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Am I the only one nervous over the Zimbabwe/Ireland game? Everyone expects us to win yet despite their problems we are playing against full time professionals who are used to this level. This is our world cup final. If Ireland can beat Zimbabwe we have a real chance to qualify. Anybody any predictions?

Best of luck with the new website gents, always good to see another local cricket website on the go, lets hope theres some content from Section 2 as well.

Re. an Ulster League, I hope the NCU give their new "2up-2down" proposal a few seasons at making cricket more competitive as intended rather than bringing it in for one season before changing everything again. Are the Clubturf Ulster Cup and White Horse Ulster Shield big enough successes that they should be extended into a Saturday league? I wouldn't be entirely convinced.

To all our Forum reader’s, we’re delighted to inform you that for the next month or so, Lurgan skipper Paul Stafford will be the guest editor for The Ulster Cricketer Forum.

good luck peter with the website & good luck to the ireland team in the west indies. lets hope the supporters all survive the heat!!!

Congratulations on the site, it's looking great, another good addition to Ulster cricketing info!

Congrats on your new cricket site hope all goes well..Good luck to the Irish Invaders in Jamaica

Another good website about Irish Cricket.

Was reading the debate about an Ulster League on another site, what is the big deal about travel times?
You guys don't know what other countries do - a standard away match for me is 2 hours on average!

Good luck to the Ireland boys in Jamaica!

Peter

I think that photo of me at the Lurgan Cricket Dinner last week does me a diservice !!!! Looks like you caught me at a bad moment!

To all you guys from North Down who came to the dinner can we at Lurgan say a big thanks

Also to all the cricketers and supporters from Waringstown, Umpires, Scorers + alikadoos from Instonians who also attended our sincere thanks. (I think it looked like a grasshoppers reunion)

Everyone who attended seemed to have a great night and one thing that shone through was that sportmanship is alive and healthy.

Best wishes for the website and good luck in your 150th year, please count us in for a table at La Mon

Payment of players

Can I state from the outset that this relates to a decent standard of player.

Why should clubs who have raised the money not invest some of that in strengthing their team? I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.

And as for Irish Passport holders, is it not a case of 'the more the better'?
These will be good for the national game in the long run and should in theory help increase the standard of the provincial leagues.

If the kids are good enough, they will make it. Local cricket doesn't need teams with a poor standard of young players any more than it needs the poor standard older ones!

Please enter our free competition to win a Reebok cricket bat - no strings attached!

http://www.theulstercricketer.com/newsletter/

With a new coach on board for Ireland do we envisage any change in the squad after the World Cup? Are there any expected retirements or are there any players whose face didn't fit with the previous coach who might come back into the frame? Who is going to identify these players and inform the new coach? The Friends Provident games against the counties kick off the same time as our own club league.

Re Simon and UL.

Good to hear some positivity from someone whos club who potentially be damaged by a UL ! Would be interesting (if the editor could find time) to run a poll on the UL option as it stands , possibly a seperate one for each Union ? Would beat those rivals Cricketeurope to the draw..

Ivan

I was unfortunately at one of the roadshows and the problem i saw was that when asked how the ulster league was going to work the response from the suits was "well nothings really been discussed and the North West Union actually hasnt agreed to anything and its only a proposal blah, blah , blah". They basically fudged the issue but you got the feeling that there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than we are being told. I felt that the majority of people were at the roadshow to find out about the ul and were basically told jack. To my mind it was very frustrating and disappointing, as i don't know how the NCU can expect to push this through on a wing and a prayer without letting the clubs in on everything. They say they are, but they're clearly not.
Don't get me wrong i thing the Ulster league is a great idea, even though in my opinion it would have a damaging effect on my own club Woodvale at least for the first few seasons. But we all have to look at the bigger picture as Rhyno says....this is about developing our cricket and making it stronger.
Its been a well know fact now that there are a strong 4 or 5 teams in section 1 and the same in section 2 and 3. The rest of the teams in those sections are constantly battling against relegation each year and maybe its time for them to admit that all the leagues should be cut down to 8 teams or so and then in my opinion most clubs would be playing at their proper level.
I have to admit i get a giggle with every one on the other forum talking about the amount of travelling that would have to be done if an ul was to happen. My God we live in one of the smallest countrys in the world! Plus, nobody can control the weather so 4get about that altogether. Think of the positives, better standards of cricket, more sponserships etc, we need to stop finding problems and find solutions.

Ps. Congrats to you Peter on a excellent site and good luck for the future.

Ivan,

Think you've hit the nail on the head. Cant actually believe how 2 up ,2 down got passed with so many clubs flirting with relegation annually in Sect 1 never mind the UL debate. Time for the greater good to prevail even if the Ulster weather could scupper events at the drop of a hat (thinking practically..huge care would need to be taken in ensuring universal standards for weather conditions are applied by the men in white coats!)