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hello , andy b here down under in the outback. If a splash the cash premier league club is going to pay me this year its the first i've heard of it. I am gutted that i'll not be back in time for the dundrum cup tie away to waringstown at the beginning of the season, its one of the nicest grounds in the country and a big match in the context of dundrums history.

I'm looking forward to next season and another "summer", given that a cold day where i am in new south wales is around 30 to 32 degrees, with heatwaves of 40+ degrees. Also looking forward to seeing the lads from other teams (cliftonville, muckamore, hollywood etc) and renewing friendships after the games!

I hope the cold weather hasnt caused too much disruption and hope to see you all this season.

Ps i am sick of listening to the australians digging themselves out of holes and hope somehow the pakistanis will beat them in this test match!

Andy Bassett

sorry Eddie - you miss my point - how many members of the "home nations" teams, apart from England, play in the Premiership? And how can you really call "nearly" as a sucess. Rewriting the history books? Maybe you're too young to recall the days when NI reahed the World Cup finals.

yes Nile - I freely admit to being a dinosaur. I long for the days when "we" played "them" without any carpetbaggers, when umpires decisions were accepted without question (or this nonsense of a "referral" that I don't understand, when matters were decided on the pitch not by lawyers in committee rooms, when rugby referees penalised foul play instead of "coaching", when only Ulstermen played for Ulster instead of guys whose name I can't pronounce, when REAL players didn't have to be rehydrated every 5 minutes, when teams "socialised" after the games, etc. etc. Speaking of "the old days" I picked up a programme the other night about point-to-point races at Comber. Disappointed that Millar O'Prey or Dessie Hyles didn't feature - now those WERE the good old days! So come on-try to convince me that things are better now. On a different subject, I find it interesting that Australia, S.A., India, Pakistan, etc. don't have to trawl the world looking for "foreign" players apart from the big lad McCague from Larne who played for the Aussies. Wonder why that is?!

Andy are Ireland not producing better youngsters than ever before?? Ireland our competing in international cricket, the game is moving forward!

Also Northern Ireland football team have recently rewritten their history books in recent years narrowly missing out on world cup, how is this demise of international football in NI, Republic also unlucky to miss out!

Andy - reality wind up man - kennedy
The "reality" is that Ireland are playing competitive matches in the world cup - not against the bloody free forresters and the old wellingtonians a state to which you would have us regress.
Nile Smith Muckamore

Paul Flemming,
Paul, don't you realise,the CIYMS South African 'Pro' is not really injured???
He's away over to his home land; to get on the English test team.
They need all the help they can get!!!

"Tee,hee,hee'eeeeeee!!!!!!!

I have just read on their website that CIYMS star South African pro for the new season has pulled out due to an injury.

They could be in trouble!

Ah dear,dear; looks like the poor English Contingent fella has spoke to soon. England 180 all out! He,he & he!!

Good to see that several of the Irish International players are getting full-time contracts, a positive step in the right direction and should encourage more local talent to come through the system.
That's how I see it anyway!

don't have green-tinted glasses but I certainly have "reality" glasses. I simply ask how the imported players have improved our game at local level? England cricket has followed the example of English soccer where imported players have meant that there is little scope for local youngsters to be "scouted". The demise of the international sides in Northern Ireland, the Republic, Scotland & Wales are as a result of the "big" sides going for the quick fix rather than local development. A similar situation exists in County Cricket - Colpeck players etc., so local English cricketers aren't getting the same opportunity to play at the highest level and develop to Test standards. Of course the change of emphasis in schools away from competitive team games is another contributory factor. And I'm not going to start on the millions that have gone out of the country over the past 30 years of the professional "coach" in Irish cricket.

So much for the South African contingent within the England team. At least the English (born) players are showing some grit this morning in Jo'burg.
Eddy - used this argument before with Andy, but he can't see past his green tinted glasses

Welcome to "Eddie" from "Antrim". Perhaps you haven't been on the site too long or you would be well appraised of my views on overseas players, etc.

born in SA and regards himself as English - maybe there#s too much competition for the SA squad!

Am i missing something here Andy??

AC Botha , JP Bray , DT Johnston, D Langford-Smith , MJ Fourie , Thinus Fourie, AR Cusack , R Strydom , P Connell , PS Eaglestone , AD Poynter , RM West.

12 "foreign players" who have represented Ireland in one day cricket in the last 4 years! I dont think we are in any position to pass judgement on England!

"Miller said yesterday: "We have got to get to the stage where we are very careful on that [the number of South Africans in the England team], and we will be. I wouldn't say he's the last but we will monitor it. But Craig has passed all the criteria required to be an English cricketer. He has proved his worth, that's why he's there. He has developed his game, he's a strong character so he fits all the bills from an England point of view. South Africa talked to him and he said 'I'm English, I want to play for England'."
Andy, don't nit-pick when quoting. Above is the full comment by Miller. Particularlly pleasing is the last sentence.

at the risk of being labelled racist (again!) and to clarify - the player to whom I referred in an earlier posting is Craig Kieswetter and my reading of Miller's comments was "Craig might not be the last but we'll monitor it". (Daily Mail 11/1). As he has a South African father and a Scottish mother I'm not totally convinced that, in common with the southern players such as Morgan & O'Brien, he would regard England as the "mother country". Or maybe the Scots that I have met over the years are in a minority!