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ivan, matchwinning bowlers at downpatrick.... in my time, e have had a few, geoff ferguson could change a game and did so on many occassions, billy adams took a serious number of wickets, phillip lennon and brian ferris both topped the bowling averages at different times, and dale mullan has been so economical over the years which im sure has bought wickets at the other end.

re Composition of NCU Senior Cricket Working Group.

James, unlike yourself, the composition of the above group is not a secret:

J Fleming (PSNI), P McCormick (Holywood), R Dunn (Ards), C Williams (Ballymena), G Alexander (Larne), G McCarter (Armagh), S Dyer (CSNI), G Rodgers (North Down), R Eagleson (Carrickfergus), A Rose (Instonians), D Munn (Cliftonville), G Hunter (Lurgan), A Waite (Waringstown), R McCavrey (Saintfield), S Catterson (Cregagh).

A number of people were asked to join the group but declined.

RE Neale Matthews.

"Where to start.

If I don't want to play at Waringstown but fancy a few games at Portadown, what's wrong with that?"

Ony if when captaining a portadown side in lurgan Park and keeping wicket, you dont appeal for an LBW decision against the home captain, see the finger go up, celebrate the wicket, and then when the opposition skipper goes to stand at square leg (as there is only one official umpire), ask if he got an inside edge and then say "I Thought So"

Im still gutted about that lol, so the next time I see you at the lawn, mine is a magners :-)

made my debut this evening for our thirds against Ards threes tonight and a very enjoyable game it was with a lot of talented young cricketers on show (and some with a few too many grey hairs as well), a great game of cricket played in the right spirit (on the whole) and there are a few in the Ards team that will be very good cricketers if they are allowed to develope at their own pace and not be torn between club versus school debates that can so easily be avoided if the Union goes about things in the right way.

Your Pro-v-Our Pro

1.Your Pro I guess, comes from a foreign soil
Our Pro lives local, doesn't bother with suntan oil
Your Pro is young, fit, the darling of your crowd
Our Pro's getting on, has arthritis, but he's still proud.

2.Your Pro bowls well with vigour and zest
Our Pro just bowls and hopes for the best
And when your Pro bats, the crowds in a trance
Our Pro bats eleven, likes to give the rest a chance.

3.I bet your Pro gets runs and wickets galore
When our Pro last got a wicket, his hamstrung he tore!
And I know your Pro runs, like an Olympic champ
Our Pro can't run fast, cause he goes down with the cramp.

4.But let's look at the 'Pro's and then the Cons',
In a few years, will your Pro be gone ?
Is he like Clint Eastwood, the young hired gun
'For a few dollars more', will he up and run.

5.Not so our Pro. No! He'll never leave
Been at his club 50 years, wears his heart on his sleeve,
Now what price do you pay, for service like that?
Yes he's our Pro and if you meet him, please, lift your hat!

DK and the Jaffa's.

I'm not so sure about that. Leading wicket taker in the NCU this season is Kamy our professional, Neil Gill and Craig Drummond also figure on the list. In fact throughout the past decade the match winning bowlers at any club have been few and far between. In the 24 years I played in Senior cricket I think Muckamore only had three local players who could claim that title Archie McQuilken, Benny Craig and Andy Clement and Andy stopped playing regularily about 8 years ago.. It would be good to see other clubs list their match winning bowlers.

Hi Simon.

Where to start.

Firstly - Well, you have failed "to spell it out clearly", much like my name.

Secondly - if one is required to "read between the lines" then logically it has not been spelled out clearly.

Thirdly -with theories like mine you give the game 15 years. What theories? I haven't suggested any.

Fourthly - your example of a rule to wear "polka dot pyjamas" is at best silly and at worst contemptuous of the clubs who make genuine proposals, discuss, debate attend and vote on them. Remember, it is the clubs who make the rules, not the NCU.

Your definition of a local player needs a bit of work player eg someone who can demonstrate his ties to the country - what is the criteria for that? By the way you do realise that your definition excludes all students and the unemployed from playing.

Do we ignore EU legislation? What about discrimination or human rights issues.

Fifthly - legislate against the game being destroyed by money. How? Are players to be allowed expenses? What about a guy who loses a days work can we compensate him. If so what are the limits and applicable regulations? Is getting someone a job instead ok? Or buying him a car? Is paying for a "cricket development" officer ok. How do we police this.

Sixthly - a strict transfer policy? If I don't want to play at Waringstown but fancy a few games at Portadown, what's wrong with that?

So - ICC regulations, international and national laws and legislation, human rights issues, discrimination laws and the laws of the game decided by the clubs. At least we know who is to blame for all of these matters - the NCU.

Re - Seahorse

If they live her, work here and can demonstrate ties to this country - then as I said, they are as entitled to play here as anyone else...

If not, then yes ban them all...

The odd one may be an asset -

But remember last season though...?
one in my opinion was a total insult to the local game...!

If all these guys are so great - Why are more and more people leaving the game...?

Cricket here is not all about the Premier league and the International side - infact that makes up a small part of it...

If we continue the way we are going, a lot of clubs will struggle to put out a second eleven team in due course...

I believe at some clubs that has already happened this year...?

People are more interested in building Trophy cabinets than Clubs...

To what end...?

As I said, it's not the IPL here and never will be

short on words now Simon? - your silence speaks volume - don't be a bitter mono-toned dinosaur and move with the huge progress in Cricket Ireland - maybe in the past a 'hired gun' rattled your stumps on numerous occasions or stroked you effortlessly to the boundary? - sounds like you didn't dig deep, train harder, improve technically & allround improve your game to take them on or be better, like many did! I rest my case...........bored by your posts here!

ref 'simon'

Sorry to jump on board and be critical of your latest entries, however your ideas are either not practical, not sensible or not thought through

1) No professionals - I believe that a young cricketer benefits from playing with players he can look up to, take example from and learn from - there is no doubt that the talented cricketers who have come through in recent years and are performing well for Ireland or in the premier league/division 1 will have benefited from playing with or getting coached by a professional. I look at the work Taimur has done at N down, the improvement in the young talent at Instonians, following Davy Jacobs and Divan Van Wyk and the confidence that the Waringstown talented top order will get from batting with Pienaar, never mind great professionals like Ninja at Lurgan etc.
To improve the level of cricket you must experince playing with better players - how else does a young cricketer get exposed to a higher level? Otherwise they will be found out when selected at representative level.

2) 'local player' - I wonder what you would do in the case of Taimur Khan, Eugene Moleon and Nigel Jones in recent years - would they have to play as professionals despite being local residents - this is clearly not fair and to treat them as anything but a local player is ridiculous.

3) 'payment of local players' - interested to know how you are going to track this one - are you going to have access to player bank accounts??

Re-dk

Thanks for that piece of quality...

I rest my case you honour...!

Simon - you have absolutely NO proof that the gasme is being runied by money? - merely your opinion (which you are entitled to) - change the record - you previously attack players who receive payment from the game etc - good luck to them & welcome to the modern era - embrace it or move to another amateur sport if you can find one? After all "money makes the World go around"............

Re - Neal

Thought I spelled it out fairly clearly...

If you read between the lines - I am suggesting that the NCU "change the rules"

As the governing body they Can cover all the bases from monies paid by clubs to the Oversea's debate...

If a rule was proposed that you had to wear polka dot pyjama's and passed at the AGM then thats what you'd wear...

Anyway thanks for your response, I give Cricket another 15 years with "theories" like yours...

The game is being destroyed by MONEY...

Legislate against it and enforce a strict transfer policy...

Oh, and a the defination of a local player - that would be someone who lives here, works here and can demonstrate ties to this country - not someone who "flits" in and out - come on Neal, that one's simple...!

Just read with interest about the new NCU Senior Cricket Working Group.
Is the make-up of the group a secret?

In Defence of the NCU

Have just read with increasing frustration the debate between Ivan McCombe and "Simon". Ivan, we may not always agree (how dull would that be) but admire your tireless efforts for your club and the game in general. I would really like to address some of the matters alleged by "Simon".

In your posting of July 3rd you criticise players for a lack of loyalty to their clubs (with you so far). You then go on to say "the blame should be placed squarely on the NCU's shoulders". You do not explain this damning statement. Not entirely clear how the NCU is at fault for a lack of individual loyalty? Is that not a matter for individuals who might even have very good reasons for changing clubs. Just looked at the list of transfers approved by the NCU on the website - not sure many have moved for money.

However, in fairness, having made the swingeing allegation (without any explanation, evidence, proof, argument - sound or otherwise) you return to the forum on July 4th. We have a statement that you disagree with a lot of the "NCU's diagnosis". Fair play. You then agree that we have to address questions of start times, duration "etc etc", and the only matter you raise is the "single most destructive element in the game - MONEY". Ehm, what's that got to do with the NCU? I know we don't have any.

You make the point as to how a young cricketer might react if he cannot develop into a team because they simply buy in another player. True. But again - the finances of individual clubs are not the responsibility of the NCU.

Bit of a logical problem with the next bit though. Why should older alicadoos hand over their money to facilitate these people, but at the same time there is now "boundless amounts of cash". Someone must be handing it over then. Any chance they could hand some to us?

There are many misconceptions about the NCU and our beloved game. I frankly am not aware of these clubs with "boundless amounts of cash". There are certainly clubs supported by wealthy individuals who benefit from their largess. What power do the NCU have to tell individuals they cannot spend their money how they please? That is a whole different philosophical debate - equal distribution of wealth and all that.

You do come up with the answer though. Thank goodness because we have all missed it for so long. It must be all the "irrational hysteria" you mention that we are getting "carried away with". Yes the answer is TO BAN ALL OVERSEAS PLAYERS OR AT LEAST LIMIT TO ONE - WITH NONE BELOW THE PREMIER LEVEL.

Excellent. That's that sorted then. Oh, just so as we know and can then enforce it - please define "local" as in "local player". Let's see just how easy it is.

Lisburn CCs 175 anniversary continues on Friday with a NCU Junior League 1 Select side taking on Lisburn 2s. The NCU team is captained by Ricky Finlay who joins Richard White, Colin Storey, Alan Waite, Peter Haire and others in a 35 over contest starting at 2pm (ish). Admission is free and the bar will be open so if anyone wants to come along for an afternoon of decent cricket and no little banter, you will be very welcome at Wallace Park.