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Re: Mark, Ed. , WJ Smyth

Mark - to disagree with the Editor is permissible but you cannot nor do you deny the correctness of his post.
The NICC / Civil Service merger is the precedent, there may even be another - Cooke / Collegians?
Indeed I note that you do not make any reference to the point he makes.

For you to state as a fact, that Donacloney and Millpark will cease to exist and that they will HAVE to apply for entry to the NCU is a nonsense.

I hesitate to label your post a 'rant' but given the fact that your opening sentence is 120 words long suggests it would perhaps be hard to get a word in if we were to talk it out face to face.

I'll simply say that your post is based on a false premise and as such while it represents what you WISH was the case, it is simply not so.

WJ Smith,

What nonsense am I peddling?...by your theory if this new club is allowed straight into section 1 why are you suggesting that their 2nds / 3rds etc go into junior 10 why not into junior 3 or 4 surely they will be far too strong for junior 10 as the bulk of the players will be from Millpark old first team who played section 2 cricket last year.

By the way this is not troubling me at all...i just believe in fairness all round who ever the club may be

Sorry Ed , but I have to disagree...once this merger is ratified neither Millpark or Donacloney will cease to exist other than in the history books and a new club will exist who will have to apply to the NCU for entry into the leagues therefore they should have to start at the bottom and work their way up as any new club who enters the NCU has to do...put it this way what happens for example if Portadown or Clogher decide to rejoin the leagues...do they go into section 2 as they are perhaps to good for section 3...I think this will open a can of worms if this new club is allowed into section 1.

I believe in fairness all round and the clubs in section 2 who slogged it out in the past season and did not get promoted would feel a bit miffed in my opioin...

By all accounts Millpark have 2-4 decent cricketers who could play in section 1 but these same cricketers could not help the team stay in section 2 and from the records I believe they only 1 game in the league last season but with this merger they are now hoping to jump into section 1 cricket....on the other hand donacloney finished high up section 1 but do you think that their players want to play in section 3...most of the players would probably leave and ply their trade elsewhere.

it is a tricky situation which everway you look at it

Mark,

The merger of Donacloney and Millpark is obviously troubling you. I suggest you spend more time at work rather than peddling nonsense about new league positions - I think Cloney Mill will enter all 4 teams in a new junior 10 league in the ever expanding NCU.
Well done to both clubs for this bold step, and we all look forward to see the progress of Cloney Mill in Section 1 with the addition of a few Millpark cricketers.

Further to my comment in regards to the merger of donocloney and millpark it seems that the new club seem to think that the NCU will automatically place them back into section 1....this I believe will not be the case even tho they have players who are too good for section 3 as they are a new club surely they have to start in the bottom league and work themselves up ...Monaghan for example were a new club in the last few years and yes they may be section 3 standard currently but as they were a new club to the NCU they have started at the bottom and can work themselves up....what was going to happen if the other merger took place between section 1 and 3 teams...just let them carry on in section 1!!....if this is the case I would suggest all section 3 clubs jump on the bandwagon and merge with a section 1 club or even better what about a Premier league club!!

This will be completely unfair to all remaining teams in section 3 and to those in section 2

re donacloney mill
it will mean that junior teams will benefit from excellent playing facilities at either donalconey or millpark. rather some of the abismal second grounds that are used.
surprised that lurgan and Victoria merger didn't go through. That's one that both clubs may regret missing that opportunity in years to come. especially a waringstown will no doubt continue their local domination at all levels.

I can see the thinking behind amalgamations and I welcome the Donacloney-Millpark merger. However I must disagree with the 'players projections'. I recall the when Cooke & Collegians merged some years ago and Cooke/Collegians were able to field, at that time, 4 or 5 sides (memory not so good!). My point is that if organisations are not addressing the underlying recruitment problems - and I've seen it outside cricket as well - then amalgamation is only a short term answer to the problem.

So it seems one of the mergers is going to go ahead...will produce a strong club but as a new club i am assuming they will have to start off in Section 3...so we will have a team that finished mid table in Section 1 playing in section 3

Ivan.
"A club with 30 players = 2 teams,
two clubs combining gives 60 players = 5 teams".
Is this some sort of mathemagical calculation ?

Donacloney CC and Millpark CC have both had EGMs and have both agreed to proceed with a merger .
Donacloney have had a successful youth structure these last few years and now with this merger Donacloney Mill will be putting out 4 Saturday teams playing on 2 good grass wicket pitches .
We believe that we need to get young cricketers into the habit of playing Saturday cricket at all early age and now opportunities will exist for all our kids
We already go into 3 Banbridge primary schools as well as Banbridge Academy and hope that this merger will keep cricket strong in the Banbridge /Gilford area .
Keith Ogle
Donacloney CC Chairman

Would like to know teams prepration for next summer.any clubs doing any improvement on there grounds or just only have money for pros!

Ref Mark. I think the NCU facilitate social cricket very well with the Midweek League. I know at Muckamore where we have two midweek teams we have players who only play Midweek.
But even social cricketers want to win. Any other way it's just another "net".
I know that Portadown , Monaghan and others also play a midweek competition and while it is socialable it has winners at the end.
I don't think clubs like Larne , Donaghadee . Ards etc want to be seen as "social cricket clubs".
The current structure allows clubs to find their own level and in a free world allows people to invest to improve their club as they see fit.
With 130 teams , a growing youth league structure , ladies cricket thriving , more and more coaches coming through I really struggle to see any reason to worry about the game.
While I can't comment with any authority on the proposed mergers I think the nett result of successful mergers could have been more people playing on a Saturday . A club with 30 players = 2 teams, two clubs combining gives 60 players = 5 teams.

Plenty of talk about first class cricket etc at the moment but what about grass roots cricket...I say this as we are supposed to believe that cricket is booming here in NI but I have just noticed that 4 clubs are / were in talks over mergers ( Victoria / Lurgan and Millpark / donacloghney)....this would have created some cracking teams / clubs if they do go ahead

I do believe that this is possibly the way forward but it goes to show that cricket is shrinking in players / financial / facilities in certain parts.

I do believe in the near future that there will be a break away league for those clubs who are interested in the social cricket side....and it will not be via the NCU but a completely new union / organisation.

Thanks Andy, duly noted!

I offer my congratulations to all who have been involved in the work at Woodvale that has been suitably rewarded with a 1 grading. The benches have been the icing on the cake and the grading is richly deserved. Next on the list? - the umpires' room! But then again, that applies to most of the grounds!