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The "controversial articles" penned by Bushe just seem to push whatever agenda he has that particular week, seen him blasting a fellow journo on social media for having the audacity to quote factual stats regarding Waringstown's recent struggles in 50 over games.... more faces than the Albert Clock!

Heard yesterday that Moorhead was unavailable. Not sure if he was contacted though

Topping was called up at 9 o'clock last night for Lee Nelson who was injured. Obviously replacing a spinner with a spinner. Morgan have been around the Knights sqaud over the winter without officially being in it, Simon Johnson has seen what he is capable of, I personally think it's a great opportunity for Morgan to test himself against what a team that contained 9 full internationals and having been there in person he did himself no disservice. I would go out on a limb and say Morgan would bat in the top 6 and would bowl 10 overs for any other club in the country.

However I do understand he is not playing consistent first XI cricket which does make his selection into the side very difficult. Another spinner was obviously needed in the team as John Matchett was left out. Curtis Moorhead is an impressive young spinner and has performed well recently although maybe he was contacted before Morgan and was unavailable? Hard to piece together a full story without all the facts.

Re James Hastings

What I'm saying is Morgan topping needs to do a lot more than perform in Junior 1 to earn a call up. He hasn't taken two wickets yet in a PL game and went round the park today. What about Zach Rushe? Is he not about 25/26? Even Curtis Moorhead took 25+ wkts last year bowling with 40 yard straight boundaries in every home game. how can topping have earned a go already? Apart from bias being the main reason.

Just found it bizarre. Dont think I'll be alone in scratching my head over this selection.

Re james

Why not play morgan topping a young cricketer who will gain great experience playing against better players. Who do you think the knights should select as a spinner?
Marty moreland or ryan eagleson,time to blood an exciting young talent like topping.
Look to the future.

Morgan Topping being selected for the Northern Knights is the biggest selection farce in the short history of the new Interpros. His best bowling figures this season are 1-27, and his highest score is 9. No doubting that he is a player for the future, but he has not earned the right to wear the Knights badge.

Simon Johnston said "Players will be selected on merit". What is the merit for this selection? He's not in the top 10 spinners in the NCU, or in the top 100 batsmen. Baffling. There are probably 70 premier league players more deserving of a call up than Morgan Topping.

You won't pick someone outside of the premier league but you will pick someone who's only proven at junior 1 level?Seems like in the New Knights regime the bias has simply switched from shaws bridge to the Lawn. Glad to see the general premier league bias being kept though. You could pick a section 1/2 under 23 team that would hammer that Emerging U-23 team. Which is another premier league biased farce.

Ross Adair
Patrick Park
Kyle Walsh
Mark Best
Ross Bryans
Jordan Fettis
Curtis Moorhead
Reece Malone
Matthew McCord
Chris Burns
Thomas Magowan
Jordan Wade
Ryan Smyth
Aaron Johnston

All these guys have scored substantial runs/wickets so far this season, and for a few seasons now.... And all more proven in senior cricket than Morgan Topping. Or does only premier league/Junior 1 count? I see the lightning and Warriors have no problem selecting division 2 players.

This is a topic that needs discussed on social media. Time for a controversial Ally Bushe article?

Nice change that a weekend has passed with some good scores and without much controversy over internationals getting hundreds etc.

Obviously Stirlo's 9 mates and Matty McCord can still win without him.

Here's to better times ahead !!

Re Ivans post on the cones: Fozzy seemed fairly upset by his dismissal in the cones incident, i wasn't there and am just being a bit nosey. If the cones were not the boundary then why were they there in the first place?

Colin I think the Internet just reflects real life . Some people are strong enough to come talk to you about an issue face to face and many are weak and talk behind your back.

Either way the information is useful and we can all learn from even apparent negative comments .

I always look for the good in a situation or at least how I can turn a negative situation into a positive note.

When someone I respect and like as in Michael Foster takes the time to pen a post like he has it would be daft to ignore it.

From that post I will now make sure we have no cones along that boundary . For ever and a day the fence has been the boundary as the ground is tiny enough without reducing it further but it's understandable that cones cause confusion .

It's the same with length of matches , starting times etc etc it's good to hear views expressed either face to face or behind backs . That way you can guage feelings .

On that topic in recent weeks I've had players approach me both young and mature saying " ask their captain can we play more overs ". I think people are starting to realise that the 20 / 25 over options restrict involvement .

How about a sub forum for those without a full name. Then those on the main forum will at least know who we are slagging/being slagged by and can ignore the rest?

Not really sure if this whole internet business is working out the way it was intended to be honest.

James
Well 55 people - be they captains or supporters -watching a cricket match is better than one man and a dog so that's good news! And just like you and me they're entitled to their opinion.
But why restrict your vitriol to just one club when (in your own words) and -based on your own criteria - you could be "making negative comments" about potentially dozens of clubs?
I hope that you don't by the way and that you can find it in you to adopt a more constructive approach.
Best wishes
Nile

Hi Jim from Belfast - please also consider the following -
1. Last time I looked muckamore had brought in at least 4-5 players through their pay to play system. Now I don't know the development pathway of all the players in the NCU Premier League but it seems to me that this compares favourably with their competitor clubs . Some Belfast teams (you're from Antrim Nile?) in recent years have consisted mainly of players recruited from other clubs there must be a different rule if you are from Antrim or do you forget offering money to players in section 1. I don't have any issues with that but your post cannot be considered balanced as you've chosen to overlook that;

2. How on earth can you have 55 ex-captains watching! surely you don't know the meaning of sarcasm. Even if you took the 6 muckamore teams and each captain retired once a year that would take only 10 years!!!!! I think what he is referring to is the muckamore supporters who voice their unequivocal knowledge from the sidelines each game.

3. I have an idea how many coaches are at Muckamore and its only 24 sorry Jim just a slight over-estimate.

Maybe you were being facetious or sarcastic rather than just inaccurate? An anonymous wind-up merchant. If so I don't see how you anyone could take your post as a serious contribution. It would be absurd to ever make any sort of negative comments regarding the 'GREAT MUCKAMORE'

Hi Jim from Belfast - please consider the following:-

1. The last time I looked the Muckamore club fielded at least 7-8 who developed through their youth system. Now I don't know the development pathway of all the players in the NCU Premier League but it seems to me that this compares favourably with their competitor clubs. Some Belfast teams (you're from Belfast Jim?) in recent years have consisted mainly of players recruited from other clubs. I don't have any issues with that but your post cannot be considered balanced as you've chosen to overlook that;

2. And how on earth could you have 55 ex-captains watching from the boundary? Even if you had one new captain every year that would take you to 1962 but with most serving several years then you need to find people from before WWII!;

3. I have no idea how many coaches there are at the Muckamore club but 35 seems may be an over-estimate. It would be great if there were though as we as an NCU community should be trying to develop the next international NCU players after Paul and Gary rather than sniping at each other. Don't you agree Jim?

Maybe you were being facetious or sarcastic rather than just inaccurate? An anonymous wind-up merchant. If so I don't see how you anyone could take your post as a serious contribution.

“Terry in Carnlough” - apologies , I didn’t catch your surname. If I have identified the correct person - I am guessing it wasn’t Millar as your shirt on Sunday seemed to suggest – then whilst I rarely contribute to this forum, there a couple of things in your post that I cannot let go unchallenged. Your unpunctuated, uncapitalised monologue may not be crystal clear, but you appear to be implying that I was undignified and unsporting. I will set out the facts and let readers form their own view.

Fact 1: I did hit the ball in the air as you outlined. It was a poor shot in the context of the game. I didn’t display the shot selection that you are claiming for yourself in your innings. At the time I must say that I opined your innings was remarkable, with a series of undignified swipes across the line, punctuated by top edges for six over the 30m boundary at cow, but on reflection I accept your effort was sublime.

Fact 2: One of your fielders caught the ball. It was a good take to be fair and although I initially wondered about his proximity to the boundary, I was prepared to accept he had caught it fair and square. There were quite a few people much closer than I was who were signalling 6 so I asked him as I walked off whether he was inside the boundary. Again, a fair catch was claimed, and despite the signalling from others, I was prepared again to accept his word.

Fact 3: The boundary at the ground consisted of 80% rope until about 10m away from the fence that protects the road. From there to the fence were about 6 cones. From the corner of the fence, right along the fence, and then after for a while, there was another series of cones placed about a foot to 18inches inside the fence.

So this is the part that left a sour taste in my mouth. When told that the fielder had caught the ball between the cones and the fence, I asked him again and he said he didn’t know where his feet where, but that it didn’t matter as, in his words, “the fence itself is the boundary”. This assertion was then supported by several of his teammates, and the description “local rule” was quoted. By this stage, I had left the field of play so you will know that I could not be recalled, given your intimate knowledge of the laws of cricket displayed so diligently when you were applying Premier League standards to wides in a Junior League 8 match until your captain told you to desist from said practice (you might want to familiarise yourself with NCU ByeLaw “n” before you don the white coat again in a JL8 match).

Flowing from this I have 4 simple questions, perhaps you know the answers
1. If the "local rule" is that the fence forms the boundary, why was there a series of cones placed a foot in front of it along its full length?
2. Why was the “local rule” not explained to our captain at the toss? Instead we were told about it in the 20th over of the second innings upon my dismissal.
3. Why had one of your players in the first innings, when asked by one of our guys fielding at the fence, told him that the boundary was the cones?
4.Why did a Muckamore stalwart, who has played many times on the back pitch, when asked by none other than the NCU CDO about the "rule", indicate that he knew nothing about it?

I have a view as to the answer to all those questions. It is why I felt aggrieved at the end of the game. It didn’t stop me shaking hands with most of your teammates and your captain, although I do not recall you coming anywhere near me to extend this courtesy. Maybe you wanted to be back first to the changing rooms for your self- congratulatory back slapping post game.

So "Terry in Carnlough", I will let readers determine where the bad sportsmanship and lack of dignity was displayed on Sunday. I have played cricket for 30+ years and this was a nadir for me in terms of behaviour and I had to explain to my young teammates who were perplexed with my dismissal that, thankfully, it is a rarity in local cricket and that they shouldn’t witness it in their careers as they move forward.

Finally, I want to apologise to some of the Muckamore guys who were enjoying a relaxing drink on Sunday – I was a bit grumpy with them and wasn’t in the mood for my normal post match pint. Some good guys up there and I’ve a lot of time for the likes of Giller, Andy Clement, big Ivan, Les and, yes, even Keato! Giller displayed some great sportsmanship in a match I umpired in last year when a player took ill, it is just a shame that in my view, it doesn’t appear that his attitude has fully filtered down to every member.

Was interesting to hear a young lad decided to holiday in Donaghcloney this summer, shame he isn't allowed to coach. Hope he gets the weather hes after