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with the 2nd team leagues being changed and the overs reduced surely the starting times are ok as like myself i am sure some of the players work on saturday mornings and with the jobs being hard to come by after working all week you enjoy a game of cricket if they want to be home by tea time you could always play football hockey etc

c'mon William - put your head over the parapet! What's the worst that can happen? I've been described as being anti-English, anti-Irish, anti-committee, etc. etc, so when I am able to annoy so many people I must be doing something right!! Glad to see the "tired" team finally out of the the World Cup (what a bunch of happy faces they were) so now we can get on with watching and listening to the rest of the competition. My joy would be complete if I heard that Hussain had fallen down a hole or something! The only problem is that Engerland beat Wales at soccer so tomorrow's papers will be bring on the world again! Pakistan 4/1 at McLeans so they must know something!!

Re: Wayne Horwood

Two years ago the NCU had a sponsor for our Challenge Cup (TCH Down Democrat)so if someone in the NCU told you at that time they already had a sponsor, they were correct. We lost this sponsor at the end of 2009 season and subsequently also our T20 Cup sponsor (Metal Technology) This has resulted in a reduction in income last year of around £10k,and when the loss of the £6k Lord's Taverners grant is added to this, it is obvious that the NCU needs to replace these as a matter of urgency or the member clubs will have to contribute substantially more than they are doing at the moment to keep the Union afloat. We have spoken to a number of people and have been very close to securing a sponsor on a couple of occasions, but have found it extremely difficult in the current financial climate. A brochure has been produced explaining the benefits of the Challenge Cup sponsorship and this has been distributed to a number of companies with expertise in this field, and is being actively followed up at the moment. If anyone out there knows anybody they think we should be talking to, please get in touch with me as soon as you can as the season is fast approaching.

Vic,
If I declared my correct name I know the replies would be either directed at me or my club. Like yourself I see value in anonymity. Unfortunately some posters don't look outside the box either and tend to focus on personal gibes and miss the subject. I do a lot for my club and for cricket so I feel entitled to pass comment even although that is not a prerequisite to make a posting on any subject. You either accept that or you don't. It is irrelevant. The point is that we need sponsors in the NCU not to know what I do for cricket.

Good man William..

And what are you doing outside the box to help the cause ??

I am astounded that the NCU has not got a sponsor for the Challenge Cup. 2 years ago I approached the NCU to see if they wanted a sponsor. I was told there was a sponsor and heard no more. My client who owed me a favour would have provided substantial sponsorship. Alas I heard nothing and my client gave me a box for a day at Man City vs Arsenal and I took a number of clients. Cost of the day including flights/hotels/dinner/drinks was substantial. Great day albeit as a United fan I was not that enamoured when David White hugged me when Adebayor scored.

Thanks for getting back Wylie.
Has the NCU considered hiring a professional company to get sponsors? Has it consulted Cricket Ireland for assistance bearing in mind it runs cricket in Ireland and they have full time professional staff? No disrespect to the efforts of Richard and Dawn but maybe you all need to look outside the box. The season is just around the corner and the union has a 125 years anniversary. Going into the season without sponsors for the major competitions is a sorry position.

William, it was sort of tongue in cheek. It was in response to various posters saying that it would be easy to get this firm to sponsor this and that firm to sponsor that. eg a kit supplier to sponsor the coloured clothing (sorry Jeff). I’m afraid the NCU’s experience is to the contrary.
The NCU's sponsorship officer, Richard Johnson, has been proactively seeking a sponsor for the NCU’s Challenge Cup for the last two seasons and has come close to signing up a few firms on several occasions only to be let down at the last moment on a couple of occasions. Along with Finance Director Dawn Johnston and several others they have produced an excellent sponsorship brochure that they approach potential sponsors with in the first place.
Jeff/Jim (and others), I am not 100% sure of the numbers being sought but I believe a figure somewhere between £6-7k to sponsor the Challenge Cup and £2-3k for the Twenty20 tournament would not be far off the mark.
So if anyone knows of a potential sponsor (for any competition) then contact Richard Johnson and have a chat with him (his number/email is on the NCU website)

Wylie,
What is the figure needed for NCU sponsorship? I'm sure through all our wide range of players occupations, we can come up with someone, but a figure would be helpful.

Wylie - you would think somebody asking to delay the start time back would be a lot more suspicious than bringing it forward....???? You would think there would be more teams looking to start earlier if there's no school kids involved especially considering the majority of them would be in the senior leagues.

I just don't think that the coloured gear and rule changes have been given serious thought throughout the clubs and NCU as a whole. Maybe its about time we did....!

Wylie,
Maybe it does! Jeff seems to lining up Paddy Power, or Ladbrokes or the Bay Inn or whoever.
Has the senior cup got a sponsor?
If not maybe the Lisburn council could take it on as the final is at Wallace Park.

Wylie,
I hope the last comment in your email is tongue in cheek? I would like to think the NCU committee is taking a much more professional approach to finding a major sponsor than a one-liner at the end of an email on UC website. Don't sit waiting at the phone because it doesn't happen like that.

wylie , without selling ncu short give us a BALLPARK figure too say sponsor the senior cup?

Neal: teams who agree to start a game earlier than the scheduled start time can do this under the current NCU rules and have been able to do so for a number of years.
However being the suspicious so and so's that we are a lot of teams say no when asked to start earlier than normal as they assume there must be an ulterior motive for their opposition asking for an early start!

Coloured clothing/white balls, etc debate - The NCU will be running "roadshows" in 2011 related to Senior Cricket I believe, so if clubs believe this is the way forward then get to one of these and let your feelings be known. Since no club put a proposal forward for coloured clothing, etc in all competitions at the NCU 2010 AGM then it would seem they do not want it yet.

Oh and if anyone knows of a major sponsor wishing to get involved with the NCU then for goodness sake let someone within the NCU know.

Must give Dundrum C.C. w.a.g.s. their fare dues, especially Mrs. Maxwell & Co.
Last season catered for our team plus all our day-away travelling supporters, without any prior knowledge of them attending even nipped home and got seconds made up to bring back & feed our hungry lot.

Can't ask for any better hospitality than that..can you ?

Our turn this time to return the compliment and looking forward to it already !!