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Hatton, did you catch much using traditional methods or just bore the fish into submission?
Well done Cregagh Cricket Club in organizing and successfully completing a short tour to France. Overseas tours have become something of a rarity in Ulster cricket and most clubs seem to be more pre-occupied in winning cups or players heading off with the family in the middle of the season. It is great for club morale and club spirit to have a tour every so often and the benefits are ever lasting.
Well done Cregagh!
Sorry guys I’ve been on holiday for a few weeks in the West of Ireland doing some fishing but I’m sure you didn’t want me to state the obvious and point out the clubs left in the Irish Senior Cup. This is getting embarrassing and I think the best chance northern teams have to win these days is in the bowl-outs!
Here we go again with Jason Molins!
However, I think he has gone too far this time in his article with Ian Callender by naming some players he doesn’t think should be in the team. How could he be welcomed back into the team after going public by stating that he thinks he’s better than at least half the players being picked. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot!
Another Ireland squad, another lack of North West players. An Inter-provincial/County Championship style tournament is now a must for a couple of reasons:
1 To highlight the talents of the better NW players
2 To highlight the gap between the respective Unions (wake-up call for the North)
3 Stepping stone to International cricket etc etc
Potential bowl-outs in the NCU Challenge Cup – what a load of nonsense! Who came up with this? No respect at all for the most prestigious competition around…
The rule change David, like any other, was passed at an NCU AGM.
I see the ICU have mended their ways with regard to ticket prices for the series involving West Indies. So the crowds will flock to Clontarf, the Southerners will crow about the size of the attendance and slam the Northern supporters. Personally I would have gone to Stormont if it had been a bit cheaper…
Could one of the selectors please tell Big Phil that David Kennedy hasn't retired form international cricket! What more must the guy do to get a call-up?
Shame we didn't see Gary Kidd in action at the weekend but his time will surely come...
I hope they don't play the Twenty20 final on the wicket they used at Shaw's Bridge on Saturday!
Good luck to Gary Kidd this weekend. What a great chance to stake a claim for a regular place, playing against some of the best batsmen in the world.
What about a representative Northern Ireland cricket team to offer our top players exposure at a higher level. There are some good players out there and they aren’t all in the Irish frame or U23 for that matter. I’m sure a tour could be organised, part financed by the players, unions etc that would give these guys good exposure and increase their chance of making it to the full Ireland team. Come on The Ulster Cricketer, lead the way!
Is it just me or our we burying our heads in the sand re the all NCU Ulster Cup semi-finals? I understand the stance with the Irish Cup given the southern hemisphere domination but surely we need to at least keep pace with our Ulster rivals! The results in this competition have in my opinion been more disappointing than the ISC…
Paul Hatton - I truly wish you had introduced yourself to our support- i really do. N.Down did not play well on saturday, id say that was about 60% of our normal standard. Having Ryan Haire suspended - who should be in the Ireland squad by the way and then his da being suspended also didnt help but on the day Phoenix won hands down - though i dont think they will progress to much further to be fair.
P.S Phoenix Park has gone way down standard wise from previously. Not a very enticing place to play cricket.
All good points Clarence as I'm sure you are more in touch with Indies cricket than most.
I'm just going on soundbites from Clive Lloyd, Brian Lara, Sir Viv on TV recently that there has been politics (i.e. in selection) in the past and I believe has contributed to Windies downfall. Also lots of others factors as you mention.
Just trying to make the comparison that Irish cricket will go backwards if there is similar politics creep in.
