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pp . ill post few daily but early bankers imperial commander gold cup fri/ hurricane fly champion hurdle tue/ big zeb champion chase wed / baby run foxhunters fri / good luck

Ed, Crisket aside for a moment, with Cheltenham looming can we ask that you put Jeff's tips up on this site as soon as you get them. There would be nothing worse than seeing Jeff's winning tips on here, long after the nags have passed the red lollipop in front of the rest.

Many thanks

Agreed, Clarence, but I consider the old boys part of my first grouping, while all the others depended on the munificence of landowners, most of whom - I believe - lent land to cricket for one of the two reasons I outlined.

Admittedly, none of this is relevant to today: I think cricket endures simply because we love the game itself!

Just to remind everyone that the NIACUS Annual Dinner will take place on Friday 8th April 2011 at the La Mon Country House Hotel. Our guest speakers are Andy Kennedy and Niall Crozier. Tickets are priced at £30.
Umpires should also note that if they wish to officate at NCU Premier League fixtures that they should attend the Open Meeting at Stormont on Monday 14th March 2011 at 7.45pm. If you do not attend you will not be given any fixtures for Premier League until you have been briefed by a Training Officer from Association or a member of the Executive Committee.

Mostly right Michael, as the mills played a huge part in cricket development in Ulster. But you need to add;
1 Old Boys Clubs (Inst/Academy etc)
2 Cricket/sports clubs-Clubs that originated because individuals genuinely wanted to play cricket in their area because they liked the game. They are the majority and include the village clubs so prevalent in the North-West and at one stage in the Antrim, Fermanagh and South Down areas. They played for the shirt! Still do according to Vic!
3 Social/lifestyle clubs-(CIYMS/YMCA etc)
4 Work teams-The old Belfast League teams etc.
The game has certainly moved on from the 1880s when owner John Andrews Jun led the factory workers in Comber in lunchtime matches!

Andy Kennedy :

No worries Andy I'm still here alrite, just because he wants to become an umpire like you and be taken seriously, he thinks his little plan of locking me away in the attic in the hope I'll never be heard off again & forgotten about.. Will do the trick !

Well I've news for him...it WON'T !!

The backside of the old case he puts me in has fallen out, so I can escape easily and even if he reads this later on and fixes it, I'll still find a way to escape....cause I'm far smarter than him, that's for sure !!

Infact he's to dumb to realise it, but without me he would be nothing ! Me.. 'Vic Johns', I'm the one that made him into a cricketer, a poet, a story-teller and now soon maybe an umpire too but he will never see it like that nor dare even admit to it !

While I'm on here, (& before he wakes up), D.K. says local cricket is dying..well maybe he gets out more than me, but around my patch it's alive and flourishing !

That evening last summer Andy when you gave up your time and travelled all the way from the land of 'Buckna' to 'the Cloney's' ground to officiate in full regalia and add kudos to a friendly match for surplus young players at both clubs.
There was an abundance of players there and you will note Donaghcloney now have entered a 3rd. team into the respective league and we have now a new colts team entered for this season as well.

Up at Lurgan C.C. last season, during a Primary schools competition, there were entries from all over the borough, I had a tough job finding my nephew who was playing for Moira Primary that day amongst the crowd and I noted that every school had more than it's fair share of Lurgan tigers sprinkled throughout all the many schools that were competing !

So on the eve of what could yet be another historic day for the Ireland cricket nation, I leave you one & all with this proposal..

"Think not what cricket can do for you, but what can YOU do for cricket" !

Andy,

The majority of cricket clubs in Ulster were founded for one of two reasons:

(1) The upper-middle classes thought that cricket was a gentlemanly and healthy way to pass the time, and that cricketers would therefore make for more disciplined, energetic, and competent leaders in society;

(2) With working hours cut down by government legislation, landlords and factory- and (as you suggest) mill-owners needed to provide some kind of distraction to keep their workers from spending all their new-found freedom in the pub!

RE Roy Young

Roy - thank you very much for your support of TCC U15s in the voting and also your kind words about TCC on the forum.

Ryan - thanks for your support also and good luck to NDCC U15s in the N Down awards.

lets keep flying the cricket flag

regards
Andy McCrea

Anxious Dad,

I've been managing the NCU RDS Squads for the U13s and the U15s and I'm in charge of the U11s as well.

Apologies for the delay in keeping you or any other parents informed and you'll be glad to hear that you haven't missed anything and details will be coming out over the next few weeks about sessions for the U11s in April and May.

Players will have been nominated by their clubs back in August/September and if the Junior Officers from all clubs but in particular Armagh, D'aghy, L'vale, L'burn, S'field, Ards, Bangor, Academy and B'mena would like to nominate any players, please feel free to do so... you may have unearthed a star at this years winter practices and it would be great to get them involved!! If you or anyone has any further questions about these sessions, please contact me directly - my details are on the NCU website under the NCU Clubs link and I can be found at the CIYMS section and I'd be glad to help in any way.

Cheers,

Hinky

The Templepatrick C.C. award:

My vote is away and I've put a mention of it on the forum section of our own website to get our readers/members to vote as well, wouldn't it be great to see cricket edging out football for once !!

(Yes Jim you're correct, I ammended that little gramatical error to read ameoba but happy all the same that my point wasn't lost and that I make you laugh!!)

Jim - the "wee" ground at Muckamore - according to John McCormick - is known as Harrigan's Hill which was an old bleach green so whilst I am much to young to have any direct experience of the linen trade I am very much aware of the significance of the "wigs" and the "bunchan inch" reference. Funny enough I was having a sherbet with a pal of mine (Hugh Jordan)and coming from Glasgow he was fascinated to know why cricket in Northern Ireland was played in the venues that it was. My theory is that it followed the linen industry i.e. the Lagan Valley and the North-West but others may have a different idea. By the way Flossie & I met Vic Johns at the Victoria dinner last year and I note that he has kept his head down since I made reference to their palatial club-house. But perhaps we should refrain from trivia in case we get DK annoyed again!!

I have to agree with Andy McCrea and feel its important that the ‘cricket community’ support each other. I have placed my vote and I notice that the 2 soccer teams were in the lead. Soccer has much more followers and therefore have a much better chance of getting more votes – doesn’t mean they are the right winners.
I for one hope that nobody listens to Ivan McCoome and supports the Templepatrick team – it’s the reader choice if they want to listen, regardless of where they live. People use the forum for all sorts of stuff, business ventures, canvassing for votes etc.

As a club Templepatrick seem to be going in the right direction, good youth set up, top class coaches (maybe the best in Ireland) etc. I see on their website they have spent £160k on their facilities – playing and practice. Some people may say the facilities needed it – well the club have addressed that. It seems they continue to do all this without the services of a paid player. Credit to them for that, most other clubs pay players first them sort the facilities after! I would suggest that if TCC did employ a professional, they would be into Senior league one the following season. Maybe once they sort the facilities, this is the next stage?

Good luck to Templepatrick CC in the Junior team of the year – I hope all the cricket readers make the vote!

Has anyone heard when the under x1 NCU coaching starts ? - I know the u13 have commenced prior to Christmas but as yet have no word for the younger age group.

Thanks in anticpation

Caleb, you do sometimes make me laugh! I read your blog on the 'ameobi' but I honestly thought there was going to be some sort of pun to a Newcastle Utd player until I realised that in fact your spelling requires some attention. And bunch an inch, not sure how that could happen (especially if Andy K was around) sorry Andy, couldnt help it and the wigs quote - long forgotten one in these parts.
However, your point was not lost. Sport and cricket in our case should cross boundaries, pardon the pun. I presume these 'ameobis' you speak off dont follow Ireland rugby either. It wasnt Rep of Ireland playing, but Ireland as a united entity (being careful not to say country!) As a proud Englishman plying his cricketing trade here in NI, I was disappointed that we lost, but happy that it was the Irish team that beat us as I can claim a win being a member of the NCU! Good effort against India and a moment to savour for young Dockrell, keep 'er lit boys!

One more things bothers me Caleb, how can Vic Johns write a blog when you have him packed into a suitcase? I think you got a Jekyll anf Hyde problem there.

No worry Caleb - its a "Norn Iron psyche thing. You've heard it in all aspects of life - no matter how successful a guy is or how high he climbs there is always somebody says - "I mind him when he hadn't an a**e in his trousers. The guys are performing really creditably. If we had beaten Bangladesh then the "wigs would be on the green" big-time.