To be fair to the issue it is not solely attributable to Irish cricket. Both the Irish men’s and ladies’ hockey unions have gone through turbulent times trying to placate national and regional interests, especially with regard to the Olympic issue when political differences are put into the melting-pot.
In pure cricket matters there have been other similarities throughout the world, all highlighting the huge problem in trying to marry the national and regional interest. The appointment of Antiguan Richie Richardson to succeed Viv Richards as captain of West Indies brought howls of indignation in Barbados where local favourite Desmond Haynes seemed certain to get the job. The matter came to a head in April when the fun loving Barbadian cricketing public boycotted their hallowed Kensington Oval in protest at alleged selectional bias. But how ironic that Barbados should have been on the receiving end on this occasion having reaped the benefit of it for so long in the past! Indian cricket is also plagued by conflict between national and regional interests, with politics playing a major part in national selections. Even English cricket cannot escape the issue. The north versus south debate has raged for many years with the northern counties openly criticising the power of the stronger counties in the south, mostly around the London area and within close proximity to Headquarters at Lord’s.
There is unlikely to be an easy solution to the problem in Irish cricket. The seeds of distrust have been sown for many years and the issues will continue to be coloured by other influences. There is no doubt that the national interest declines considerably north of Dublin and although the vast majority of cricketers now play in Ulster, it seems ironic that the ICU remains so strongly Dublin-based. On the face of it the decision to play this year’s Nat West match in Dublin might have been taken on a solid cricketing argument, but one feels that if it sets a precedent for the future, then Downpatrick and indeed many northern cricketers are going to feel further disenchantment with the national scene.
Could someone not ask Downpatrick to prepare a slightly slower wicket or is that too naïve?
