Forum

I know that I have raised the subject of the English media before and as a result I have been (wrongly) accused of being anti-English but there was another example this morning when Hussain on Sky started querying how Ed. Joyce could be back in the Ireland side "Ireland to England to Ireland - that shouldn't happen - how can that happen, your country is your country, etc. etc."- and this coming from a guy born in India!! David Lloyd surmised that as Ireland is an "associate" nation, this was in order but this didn't stop Hussain going on & on about it. Methinks he may be getting a defence ready for England's demise in the World Cup!! Jeff - what's the odds on Pakistan winning the competition?ny

I would assume a big part of the reason why NI teams dominated the ISC back then was probably down to a higher skill level of the local players than those down in the ROI. Now a days there would be a strong argument that the main reason why this has been reversed since 2000 is due to the influx of highly skilled overseas players who have choosen to live in the ROI. Also would anyone know the stats on how many overseas players have settled in NI and went on to play for Ireland compared to their counterparts in the ROI for the last 10 years.

if any clubs in the ncu are interested in level 2 high performance coach from australia to do work this summer, and to play competively, get in touch. level 2 high performance, current coach of ACT state junior sides. get in touch. james.shannon2@gmail.com or on facebook. cheers

Is J Askin Justin (just for short) Askin?

There are currently two non-Irish born players in the 15 that I can think of that played for clubs in the NCU.

Re S McChesney

Usual Norn Ireland response in wondering WHO is saying something rather than WHAT is being said.

Anyway,"the troubles" didn`t seem to affect clubs from N.I. winning the Irish Cup almost every year from 1982 -2000........or was there no disturbance then.

Stop looking for excuses ......... I repeat, don`t navel gaze and DEVELOP your OWN players by using non Irish born players [your club professional] and others for cricket development ...........just not for safeguarding your position in the very very small pond of NCU cricket

having umpired in Dublin cricket down there is a bit like watching Canada in that current T/20 competition - not too many Canucks playing!!

Ed - before I get an influx of messages, can I point out I meant to say non-Irish born players, not non-NI born players. 1 island, 1 team and all that!

Ref J Askin (always happy to hear from someone who loves an alias)

I think you might be missing the point - the issue is that teams based in Dublin can benefit from the influx of players who have emigrated to Dublin and surrounding areas. Perhaps if you spent more time looking at the number of "local" players in the southern game compared to the north you may find the problem. This is not a slant on the ROI - quite the opposite - merely a summation of the (pre-recession) attractiveness of ROI. Obviously this puts the northern counties at a disadvantage. NI has always suffered from the exposure it obtained worldwide during the troubles.

How many of the non-NI born Irish players (and fair play to them) were playing their cricket in the north? It wont stop me supporting Ireland in the WC though.

Re Junior 2

Surely the NCU wouldn`t want to disregard its own rules/decisions. Pity it wasn`t rectified before "going public".

As far as the Irish Cup is concerned it won`t happen until clubs start to use their resources on DEVELOPMENT of THEIR OWN players and less on navel gazing. Who wins what local competition and "what league are we in" mindset is a waste of time when all they primarily do is try to resolve it by getting the cheque book out.

Anyone see Saintfields Kiwi pro Mark Elison fielding sub againest Pakistan last week ? ps was at king george kempton sat first bloke met was Gary Wilson from Collegians god them collegians lads enjoyed their trips too dundrum, pps lost @ races but backed all 4 games be draws on sunday free weekend , get on alec ferguson horse What a Friend win the gold cup in march

re Junior 2
At the fixture meeting on Monday evening the league secretary for Junior 2, amidst all the hurley burley of writing down the fixtures, did not spot this at the time.
Consequently whilst checking the fixtures at home he noticed this discrepancy and in discussion with Downpatrick and the other three clubs involved has resolved it by moving the Downpatrick II v CSNI II match to September 10th (a Saturday). Implementing this rule has proved a bit more problematic in the real world for some reason despite the majority of the leagues it applies to being only 8 teams.
So J Askin can rest easy in his bed tonight knowing that one of the big issues of local cricket has been resolved.
I’m now away off to find out the solution to an NCU team winning the Irish Senior Cup – this one may take me a bit longer.

If teams in Junior 2 are only allowed to arrange 2 MATCHES for a SUNDAY how can DOWNPATRICK arrange 3 SUNDAY FIXTURES..........15 May,19 June,and 14 Aug

Would just like to congratulate Bobby Rao also on his MBE...fully deserved..a great coach and a great man also..an example to clubs re the type of professional/coach local clubs should be trying to sign for the long term benefit of their club.

Robert, see you on 02/07/11 for the Templepatrick Vs Academy match up, 1sts 2nds and 3rds all on same day

Wells spoken Davy and I'm sure there are many people in local cricket who will join us in our congratulations. Bobby has been a great example of the true value of an overseas professional and many players all over Ireland have benefitted from his coaching and motivation. Sometimes he wasn't given the recognition he deserved but hopefully this gong will show him that some people in the right places appreciate what he has done for cricket and the community.
Well done Bobby!