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Does anyone know if any pros have been confirmed for the 2012 season? Have CIYMS confirmed their player/coaches yet?
Norman
I have only been captaining for two years, but have already had a couple of interesting excuses.
When we were playing in Portadown, I reckoned if the game went the distance we would be finished by 530, but one lad told me he couldn't play because he had a band parade at 630. Where was the band parade? In Portadown!! So surely he could play... no, he wanted to go home and have a shower and his tea. Sure, its only ten minutes to your house, you could sneak off a few overs early if need be. "No, I don't want to be rushed."
But, my personal favourite.... The 2nd XI were home with a 12 o'clock start. I was with 1st XI, my phone goes and one of the 2nd XI players phoned, "We only have ten players". At 1.30, I get a text, "Sorry, I thought the game was off, it was raining in Lisburn"
Excuses NOT to watch cricket:
'Duckey' Davidson a good friend of mine although a football man to the core,(now a prominent mid-ulster referee), decided to take his two gun-dogs for a walk around Lurgan Park one fine summer's day a few seasons ago and sat himself and his 'muts' down on the bench while we were playing a game of cricket on the square.
I was bowling at the time and yelled over to him to stay on a while and watch the 'action' !
A few days later I bumped into him again and eagerly enquired if he'd enjoyed his afternoon's entertainment watching the cricket ?
His rely... "Yes it was very soporific"!
I asked him what do you mean by that ? He replied...
" Well not only did I fall asleep, but so too did my two dogs"!!
(He never came back since).
As captain of Academy cc for a few years I had numerous excuses along the lines already quoted but my 2 'favourite' reasons for not turning up are:- 1. A schoolboy didn't appear at Queensway for a Sunday game v Derriaghy, I phoned him 10 mins before the scheduled start time. His response was 'I'm sorry Brian I thought you were just being polite when you asked me to play!' 2. 'I'm not available this saturday, I'm having my legs waxed.' All these years later they still raise a smile.
Playing for Cregagh we had lost the toss and after 5 overs were reduced to 10 men. After 32 overs the opposition were 150 for 1 and a long toil in the field was obvious. A fielder left the field waving his left hand. At he end of each over we looked towards the pavilion for his return. As 40 overs came up he strolled back to join us.
At the end of the over almost in unison the other nine players roared 'What was the problem?'
The not to be forgotten reply came 'I had a rag nail on my wee finger and found it almost impossible to find a pair of scissors!!' PRICELESS.
should have added 10:30 p.m.
our good pal Ian Houston tells the story of receiving a phone call at 10:30 from a "blow in" umpire crying off for a Saturday game. "didn't want to leave it too late" in order to give Houstie enough time to get a replacement! Apparently he never umpired again in NCU. I note that Timmy doesn't divulge how he escaped from the phone box
I refused go my sisters wedding as we had very important game in section four to win league so i said cricket more important and told her no 1 care when in 5 years they divorced it took 6 years ( was close she didnt speak me for 6 months ) we won league so it was well worth it . also young lad refused play in senior cup at the lawn as he was going get hawaiian shirt for stag do ( in 40 yrs never got play more that 20 over game i could killed him over telephone ).
Another Lisburn classic from the late 80's. A certain player on turning up 45 mins late for a two nighter - "but I had to go home for my tea first".
4 or 5 years ago one of the youngsters from our thirds told me that he didnt care how short the thirds were, he wouldnt play and when I pushed him as to why, he replied that there is more to life than playing cricket on a Saturday!!!
Excuses for not playing cricket.
At Lisburn, we've experienced the full raft of excuses for not playing cricket, ranging from other sports, concerts, weddings, girlfriend visiting, mates are going away for the weekend etc etc, but a couple of seasons back we had a classic one from one of our young lads which I certainly had to give him 10 out of 10 for originality. He was unavailable for the weekend's games because, and I kid you not, he was scheduled to judge a sheep contest.......
We just had to laugh
Andy Kennedy
I wasn't the late one that day, Andy; punctual as always. Think I had five wickets that day at least four of which were stumpted by the great Bertie Styles. Memory starting to fade with time but I am sure at least one of the Connolly brothers was a victim. They of course deny all knowledge of the game in question. I think the opposition blamed a late night the day before, not an excuse you could often make playing against Queen's when half of our team were just arriving for the game from the previous evening (Tiger sometimes minus shoes, never mind laces!)
c'mon Wayne - do tell!!
Recent excuses....it's my granny's birthday, going to get a new pair of shoes, getting my hair cut, going to my dad's wedding!
Andy Burton
Are you sure ? Grahame McCarter is Killyclooney but I think William is Killymallaght.
Regarding excuses we had one classic towards the end of last season the details just escape me at the moment but we thought Macca was going to have a fit.
A couple of years ago one of the young guys in the 3rds told me he couldn't play as he was playing "in the band". When I asked him what he played he said "the triangle". In my own way I told him where I would like to put the triangle. This guy had real potential as an opening bowler.
We are having a Cricketers Christmas day out in the club on Saturday I think excuses will become a topic for some fun .
By the way Gilly the reason we had to stay and have a few drinks was because of the effort we put in and we were simply dehydrated. I found Comber, Newforge and Laurelvale particularily draining. Curiously when I played at home be it Muckamore , Saintfield or Ballymena ( in the 80's ) I always found myself in need of a few pints. How my liver survived two seasons with Mark and Davy Napier at Saintfield is one of the wonders of medical science.
But like every thing social habits have changed.
