Forum

Looks like the Dundrum committee members have had a meeting in order to drum up support for the original motion passed at last years meeting ! The NCU in my opinion did a great job with the roadshows and have listened to what the clubs below the Premier section want! But as the Dundrum boys have stated they would still feel the same if their own club had finished in the relegation zone !!! Perhaps what they are really saying is fewer league games would suit them because once they registered some early season wins they struggled to get a competitive team out for there mayches later on in the season.

Godd job by the NCU - LETS GO WITH WHAT SUITS CLUBS AT SECTION 1 AND BELOW - MOST CLUBS WANT TO HAVE A MEANINGFUL LEAGUE CAMPAIGN AND NOT HAVE IT REDUCED TO 14 MATCHES !!!!!!!!!

I think the All Ireland Junior Cup is a good idea but will this not lead to a fixture back log, if the ten team league in section 1 and section 2 go through that will mean:-
18 league games,
A cup fixture,
A closed date for and international.
An All Ireland Junior cup game (section 1 + 2 teams of Section 2)
(21 fixtures)

Add to this the weather, rearrangements, a cup run, the Ulster Shield(On sunday), some teams not playing on sundays and I think you will find alot of teams playing double weekends,midweek 2 nighters, shortened rearrangements, and a disproportionate level of games in september when teams are not at full strength.

Alot of clubs will not agree with this but I feel that a structure of 8,8 10 and 11 is the most practical solution to the league structre and fixtures. So in section 1 you still have 14 league games plus the fixtures as outlined about but you have some flexibility in rearranging games for saturdays.

I think NCU has done a good job in running the roadshows and recognising that most players/clubs below premier league want 10 team leagues. I hope the new motion is passed. I also welcome the irish junior cup and would love to travel to Cork/Dublin to play cricket. Its all about experiencing new places and people.

thanks to Wylie for the clarification. However this brings into question the value of decisions passed at AGMs. On a separate issue - can anyone recall a North-v-South competiton between teams from the lower leagues? I seem to remember North IV (as winners of the 4th Division Section I) playing against a Dublin side in the mid to late 70s

Wylie,
Let's turn the tables here. If, at the 2010 AGM, it was passed to have 8,10,10 and 9, and the working group got the opposite feedback than what they got, ie, 8,8,8,13...from clubs, would the NCU then have had to relegate extra clubs this year? I think not. In my own opinion it makes what is agreed at the AGM a farce. It was agreed at AGM for 2011 season and should stay that way until 2011 AGM decides differently for 2012 unless an EGM is called.... And if my club was in the relegation mix, like Jeff, my opinion would obviously be the same.

Andy
Sorry to say but you are confused and are actually now confusing the issue.
At the 2010 NCU AGM (not 2011 as in your post) clubs agreed to reduce sections in Division 1 to 8, 8, 8 and 13 teams respectively. At the road-shows during the summer a sizeable majority felt that the sections below the premier league would now be playing too little cricket as compared to previous years and proposed setting the section sizes at 8, 10, 10, 9 respectively.
So in fact LESS teams will relegated if this proposal goes through this year.
The Cricket Ireland Cricket Committee has confused the issue further by throwing the idea of an all-Ireland Junior Cup in to the mix. How many teams in Section 1 (and maybe Section 2) will look forward to an overnight trip (and the associated costs) to Cork or South Dublin?

must stillbe jet lagged - I meant the 2010 AGM decisions

Re 2011 AGM

My understanding it that the proposal to reduce all senior leagues to 8 teams was agreed with the caveat that a discussion with all cluns would determine the eventual outcome. During the road shows all clubs were represneted and it as felt that a 8, 10, 10, 9 was better than 8, 8, 8, 13.

By speaking to all clubs about the changes, I feel the NCU have done a good job on this issue.

The Junior Irish cup competition sounds interesting. I see that the proposal recommends ten NCU teams qualfying. If the 8 PL Clubs are in the BKISC, plus two more from Section 1, that would require two Section 2 clubs as well as then other 8 from Section 1. If the competition is to be played in 2012, what options do we have for qualification? If last seasons league positions are used it is not straight forward with the section 2 title being shared by Templepatrick, L'Vale and Academy.

re Jeff's comments I must admit to being confused about what is happening - some people would say that it is easy to confuse me (too many digs to the head on the rugby field!) but could anyone confirm for me that the decisions taken at the AGM 2011 have been superceded by the report of the working group. It appears to be at variance with my sense of fair play to relegate more teams than had been anticipated at the start of 2011 - or as I say perhaps I'm just a confused old man!!

is the website not working at the minute i am surprised no one has replied to jeff's comments as he made some valid points.

Peter , I think its wrong that something that was voted in at last years agm can be changed and id still say 8 team leagues is way forward and if Dundrum were in bottom four id still say same . Can whatever is voted for this year be changed again next year ?The junior cup could well be success but could be very expensive if drawn away couple of games hiring minibus etc so think it has be well thought out in the econimic climate but id like see it regionilised NW V NCU ETC as much as possible until say semi finals ? Id love see say derby games (Ddrum v Downp late may & july ) and im sure thers lots derbys in all sections in the book for say mid week and if both clubs agree and want bring forward to any sunday that would release 2 sats ? Ived played 40 years and think the standard is getting weaker and the gap between premier and section one is getting massive and wont improve unless something changes and believe me it wont matter what section we play in as its about enjoying your sat playing cricket in the standard thats suits each club .Im sure that the ten teams will get voted back in but not convinced its the best way forward in a game that we all love but i always thought it took a EGM to change what was voted in at the AGM but one way or another cricket need to keep in mind that playing both sat and sun will eventually ruin peoples family relationships as gone are the days when everyone had the backing of the WAGS in letting them go away play sport all weekend its strange that before playing sundays everyclub played midweek ( we travelled larne/templepatrick midweek) now you cant get hardly anyone to agree on midweek but if the mid week game was max 40 overs then no reason for even 630 start get game over .

The Annual General Meeting of NIACUS will take place on Monday 10th October 2011 at 7.30pm at the Maynard Sinclair Pavilion, Stormont. Members of the Association are asked to note that the closing date for items of inclusion on agenda should be sent to Jonathan Lyttle by Friday 7th October.

Fixture congestion
I am just wondering having read the recent article on NCU website about Junior Irish cup. ( which I think is a good thing )

This will mean an additional fixture or fixtures if you are successful

Add this onto the NCU cup comp
plus 18 league fixtures ( as is now proposed after NCU roadshows )
plus possibility of a free date when Ireland play Aussies in Belfast on 23rd June.
Also was part of the reasoning to make the Prem league 8 teams not to enable the Senior cup final to be a more prestigious day in the NCU and have it as a closed date ?

If you consider from the last weekend in April to the 2nd weekend in September there are 20 Saturdays so including 18 league fixtures, a cup competition, Junior Irish Cup, Closed International date, Senior Cup final.

This is not taking into account the climate and weather in Northern Ireland, I just feel teams should be prepared for lots of midweek 2 nighters and sunday fixtures.

Perhaps the 8 team leagues need to be reconsidered prior to the agm ?

If according to the NCU rulebook the last games of the season are to be played the last saturday and sunday of September, does that therefore mean that a team who doesnt play on Sundays could effectively have arranged a game for today being the last Friday of the season?