Forum

Re Old Codger (Andy i think)

You were not the "wise men" from the "east" I was refering to.

do we have to spell it out for ya...?

Merry Christmas pal

Mr Anonymous - get out your map of Northern Ireland and check where Buckna is. Its certainly not in the west!! The thrust of my earlier posting was the way in which the professional game was mis-managed in its initial stages at Ravenhill and my concerns that cricket isn't allowed to go the same way.

Re:- very concerned cricketer...

Completely agree mate, virtually everyone does.

And there's a strange contradiction also - for at this time of year...apparently wise men are supposed to come from the east...!

In reference to Mr Kennedy's remarks I would stress that many Senior Cricket Clubs also seem to be going down this avenue, spending well beyond their means and sacrificing other areas of club development to satisfy their short term thinking and thirst for success on the field.

Having experienced playing for such a team I would stress that this approach will never achieve success, having been witness to some pathetic displays of teamwork in my short time at one such club (batting order selected on £earned...dont laugh!)

Surely it is time for a certain few individuals to stop scouring the net (yes you know who you are) and recruiting these, in the main, average players holding irish passports, who are hindering the progression of some fine young players that we currently have throughout our clubs, giving them the potential/opportunities to develop appropriately!

Whilst the amounts at this momment in time are incomparable with rugby, surely it wont be long before we see clubs spending in excess of £50,000 on their teams.....or may this already have been the case within both the NCU and North West Leagues last season????

Dundrum cc xmas draw results
1 John fishfarm Smyth Dundrum
2 Ria Watson Dundrum
3 Charlie Mcstay Down Recorder
4 Chloe Connor Dundrum

Many thanks too all who supported and help raise well over 1000£ for Dundrum cc

Clarence - so you went to see the only Ulster rugby side that plays at Landsdowne Road? - always a trick quiz question that! Ards - v- Instonians - bit of a crowd puller alright, eh!! As rugby is now in the "professional" era the top players are being paid, and in some instances eye-watering amounts, to play for Ulster. As someone associated with junior club Randalstown the problem as I see it is that some of the Senior rugby clubs have put themselves into dire financial straits of, in some instances, 6- figure overdrafts to compete in the likes of the All-Ireland league. Crazy things like paying guys £50 to sit on the bench & come on for the final 10 minutes - 5 subs x £50 + the payment of the starting lineup. It is a few years since I reffed at Ards but I recall a clubhouse that really required a huge face-lift but perhaps the money has gone in other directions. I only use Ards as an example but there are other instances in the Belast & mid-Antrim areas of collosal overdrafts. The availability of "contracted" players is another bone of contention and I just hope that the great and the good who administer Cricket Ireland have the nous to see what has happened in rugby and learn from it.
P.S. - perhaps Mr. Strauss should have a good look at Jeff's "advert" - might be the only chance he gets to hold an Ashes trophy next year!!

The following is my 'Pledge of Honour' and new years resolution.

I Vic Johns, being of sound mind and high pedigree hereby do solemnly promise to teach cricket to the unbeliever and to bring pleasure to the already converted, but if there still be an unbeliever with discerning eye, then perhaps by watching me play cricket for Victoria cricket club in Lurgan Park, then some of these virtues may help explain the joy, enthusiasm and comaraderie the game brings to so many ! Amen.

Happy Christmas & New year to the editors and readers of the Ulster Cricketer.

Anyone looking a superb XMAS present OR ANYTIME CRICKET gift contact Ronnie Mcalpine 07835669019 he has made superb REPLICA ASHES URN COST 25£ . PS believe me they are the BIZZ as i even bought one. HAPPY XMAS

Merry Christmas to all the forumites from the Ulster Cricketer and may all you dreams come true in 2011.
Best wishes,
Clarence and Peter

Andy, I'm told by someone 'in the know' that the delegates at that club that will be given written instructions next year and they will read them just before the vote to refresh their memory!
On Ulster rugby I'm told most senior league players are now professionals and having paid a fiver to watch Ards versus Instonians a few months ago I felt it was a charity donation. The gate money certainly didn't pay the bills. At least that's one thing they have in common with cricket.

I agree with both Mr. Anonymous & Ivan McCombe on this one. Ulster club rugby has come to grief on the altar of "Club Ulster" where there is now a meaningless Senior League & an even more meaningless Senior Cup. Allied to this is an even more meaningless Town's Cup (and before anybody says otherwise I would refer them to the Ballymoney - Rainey semi-final last season where the referee blew up 15 minutes into the 2nd half when the "Toon" were 70= points up). I disagree with the statement that there are not enough Premier teams. There were 10 last season albeit of "mixed" abilities with 3 at the top and the rest were also-rans. One could ask "does success folow the money?" as in the Premier League in English soccer. The results reflect that the answer is "no". My only worry is that, as in rugby, the more junior sides will be left behind. P.S. - Mr. Ed. - as I posted earlier (and I wasn't at the AGM) I heard a wee whisper that not all "voters" followed the party line. But maybe I heard wrong!!

Ref anon..
I think there is a muddying of the waters the roadshows of which you speak where in regards to the changes in junior cricket, your post then goes on to discuss senior cricket and eight team leagues,
The changes to junior cricket if passed where passed with large majorities and comments where expressed at how well they had been communicated and presented. So i think there is a need to clarify your concerns perhaps to the hierarchy within your club and encourage them to vote accordingly at the agm role on next years ( i think we should sell tickets)

Ref the " Roadshows ". I would have thought that given the fact that over 80% of the clubs entitled to attend did so doesn't smack of Apathy to me.
Also those representing the individual clubs were in the main leading officials or team captains and healthy debate took place.
The meetings were all chaired in such a way that all views were not only heard but discussed at length.

Well said Mr. Anonymous. You have your views and you are entitled to air them, even under the cloak of anonymity. I accept why some people don't want to be named, but on a point of information we have only censored personal and offensive emails and they have been few and far between this year. The next AGM won't change anything as the delegates will go there with mandated voting instructions from their clubs so any campaign for change has to be done before you get there. Good luck because Mr. Apathy is a tough nut to crack. Personally I don't think eight team leagues will do much for the national cause so I wasn't totally bought on that argument, but I do think we are fooling ourselves if we believe we have ten teams of premier standard. As for the North-West comment give us a break! They are limping further and further behind and with only half of their clubs present at the AGM you can see Mr. Apathy has no bounds!

RE - THE TAIL SHOULDN'T WAG THE DOG

Firstly -I apologise for my Anonymity and to all those who get particularly worked up by such postings - It is a basic Human right to adopt such a stance...!

Secondly - I do hope this gets published, as censorship seems alive and well on this forum at times...!

Clarence,
I like many others respect your view, however the "sucess" of the "Roadshows" was more Due to apathy of attendance, than understanding or representitive debate.
There is no doubt a failing exists within our sport and that the "silent apathetic majority" failed to realise just what was happening - being proposed and ultimately being passed.

Anonymous or otherwise, I, like the vast majority or my 1st XI team mates am utterly bewildered by this decision.
Furthermore, we knew little or nothing of the proposals until the final hour...
Probably due to our admitted fore mentioned Apathy - Can you blame guys however, who just want to "play the Game" instead of getting embroioled in "politics".

As has been stated many, many times before - this structure is solely for the benefit of meaningless competition, the national team - and is at at the expense of the vast overall cricketing fraternity/majority.
I have no objections to the senior and national establishment tweeking till the cows come home - but why oh why did they have to meddle with the rest of us...?

Ask youselves, why did the NW bin this nonsense - not too hard to workout i'd have thought.

Clarence, I respect you trying to offer a sense of sobriety on this subject, however there is nothing sober about it.

Roll on next years AGM