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I realise that it was "rebranded" some seasons ago - but real cricketers call it section 1! See the postings last year about relegation to "Section 2"? Funny how things change about grading of grounds! I remember the times when the "total facilities" would have been taken into consideration.

REf Ryan

JTs batting average of 16.14 definitely frightened me all of last season haha

The batting power possessed by North Down on paper is just scary.... Haire, Montgomery, Robertson (fresh from a ton v England Lions) Khan, Sutherland, Shields, Terrett and Russell.

Could be a few bowlers absent/injured on the weekends their clubs happen to play North Down!

ref Andy

News not reach Buckna that the N.C.U. leagues have been rebranded, it's all Premier leagues and all that now.

ref James

Cliftonville had covers at greenisland and roller and sightscreens , just no ground!

robin haire;

david cheater is away back to new zealand with his wife. as for your side listed there you have 12! interesting to see who will miss out when pc plays for you! something tells me a certain mr mckenna who gained an irish cap last year maybe under pressure??

Cricket Ireland Annual Report - Seeing Double.

If we agree that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then we must congratulate Jim Bennett in having all but the opening paragraph and the final sentence of his extensive Youth Report 'incorporated' into the Cricket Committee Report thus extending the report of this self-declared 'engine room of cricket operations' to two pages rather than one.
Better that the Chairman had followed the lead of the Finance and Women's reports in employing that time honoured student tactic..... "when you have haven't got a lot to say increase the size of the typeface!"

Davy
How come Cliftonville didn't have covers at Greenisland?!

Davy Hamilton and his "section one rivals" - did nobody tell you Davy!!?

Ref: Cliftonville and Mallusk

Good news for all our section one rivals this season, we managed to get the square at Mallusk rolled before the rains arrived, With a roller and covers will be interesting to see how it plays this year

big davy moira

wheres the millpark express gone,would have thought he deserved a place after some useful spells last season

probable ndcc 1st xii

ry haire
j montgomery
i robertson
t khan
a sutherland
p shields
j terret
n russell
m moreland
g mckenna
m dalzell
p connell

i am sure dungannon cricket club is glad that the venue of the country fest as been moved to the kings hall after the state their ground was left in after last years event.

looking forward to the new season. I hear kyle mccallan will only be playing 9 matches for waringstown this year. well if he is in for us this might be the team!
in batting order

James Hall (vc)
Lee Nelson
Tharaka Kottehewa
Kyle McCallan
Johnny Bushe (c) (wk)
Peter Hanna
Andrew Cousins
Simon Harrison
Gary Kidd
Stuart Kidd
Simon Stokes

Can't wait for the new season!

Ryan, you did well sticking with that article and getting to the end where some sense finally appeared. Staffy's suggestion is good for us but not likely to happen for a lot of reasons. There's no issue with players bettering themselves but there is a conflict of interest when it comes to dual nationality and being able to qualify and subsequently re-qualify. You shouldn't be able to negotiate your nationality and while some people might find that "bigoted" or "ignorant" it is a fact of life. Look at other sports like football, rugby etc. They don't have a residential qualification. Maybe the ICC should ask big Jack Charlton to sort it out as he was the greatest producer of Irish internationals in the modern era.

R.E Paul Stafford article on Cricket Europe on Irish born players representing England

Paul has stated as follows...

"The four year residency period must remain for cricketers moving from full member countries or associates. However a cricketer who has played for an associate nation without having to undergo a residency period should be free to return to the associate with immediate effect if they are not required by the full member.

In other words, Ed Joyce would not have to serve 4 years to return to play for the country of his birth. A similar situation should apply to Eoin Morgan if he was picked and then discarded by England. Indeed Denmark I’m sure would warmly welcome Amjad Khan should the situation arise. However someone like Regan West who has qualified for Ireland through residency would have to re-qualify for Ireland if subsequently was selected and discarded by a full member"

Clear talking and total common sense that suits all parties, why cant the powers that be have a long hard look at this issue. Mr Stafford get applying for some ICC posts!

The only change to Pauls well thought out suggestion I would make that is you have to serve a 6 month "probation" period before returning to your original "Junior/assoicate" nation e.g Amjad Khan would have to wait 6 months before playing for Denmark again after representing England in the one dayers in the West Indies.

Will it ever change? Doubtful. Which is extremely bad news for Ireland

There must be a better way for dealing with the Ed Joyce and now the Eoin Morgan situation and I think it is an ICC decision. It is one thing to have dual nationality by birth but another to 'earn' it over four years and then win it back after another four years.
The situation is absurd and a joke in modern sport.