere near it. It seem to hold up in the wind and I took it about head height one handed. Suffice to say, I have never taken a catch like it before or since.

I thought it was a league game, we were struggling at the bottom of the league and you were unbeaten and winning the league at a canter. It was a baking hot day and our skipper who will remain nameless thought it would be a good idea to put you in but told everyone he lost the toss. He wasn't too popular when we found out at tea. Think we lost by about 200 runs in the end!

This summer has been horrible in terms of weather for everyone involved in cricket. It frustrates everyone and it is becoming difficult to maintain interest in the local game especially amongst our young members. However in Section 2 we are seeing a rather interesting league run in with four team battling to go up. I am commenting as an individual not as a club member here but the standard in our league is quite poor with the top clubs relying on two or three each week to win fixtures. My own club can hold their hands up to this however our team spirit and enterprise in the Junior Cup was quite outstanding and we were fortunate to have a good team each round. To date we have used 28 players this season and this reflects how difficult Sundays are for a club with families. Templepatrick are the form team at the moment and to be honest they were poor in the league fixture against us in May but were very good in the cup and their technical ability is a huge plus with the work that Andy and his colleagues have done proving the point on investing in coaching. Armagh are largely a one man team with Colin Russell being a class act. He is an excellent batsman and deserves credit. Laurelvale rely heavily on one or two players each week and Craig Irwin's addition has been a huge plus. Craig has been such a consistent and excellent servant to the game but you cannot rely on one or two players digging you out of a hole. At Cooke Collegians Richard Johnson and Graham Pollock have been our star performers this season but we know to go up would mean a huge challenge to our club. The standard is better in Section One and the standard in our Section has lowered in recent seasons. Their is a gap between each league and it grows each year. Anyone of the four looking for promotion would require a pro and at least two more players to stay up. Three bowlers and four batsmen are not enough to stay in Section One. As someone who has scored at all levels I am hugely disappointed at the standard of the game and the resources available to Premier league clubs means that the gap will widen in ability and performance but cricket is about enjoyment and perhaps clubs should seek to promote the game more and invest in our coaching. The performance of our Under 19s in the World Cup illustrates that we need to invest more in coaching and less in paying players and bringing in professionals who do not benefit our local game.

I hope so Andy, the local game can't afford to be losing any more teams and this horrendous spring/summer seasonal weather won't have done much to encourage folk either !

( I still haven't got that first post correct, it should read ' morale will take a boost ' as opposed to boast ' )

Andy

About 15 years ago Lurgan 2nds played CIYMS 2nds in a cup match at CI.

I was going well and John Stirling came on to umpire and said that did I know I was on 9. He said to keep it on the deck and get my 100.

Soon I was on 99 and I thought I would bring my ton up in style so I belted one towards long on and it looked like it was 6 all the way.

One of the CI players who was at long off ran towards the long on fielding postion and stuck his hand up and caught me one handed.

John Stirling was disgusted with me and did not talk to me for a few days after that.

A few years ago at the NCU dinner, a guy came up and said I bet you do not know who I am. I had no idea who he was and it was then that he introduced himself and said that he was the guy who caught me one handed on 99!!

Caleb - I believe that there is a possibility that the PSNI club side may reappear

Sorry, just noted the spelling error from yesterday evenings post.

It should read 'a ratings boost' as opposed to 'a ratings boast' ( my mistake. )

Oh and whilst I'm on, I also have just noticed who the guest speaker is at the annual NCU dinner later on this year, maybe if he reads my post before he attends, he'll have a very words in someone's ear !

He's obviously a good cricket man and I'm pretty sure he still would have a few connections in those circles !

Good afternoon !

Yes indeed Andy, congratulations to the PSNI cricket team reaching the semi-finals of the PAA competition and defeating the City of London Police on their way.

But is it not a very sad reflection and 'indictment' on them and their many support staff, which together must equate to somewhere in the region of ten thousand odd people or more, that they can't even turn out 11 players on a Saturday afternoon to play a game of cricket ?

Perhaps their bosses and many office managers etc. should just get out from behind their desks and computer screens and stop counting up how many tickets their boys in blue have handed out this week and encourage them to get back to playing sport again with the rest of the community ?

And by doing so they'll quite possibly realise, that not only will morale within that organisation be greatly boasted but their public image, which they value so highly, could also take a ratings hit, when folk start seeing them playing and enjoying the game with the rest of us !

A bit of common sense now and again can be worth a lot more than all the paperwork !

( And it helps save the forest trees as well )

big thank you to the ciyms guys michael hingston who along wiyh gary p had to put my shoes on and colin hunter who took me and collected me from a/e many thanks

Andy,
I think Peter Law was dismissed for 99 in a challenge cup game for North against RUC in 1996 or 97. In 1999 or 2000 D appeared to have been dismissed for 99 at Wallace Park but when the scorers tallied the runs at the close of the innings he had actually got 107......
RK

In the dank weather and waiting for Flossie to get back with the wet battery I was reflecting back on the last 2 week-ends with Chris Dougherty's consecutive centuries and James Kennedy's 92 when a century was in sight. Has any forumite any story of being out or witnessing someone being out on 99?