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The Northern Cricket Union has announced the Northern Knights squads for the 2018 Hanley Energy Inter-Provincial 50 Over Series (IP50) fixture against North West Warriors, at Stormont, Belfast (CSNI CC), on Monday May 28th, and the Inter-Provincial Championship fixture against Leinster Lightning at The Green, Comber (North Down CC) on Tuesday 29th May to Thursday 31st May.
The Northern Knights will be captained by Shane Getkate, with Adam Dennison (IP50 only), Marc Ellison and James Magee (IP Championship only) named in the squad for the first time this season.
May 28th (Monday): IP50 - v North West Warriors at Stormont, Belfast - 10:45 am
• Shane Getkate (Captain)
• Adam Dennison
• James Cameron Dow
• Gary Kidd
• Graeme McCarter
• James McCollum
• Jacob Mulder
• Neil Rock (Wicket Keeper)
• James Shannon
• Alistair Shields
• Nikolai Smith
• Harry Tector
May 29th-31st (Tuesday to Thursday): IP Championship - v Leinster Lightning at The Green, Comber - 11:00 am
• Shane Getkate (Captain)
• Chris Dougherty
• James Cameron Dow
• Marc Ellison
• Gary Kidd
• James McCollum
• James Magee
• Jacob Mulder
• Neil Rock (Wicket Keeper)
• James Shannon
• Nikolai Smith
• Harry Tector
All requests for interviews should be made through the Angela Platt, NCU General Manager (028 90 522664 / 07713512315) or Northern Knights Manager Andrew Rose (07967580122).

Keith,
At this stage it can be difficult. Four were predictable, but there were three surprises, although CSN, Holywood and Downpatrick were confident. Depending on the draw there could be others to follow if the big names meet together.
Cup cricket can be exciting. The draw will take place on Wednesday at 6pm.

My Predictions in the Gallagher Challenge Cup are
Bangor v Downpatrick. Home Win
CIYMS v Armagh. Home Win
CSNI v Carrickfergus. Away Win
Derriaghy v Lisburn (12noon). Home Win
Holywood v Muckamore (11am). Away Win
Cregagh v Instonians (at Shaw's Bridge). Away Win
North Down v Donacloney Mill. Home Win
Waringstown v Woodvale (11am). Home Win

Can I also congratulate Hannah Grieve of Lurgan on her century v Waringstown which I believe was the first centurion in the Womens game in the NCU and how she is not even in the Super 3s is amazing.

Win for the Taverners in the border league season opener at Dungannon park.
A fantastic sunny evening for a cricket match.
Portadown Taverners won by 3 wickets.Luke Flannigan leading the charge with a tasty 30 runs.

Ed you must not have gotten my message re the predictions and how it turned out be a good day for the NCU sides with Muckamore and CIYMS beating LCU sides in Malahide and North County respectivly in the Senior Cup. In the National a shock in Templepatrick beating Terenure and others in Creagh and Lisburn also winning all of which I did not predict so Ed you must have been relived unlike your colleages in the NWCU were yet again they had a shocker. Time for an overhaul I would suggest. 19/25 matches right and roll on Saturday in the Gallagher Challenge Cup.

PS I read on this forum there is a new border league as mentioned by Alan in his posting what year did it start and where could I find results of the season ongoing

The Northern Cricket Union has announced the Northern Knights squad for the 2018 Hanley Energy Inter-Provincial 20 Series (IP20) fixture against Leinster Lightning, at Shaw’s Bridge (Instonians CC), Belfast, on Friday May 25th.
The current Hanley Energy Inter Provincial 20 Series champions are Leinster Lightning.
The Northern Knights will be captained by Shane Getkate, with James Shannon unavailable due to injury. Nathan Smith and Robert McKinley were unavailable for selection due to injury. Peter Eakin is the only change to the squad which was named for last weeks Twenty 20 opener against North West Warriors.
May 25th (Friday): IP20 - v Leinster Lightning at Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast - 5pm Start
• Shane Getkate (Captain)
• Mark Adair
• Peter Eakin
• Nigel Jones
• Gary Kidd
• James McCollum
• Jacob Mulder
• Neil Rock (Wicket Keeper)
• Alistair Shields
• Nikolai Smith
• Harry Tector
• Greg Thompson

Result predictions welcome (Keith)

23 May
Dungannon V (Portadown)Taverners
Monaghan V Clogher.

I noticed that Cavan recently beat Monaghan II.
Looks like another team for the Border League could be on the way.

Alan

Well Ed it is a while since my posting, a downer after those qualifiers in Zim to be a happy one after the Test it is now on to the cups and here are my predictions

My predictions in the Irish Senior Cup are as follows
Armagh v Balbriggan. Away Win,
Bready v CSNI. Away Win
Carrickfergus v Coleraine. Home Win
CIYMS v North County. Away Win
Clontarf v Brigade. Home Win
Cork County v Strabane. Home Win
Donemana v Merrion. Away Win
Eglinton v Leinster. Away Win
Fox Lodge v North Down. Away Win
Malahide v Muckamore. Home Win
Phoenix v Ardmore. Home Win
YMCA v Cork Harlequins. Home Win

My predictions in the National Cup are as follows
Bonds Glen v Lisburn. Home Win
County Kerry v Ballaghaderreen. Home Win
Cregagh v Newbuildings. Away Win
Drummond v Derriaghy. Home Win
Holywood v Sion Mills. Home Win
Laois v Killyclooney. Away Win
Laurelvale v DLR County. Away Win
Limerick v Longford. Home Win
Midleton v Knockharley. Away Win
Rush v Cliftonville Academy. Home Win
St Johnston v North Kildare. Home Win
Templepatrick v Terenure. Away Win

Railway Union v Burndennett game has been awarded to Railway Union

Ireland successful Test debut in many ways
Ireland may have lost by 5 wickets to Pakistan in their Test debut, but it can be viewed as a success in many ways. Finance apart, the players played their part and the Malahide ground was superb. Kevin O'Brien's century was magnificent, Stuart Thompson's half century and Ed Joyce stood apart with their batting, and the pick of the bowlers were big Boyd Rankin, Tim Murtagh and Thompson the impressive all-rounder. In truth, all the players had magical moments, although the hapless Andrew Balbinie had a nightmare. He bagged two ducks and a dropped catch might have changed the result in the closing hours. Alas, it was spilled, and the opportunity that Ireland dared to dream for a fleeting moment was gone. However, it was thrilling that Ireland might just have won against the formidable opponents of seasoned Test players. The world was watching!
Ireland has moved a long way in cricket, and we can proudly sit at the top table of international cricket.
Now we need to build a better bright future and maximize on this opportunity.

The Northern Cricket Union has announced the Northern Knights squad for the 2018 Hanley Energy Inter-Provincial 20 Series (IP20) fixture against North West Warriors, at Stormont, Belfast, on Friday May 18th.
The fixture was originally to be played at Middle Road, Carrickfergus, however due to the persistent rain in recent weeks the match has been transferred to Stormont. The NCU appreciates Civil Service Sports Association taking the fixture at short notice.
The Northern Knights will be captained by James Shannon, with Nigel Jones making a comeback in Twenty 20 cricket. Nathan Smith and Robert McKinley were unavailable for selection due to injury. Mark Adair returns to Inter Provincial action following his spell in England with Warwickshire County Cricket Club.
New additions to the Northern Knights squad for 2018 are former Leinster pair Harry Tector and Neil Rock. Both players represented Ireland at the Under 19 World Cup in New Zealand at the start of the year.
The current Hanley Energy Inter Provincial 20 Series champions are Leinster Lightening.
May 18th (Friday): IP20 - v North West Warriors at Stormont, Belfast - 5pm Start
• James Shannon (Captain)
• Mark Adair
• Shane Getkate
• Nigel Jones
• Gary Kidd
• James McCollum
• Jacob Mulder
• Neil Rock (Wicket Keeper)
• Alistair Shields
• Nikolai Smith
• Harry Tector
• Greg Thompson
Andrew White stepped down from his role as Northern Knights selector in January, following his appointment as Chairman of Selectors for the Ireland Men’s Team. Robin Haire and Ryan Eagleson continue in their role as selectors with the Knights.
All requests for interviews should be made through the Angela Platt, NCU General Manager (028 90 522664 / 07713512315) or Northern Knights Manager Andrew Rose (07967580122).

Northern Cricket Union - Welcome to Coaching Course
The NCU in conjunction with Cricket Ireland Coaches Association are delighted to announce they are running a Welcome to Coaching Course (old level 1) on Sunday 20th May. Clubs interested are invited to register a maximum of 2 people (per club) via Callum Atkinson (callum.atkinson@ncucricket.org). Places are limited on this course so please register ASAP to avoid disappointment.
The Cricket Ireland Welcome to Coaching Course is a starting point for people to get into coaching. This course is held over one day and is ideal for Primary/Secondary School Teachers, volunteers, and assistant coaches within junior club teams. Most Head Coaches for teams in clubs would be UKCC Level 2 qualified (which is the next step from a Welcome to Coaching course).
• Participants would be expected to develop their own coaching practices, principles and philosophies on coaching.
• Further development of small-sided games and drills specific to cricket.
• Offers options on the ‘type of practice’ that can be done e.g. fixed, variable, game-based learning.
• Develop an understanding to the needs of the players.
• Raises awareness of dealing with poor behaviour.
• Shows coaches how to deliver 60 minute long sessions.
• Introduces coaches to the “Coach’s Toolbox” e.g. Instruct, Explain, Demonstrate, Analyse, Evaluate, Feedback, Questions, Praise.
• Resources and follow up notes emailed to the participants following the course.
• Cricket Ireland Certificate on completion of the course
The NCU is keen to give as many cricket clubs in the area a chance to up-skill people and prospective coaches who might be getting involved with junior club coaching.
Course Details
Venue: Wallace High School, 12A Clonevin Park, Lisburn BT28 3AD
Date: Sunday 20th May 2018.
Time: 0945 - 1700
Cost: FREE for all participants. The course costs are kindly subsidised by the Sport NI Active Clubs programme.
How to apply: Register through the NCU Development Team (callum.atkinson@ncucricket.org)
Equipment required: Sportswear and trainers as you’ll be taking part in cricket drills, games and exercises (injury/health permitting) - Cricket Ireland will provide all the cricket specific equipment that is needed on the course. Bring a pen and a notepad as well if you would like to take down some notes on the day.
Further queries: Please contact your Development Officer.

Cricket Ireland AGM Sunday 29 April
A healthy attendance was held yesterday and history was created with a new President from the Women’s hierarchy following a long line of male dominance since 1924.
Aiden Rice from YMCA was warmly welcomed from ongoing Brian Walsh, a tireless worker in his term of office.
Cricket Ireland produced a very professional production at Ballymascanlon Hotel, near Dundalk. Chairman Ross McCollum was impressive when covering the long list of achievements since 2017, but in particular paid a handsome tribute to Chief Executive Warren Deutrom, who has been largely credited with attaining Ireland Test status. Deutrom spoke knowledgably about the future that is looming on Ireland cricket, and in particular, the visits of Pakistan and India and the new Headquarters on the horizon. His upbeat presentation had every reason because Ireland is on the threshold of reaching truly International status.

Local umpires in the forefront at Malahide
As we all know by now Ireland face Pakistan in the inaugural Test match on 11 May, but we now learn further honours have followed from local Officials.
Umpires Alan Neill and Mark Hawthorne are both included, which is a huge boost for the NIACUS. The other Officials are Englishmen Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth, who were embroiled in the turbulent series between Australia and South Africa. Beware of ball tampering!
Former England Test match player Chris Broad is the match referee.
Support Ireland on this memorable occasion.

NCU to Host Festival of Under 16 Cricket
The Northern Cricket Union (NCU) is to host a prestigious Under 16 Cricket Festival from August 13th-15th, in Belfast.
Following on from successful tours to festivals at St Alban's (U17) and Taunton (U11/U14) in the past two seasons, the NCU considered hosting their own inaugural event, with Campbell College Belfast as base.
Campbell College has agreed to host players and officials, with CSNI (Stormont) and CIYMS (Belmont) hosting the games over the three days. Teams from Yorkshire Schools Cricket Association, Cornwall Cricket Board and St Joseph's College will join the NCU in a round robin tournament.
Chairman of the NCU Alan Waite speaking about the forthcoming festival said, 'the NCU will warmly welcome our visitors from Cornwall, Yorkshire and St Joseph's School, Ipswich to our inaugural cricket festival. Our young cricketers, coaches and administrators have been hugely impressed by participating in similar festivals in England and Scotland over the past four years. With the support of Campbell College, to whom we are grateful for hosting the players and officials and also some grant funding from Belfast City Council, NCU staff have worked expediently to co-ordinate this exciting new chapter as part of our commitment to youth development within our region.
St Joseph’s College in Ipswich is where Mark Patterson (former Cliftonville Cricket Club and Ireland International) taught, and he was instrumental in the NCU U17 participation in the St Albans Cricket Tournament, in the last two years. Mark also encouraged their school rugby team to tour Northern Ireland, which they have done for the past few years. Ben Clements, who teaches at St Joseph’s, is a former Belfast Royal Academy (BRA) pupil, adding to the NCU connection.
Brian Walsh, Director of NCU Representative Cricket said, ‘it is great to see the development of Youth Cricket in the NCU over the past five years. A lot of credit must go to the Representative Directorate who are responsible. Full support to the development has been given by NCU chairman Alan Waite and our thanks go to a tremendous group of coaches and parents. The new venture this year of our Under 16’s Festival at Campbell College is an extension of our development where, instead of our young cricketers having to travel to England or Scotland, English counties are coming to Northern Ireland to play in our Festival. Great credit has to go to General Manager Angela Platt and Uel Graham for the organisation of the tournament. It is also a welcome development to work with Campbell College and to be able to use their excellent facilities’.
Robert Robinson MBE, Headmaster of Campbell College said, ‘we are delighted that the NCU has decided to hold its first ever residential festival at Campbell College this summer and look forward to welcoming the three teams from England to our campus. We are grateful for the strong partnership we enjoy with both the NCU and Cricket Ireland and look forward to watching some superb talent on display in East Belfast’.

Wilson Scott
It is with sadness throughout Ulster and Ireland cricket that we learned Wilson Scott has died at 90. He will be missed around Ballygomartin Road and further afield. Wilson was an integral part of a great Woodvale era, which included Ken Kirkpatrick, Larry Warke, Adrian Erskine, George Upritchard, Dennis Tunnah and Ronnie Berryman. He was also capped by Ireland several times and took great pride in playing down the teams after his prowess later declined. He loved Woodvale, and played a big part in its development within the administration. Edward Liddle has written an excellent Biography in Cricket Europe, which cannot be bettered and is worthy to recall his distinguished career.
To David and the family circle, we extend our sincerest Condolences.
Rest in Peace.