Forum

Read your article on the Irish Senior Cup and don't think you have it right at all. The Dublin clubs are well ahead of the northern clubs in ability and only a home draw will see the North-West teams advance. North Down has the best chance on paper but they were well hammered at Rush last year and haven't set the world on fire much this season. Until the northern teams stop complaining and starting playing better they won't beat anyone!

Big Phil
Just like to congratulate big Phil and the Ireland team on their success. It was a tough start for the Ireland coach but a 'home' game at Grace Road and easier opposition should show everyone that it's not the coach's fault if Ireland can't beat the full-time counties. Give the man time to get his act together and you'll see progress.

What about a County Championship style tournament to be the next level up from club cricket?
We could alter it a little to have teams from Down, Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Tyrone/Fermanagh and a team from Belfast.
Two round-robin groups of three, the winners playing in a final. Two games each, three for the finalists.
I’ll kick it off with a Belfast selection:
1 R McCann
2 J Stevenson
3 A White
4 N Jones
5 R West
6 W Horwood
7 D Heasley
8 J Hewitt
9 S Wells
10 A Coulter
11 I Cleland

If anyone has any decent digital photos of any cricket in the NCU or North West (Senior, Junior, Schools etc), then please feel free to forward them to us if you would like them to be published on the site.
Thanks
peter@theulstercricketer.com

ed
if i may use your forum just to say a very big thanks to all at lurgan cc for a wonderful welcome and the wonderful hospitaity we received last sat.

malahide cc loves a trip, especially in the isc, and we have made many friends right around the country via this competition, which is now very aptly named after bob kerr, a great friend of cricket, and we will not forget the very special and warm reception we all, players and supporters alike, received from all the members of lurgan cc.

jm pryor
ps
a big thanks to the gentleman who gave the girls a lift to and from the shopping centre and a few lads a lift to and from the pub (when the match was delayed due to rain of course!!)

Re James

You might have a point there, there seems to be distrust between the two unions.
I think the next logical step would be an expansion of the Ulster Cup - maybe two groups of 4 with semis and a final?

Re Michael Johnston
I don't think the North-Westers are as keen on an Ulster League now as they were a couple of years ago. Maybe they don't think their cricket is as strong now?
Seems to me that if the North West propose it then the NCU will reject it and vice versa!

Watched the World Cup and Ireland's heroics and wondered why there were no Irish umpires on the ICC panel? Seems like they could have done a better job than the so-called experts at the final who didn't even know the most basic rules! Are the Irish umpires not allowed to participate because they are 'minnows?'

Good luck to Phil Simmons in his new job with Ireland. He was a great player with the West Indies and maybe if he does well with Ireland he could come back and help us! Ireland showed us what can be done with everyone pulling together and big Phil will have a tough act to follow.

I read somewhere a book was being written by Trent Johnston on Ireland's
World Cup campaign. This is a great idea and could make some money for the
players but is it a personal book or a team effort?

It seems that the debate on an Ulster league has bitten the dust and the NCU 'visionaries' have gone to ground because they failed to get the support of their flock at the road-shows. Is this the end of the initiative or is something else in the frame? Surely it can't be all or nothing, and if we aren't ready for an Ulster league then can't we get something going with the North-West as a stepping stone? Indeed has anyone from the NCU veer spoken to the North-West administrators about an Ulster League or indeed any initiative?

Not much hope of Ireland achieving further success if they allow their best players to go to counties. Really the ICU has got to decide what it wants to do long term and if playing at the highest level is a major priority then they have to offer the players professional and/or semi-professional contracts. They could then look at what competition they can enter to provide top class match experience and which would allow players to develop and improve. It is absurd to think Joyce, O'Brien, and Rankin could be easily replaced and our team still move up the international ladder. Joyce may never play for England again, who knows, and realistically neither O'Brien nor Rankin is in a county team let alone a test team!

Where did all the Ireland fans go last week when their team needed their support against Kent? Test status ambitions seem a long way off when you can only muster a few hundred spectators at a match on the back of some heroic World Cup exploits. Or has reality kicked in already?

Hurry up!!! Only messing Peter!!!

Are you not giving any coverage for other leagues, ie Section 2,3 etc on the site???