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TAITO,Do i detect &bit off JEALOUSY regardind derrick mccann jnr as last year in game u changed wicket keeper 4 times (even GENIUS still be as better that that lol).i just no that that in games last year that derricks displays with the gloves were according too the umpires who do lots section 1 games were as good as johny bushe,hi PRAISE INDEED!!!a lot has been said bout our wickets let me say this GOOD PLAYERS ADAPT &PLAY ON ANY SURFACE we had 1000runs scored in 1weekend last year.yes it not as true &fast as STRANGFORD ROAD but when u have a river that floods THE MEADOW every year its as good as we ever gone get it.professionals micheal clarke ,kemetar too name few all scored big hundreds&daniel gledhill got best 96 ive seen,really point im tryen 2 make is that if YOUR GOOD ENOUGH YOU will .ps neil gelston always scores runs dundrum (hope hes away )rumours abound you bowling half volleys in nets ?WHAT EVER HAPPENED TOO YOUR LONG HOPS &FULL TOSSERS. LOL (NEVER LAUGHED AS MUCH SINCE doctor told me i could start DRINKING AGAIN.LOL

Bumper "moral high ground" Dale!!!

Billy, whilst i tend to agree with you that the general level of on the field sledging etc has been on the increase for a few years, you my old friend can be as guilty of it as the next man as North Down have witnessed on quite a few occassions over the past few years and as staffy pointed out on a previous post.

Remember the ulster cup final last year? You spent the entire second innings on the boundary edge shouting very audibly "this is easy" and "just too good, just too good" on a ridiculous amount of occassions!!!

The game you mention in your post between N Down and Inst that got heated, is that the game PC gave you a send off and you turned straight back and complained to the umpires? If you dish it out Bill you gotta take it back mate. I dread to think of the amount of times we have all heard you shout "too good for you" just as you've practically released the ball to the batsman!!

Mostly all good fun with you of course Bill but as i said earlier if you dish it out you gotta take it when it comes back at you!!

Hope you have a great season with the master race Bumper and im sure i'll see you during the season.

great craic boys between downpatrick and dundrum, will definetly take in one of these games during the season.dont underestimate saintfield guys as myself and t.khan have seen at first hand that they have several young good ones who should do very well in section 2 indeed they are ready for section 1, hopefully with saintfield in the near future.

ps.jeff dundrum t.martin tells me royal county star easter monday irish grand national get ur mortgage on it.

Re. PC and Staffy's comments.
Yes Bowlers should have an arsenal of one liners. Here are a few of mine- 'A good batsman would have edged that one!' and 'If you're looking for the ball its in the keeper's gloves !'
Good banter and no need for abusive language.
Staffy's comment about 'rabbits'
My good friend Mr. Chief groundsman Moreland of the Green was playing for ND seconds with me and as they foolishly had made me captain I was batting at number 6. As I went out to bat the comment was made 'Well if a rabbit is at number six what does that make us?' The answer given 'FERRETS' THAT'S WHAT GOES IN AFTER THE RABBIT.
Hence the Ferret Club was establihed and all players who have batted below me in the order are members!!!

Jeff , yeah i heard you had a sri lankan it will be inteesting to see how he settles in and gets used to the wickets at dundrum. No doubt he will help though.
Rodney, i dont think there was ever any doubt that you were good enough pal, i am gutted im missing the game at our place because i am sure the banter will be electric.
John, i am sure saintfield and dundrum will compete against most teams especially on their own patch, it is a tough league though so it will be interesting to see how you get on, and how we get on.
Terrible news to hear that Derrick wont be playing against us!!

Good to hear from you John. The craic was great last year between us not to mention me bowling the final over and phil murray skying one....what a game. I have played in a few nail biters in my time (about 6 for downpatrick) but that was a match that will live long in the memory. Not sure what the funniest thing was Gavin stumbling back to get murray caught or Jeff slapping sparky into the big tree at the river for 6 FIRST BALL! Classic! and here is me having to close my eyes every time the ball is hit at him - his eye sight is terrible but i guarantee that he could still and may well have to still bat....The man is an absolute legend and for those of you who dont know him you will get to know him....He's the big fat hairy man who used to walk around the ground with a pint and shout No Pro - No Show, Pro's out!!!!! (yes we are getting a pro this year!). As for the matches between us and also Downpatrick i'm getting the feeling that they will be show piece matches which will hopefully generate a bit of interest in the area. The media have already promoted the games so i think its up to the clubs to make the local aware that these are big games.

Obviously losing Derrick McCann was a big blow for us for it will be very difficult for us this year but I do think that with the strength in depth that Sainfield have they will shock a few.

Rumour has it that Neil Gelston is away to CIYMS? Any truth? Apparently for 6k as someone mentioned on Cricket Europe forum. Am slightly surprised at a figure like that being paid for someone who has been good the past few years but not exceptional. Ah well I say fair play to the lad if he can get it and perhaps he's looking to play at the highest standard anyhow.

CIYMS have really raised the bar this year with the money being talked about. I may be entirely wrong but just quoting what ive heard.

Over and out....

STAFFY(tink i no u long 2 enuff 2 call u that .lol)not a LEGEND just played 35 years at dundrum &was capt twice winning 2 mid ulster MCGREADY CUPS beating THE NEDD &BONDS GLEN (by god do they play hard&drink like (FISH),but best game 4me was after 2 brain operations(yes they cudnt find it 1st time) i got GUARD OF HONOUR at academy on my return 2 section3!!i did shed a tear until davy greenlees said some get this RABBIT out so we can win(was funny).RE JOHN,bay inn was the place 2 have the craic(that great umpire peter whyte drank 30 pints in a 10 hour stint wen game was washed out)landlord wants him down here as often as possible.lol.john&mark what clubs you from?just tink be nice 2 no!!RE john wheeler i paid a FERRY 2 get u home as u said u were joining us.lol john we will have some craic this year no MATTER what results are as not enough players enjoy our SPORT as its not all about winning!!ps its your round or will i post a TRANSFER ON THE NEXT FERRY?CRETE will win at doncaster just needs RAIN.

Well said Billy. My reference was not to highlight this particular match but to highlight the fact that the NCU acted and the action they took. The situation is widespread and needs to be addressed. Last year I chatted with a very distinguished Waringstown veteran (he used to hit both you and me all over the place) and he told me he rarely watched the game these days because of all the unsporting behaviour and gamesmanship. Again, nice words for cheating. Wouldn't it be nice if clubs made public statements that they have zero tolerance for such behaviour and then made it happen?

A few years ago Peter Maxwell was coming into bat when Billy Dale said 'here come the rabbits now'. Pete replied with 'that's a bit rich coming from someone who's nickname is Bumper!'
Classic

Billy,
the umpiring was surely worse than the banter? players who should have been out have/will always receive grief while they are still batting, how each team deal with it is half the challenge. with rivalry and competitive matches there will and should be a place for a few verbals. sometimes less articulate players may go over board in the heat of it but shake hands, accept any punishment and move on? what is a fast bowler without a few handy one liners?

RE Jeff Maguire

May i just say that I wish Dundrum every success in Section 2 this season and hope you are able to stay up. I have enjoyed playing at Dundrum on a number of occasions and also had the privilege of staying in the Bay Inn for a night after a match(however the owner left after closing and locked us in - we had to serve ourselves pints and cheese for breakfast!!!)

Sri Lankan pro this year - are you putting him up in the Bay Inn??

Good luck anyway and keep the tips coming!

Good to see everyone getting their retaliation in first as is customary in Northern Ireland. I just want to echo what is being said on this forum about looking forward to the upcoming season. We know at Saintfield that we're in for a hard challenge this year, but we're not just looking to survive. We want the rest of the teams to show that we can play a bit as well. Taito, you might just be surprised about how competitive ourselves and Dundrum are having played against them for the last couple of years. They just do not give up no matter the match situation. Indeed the match last year at the Meadow was one of the most keenly fought games I've played in. I recall Jeff and Sparky shaking hands a few overs from the end and settling for a tie(I was never run out by the way shocking decision). The best thing for me about Dundrum is the craic with the guys after the match and the way they play the game. I still can't recall how I got home last year, I must have swam to Portaferry.

Clarence,
You mentioned an ill-tempered game Inst.v. N.Down and several Inst. players being suspended. I must point out that the cup semi-final at Comber involving both teams a few weeks earlier was an even worse exhibition of poor sportsmanship, verbal abuse and 'toys out of the pram' behaviours.
All witnessed by the umpires who failed to intervene in any way.
We must empower umpires to strongly intervene and 'stamp out' such antics and that players reported are automatically suspended.There should be no place for these displays of poor sportsmanship.
Let's play cricket as it should be played - competitively but sportingly!!!

Folks,

Classic banter on the site...much better than cricket europe forum, pity others didnt tune in and reply.

As for this season, there is no doubt it will be very tough for us to stay up. If we had Derrick McCann and another player we thought we had (until he resigned from his job) then i would have no doubt we would have stayed up. Without these players it will be very tough and makes my job all the harder. I must say having played for Downpatrick as well as Darren McCann and Alan Tormey and the others who want to prove they are good enough, it makes for an intriging few matches and I suggest people should look up the fixtures and note the dates in their diary.

One other thing, we may only be a village team but the amount of work our committee has put in over the winter has been nothing short of amazing. I hope when teams visit Dundrum they will see the benefits of all the hard work.

Taito looking forward to seeing the guyes at Strangford Road again although i wont be home til late saturday morning as I will be in Tenerife.

Jeff, you're a legend! It's true I've never played at Dundrum more's the pity. I think you guys will do ok. Your results last year showed you can play and a pro will help.

With D McCann away to Derriaghy will mean they have their first decent cricketer without a 'Van' in his name. The grapevine says they have replaced the Van Der Merwe brothers with Ford Van Transit and Hertz Van Hire both were living in the Boucher Road. Rumours have it they're working in a KFC. Apparently it's a specialist job and those skills can only be flown in from the Cape or Northern Transval or something. Any sign of local boy Freddie Van Der Burgh to pick up his player of the year from 2005 yet?