Forum

Various posters have mentioned fixture congestion due to bad weather as a reason for reducing league sizes. I was thinking about when I enjoy my cricket most - for me it is 50 over cricket played on a hot, sunny, dry day on Saturday or Sunday. I believe we could be more flexible with our fixtures given that the weather forecasts are so much more accurate these days. My suggestion therefore is that we designate every weekend from mid June to Mid August as "potential double header weekends" for those clubs who play on Sundays. A normal fixture list for the league would be drawn up but with the option that the two teams playing each other on a fixtured Saturday could agree to bring their second meeting forward to the Sunday after the Saturday match. You end playing home and away over one weekend. This could be decided on Thursday night before the sat after looking at the forecast. If both teams are agreable and the umpires can be appointed this could offer a solution to freeing up Saturday's later in the season. There have been three Sundays this season that I remember when I would have really enjoyed a game on a warm sunny Sunday afternoon. (although my club do not play on Sundays!)

Re: Brendan

If it was up to me I would leave the choice to the school player themselves but they are likley to be pressured by both club and school. Perhaps it would be better for school, clubs and players to come to an agreement about when these player play for club or school. For example I would not expect a school player to put 2nd club cricket before school cricket but where 1st eleven cricket is involved perhaps the player could miss a less important school match for a club match. However if a school has a big match (eg a cup or league semifinal or other "big game" then the perhaps club could give way ?

Great to see Waringstown & Inst getting to the the Irish Cup Final. Much needed shot in the arm for the NCU.

The talk is now that Obus Pienaar is going to arriving back in NI next week and will leave for South Africa again after the Final? Can anyone confirm?

Bruce,
I agree that Neil has set out very good points. I was interested in your comment on schools having to play without their best players. Are the schools players given a choice? Sometimes too much is made of the schoolboys involvement as you rightly say there may not be very many playing 1st XI cricket. But we still need to work around the issue as they are the future of the game.

Promotion and relegation in junior leagues.

As far as I am aware i believe that with JL1 dropping to 8 teams for next season (Is this confirmed) then there is no promotion but only relegation in the junior league. That is certainly the principle i am working on

RE: Neil Cahill

Great postings Neil. I agree with you on just about everything. League format should 8, 10, 10 and 9 and play as many 50 over rearrangements as possible. I dont object to two/three nighters for premier 2/section 1 and below. Downpatrick kindly allowed us to play a three nighter rearrangement this season and it was a highly enjoyable game of cricket despite rain interruptions. Would also like to see earlier starts. The schools will have to get used to the idea of playing without their very best players on Sat mornings. (I am not sure just how many school players actually play regularly in their first elevens?)

Could anyone tell me if there is promotion and relegation in junior 1-9 please

It's been a long time since an NCU side won the Irish Cup in an epic encounter in 1995 when North Down beat Bready by one run.
We can at last look forward to what should be a superb game between Waringstown and Instonians.
Well done both sides in getting to the final. What a great finale to the 2011 season!

Ivan,

Good questions my answers relate to Premier 2 (Section 1) as this is what I know best and don't want to speak for other people and sections.
1. How many overs do players in each section want to play ? 50
2. Does everyone accept DL should be in all Senior crickets meaning more results are obtained on the day and less rearrangements ? Duckworth Lewis should apply
3. How many matches and therefore teams in leagues do people want to play. Is it 14,16 or 18 ? 18
4. Do people want ANY midweek rearrangements and if so one night or two ? Only as a last resort as they are poor quality matches
5. How many Sunday's per season is acceptable to have to play a game ? As many as is required under the rearrangement rules
6. Should cup games be Sunday only ? Yes as the Cup is only important to about 4 teams at the top
7. What time do people want the game to FINISH at ? If we start at 12 and apply DL correctly it shouldn't be an issue
8. Do players want a T20 competition as well as the League and the recognized cup competitions ? Not at the expense of the league

1. How many overs? 50
2. Does everyone accept DL? No. I hear lots of complaints
3. 14, 16 or 18 matches? 18
4. Do people want ANY midweek rearrangements? Yes
5. How many Sundays per season is acceptable to have to play a game? Very few. A lot of players don't want Sunday cricket.
6. Should cup games be Sunday only? NO! Above comment.
7. What time do people want the game to FINISH at? I don't mind. Start time of 11 or 12.
8. Do players want a T20 competition? No and I don't want a Clubturf. Waste of time and extra matches

Ivan,

An excellent set of questions.

1. How many overs? 50
2. Does everyone accept DL? Yes
3. 14, 16 or 18 matches? 18, but if we remove the 20/20 rearrangement then I'd reluctantly accept 14.
4. Do people want ANY midweek rearrangements? No
5. How many Sundays per season is acceptable to have to play a game? As many as necessary.
6. Should cup games be Sunday only? Yes; this worked very well when I was in New Zealand.
7. What time do people want the game to FINISH at? I don't mind. Start time of 11 or 12.
8. Do players want a T20 competition? No

Ed,

I too am almost certain that the idea of the 20/20 matches was to play these midweek, but in my opinion it just isn't working.

I hate having to play a match with a number of players, who can't get out of work, missing and warm ups being rushed, if they have time to take place at all. If I never have to play another midweek fixture again then I'll be quite happy. I'd be much happier giving up my Sunday and doing things properly.

As with my previous posts, I'm mostly thinking about Premier 2, however, if I'm in the minority on this issue then I'm prepared to get on with it.

re Ivans questions
1. How many overs do players in each section want to play ? 40 as a minimum accross all adult saturday cricket
2. Does everyone accept DL should be in all Senior crickets meaning more results are obtained on the day and less rearrangements ? Yes
3. How many matches and therefore teams in leagues do people want to play. Is it 14,16 or 18 ? 14, 16 games would mean that there is an odd number of sides in a league and some side would have no game each week.
4. Do people want ANY midweek rearrangements and if so one night or two ? Up to the clubs to decide, depending on how far apart geographically the sides are, two night games could be easy enough, but for others they are a nightmare.
5. How many Sunday's per season is acceptable to have to play a game ? NONE
6. Should cup games be Sunday only ? NO
7. What time do people want the game to FINISH at ? After the last ball is bowled, the last wicket taken or the last run is scored, but no earlier start than noon.
8. Do players want a T20 competition as well as the League and the recognized cup competitions ? No.

It is so refreshing to see so many opinions on here on the best way forward and hopefully the roadshows will help get an acceptable proposal together.
To try and formulate a single proposal from all the views expressed it might be worthwhile to answer some straightforward questions.
1. How many overs do players in each section want to play ?
2. Does everyone accept DL should be in all Senior crickets meaning more results are obtained on the day and less rearrangements ?
3. How many matches and therefore teams in leagues do people want to play. Is it 14,16 or 18 ?
4. Do people want ANY midweek rearrangements and if so one night or two ?
5. How many Sunday's per season is acceptable to have to play a game ?
6. Should cup games be Sunday only ?
7. What time do people want the game to FINISH at ?
8. Do players want a T20 competition as well as the League and the recognized cup competitions ?

If we had answers to these basic questions and a few more that I haven't thought of then it might be easier to create a structure that meets the requirements of the MAJORITY ( it's always impossible to please every one ) of the players playing currently and hopefully this new structure will entice a few back or encourage a few to play longer.Make for more meaningful cricket and help attract people along to watch.
This process is to meet the players demands NOT the administrators demands so it would be great to have Players as the representatives at the roadshows.( details on NCU website ).

Andy,

Some interesting thoughts. I think the key issue is that it can’t be a one size fits all league structure may not be the way forward. I think that the Saturday Sunday question will always be there with our weather. Also the training issue is completely separate there are good and bad trainers at every club. Some at our Club may not be regulars at training but will play every week. My concern is that the reduction matches which is bound to happen with eight team leagues across the board will not make the less committed more committed but lead to the more committed becoming less so as Mark alluded to.

Regarding free block Saturdays I like the theory but the practicality for it to work would require that the Saturday be left free for when there was a compete wipe out of league fixtures as otherwise logistically it wouldn’t work out as people would go to that date “on a first called off basis”. Would it also apply to Junior League who maybe are due to play on the ground that day thus meaning they have to rearrange?

Hopefully all these discussions are taken forward to the meetings.