Forum

Ivan, I take offence at your remark about 'coaches taking a serious look at themselves'. Our under 15s won the league last year but were beaten in the first round of the Graham Cup because there were a number of players unavailable for similar reasons to those which caused us to forfeit this year. I had players going to the North West, running in the school districts, doing their Duke of Edinburgh, important exams etc. I wasn't going to bring a team of 11 year olds to Muckamore on a damp night in May. Spending 4 nights a week coaching and/or going to games I think is enough of a committment (as well as still trying to play myself on Saturdays). I also think you will find that Lurgan have one of the best coaching set ups in the NCU.

Re Matthew,

Not the only one....our seconds were due to have a game tomorrow against Woodvale in the Junior Cup but the weather seems to have won the day.......alot of club struggling to field teams at this time of year, so I feel it would be very hard to criticise individual clubs for failing to provide underage teams...although that said I do feel many clubs appoint poor professionals with no long term planning or committment to the coaching of kids, which is seen as secondary to 1000 runs in a season. There are very few professionals hired on the basis of their coaching credentials and many do not return after one season (if that in some cases)...it is easy to criticise of course but I feel Ivan makes a number of great points!

Thanks Davy, wouldn't you know rightly ?

Unbelievable! Should have guessed as much !!

R.E C Boomer

All I can think off is that it must because of the English Championship play - off final.

Best of my knowledge there is no other sporting event this weekend.

Still continuing on with the same worrying theme, I see reading the NCU twitters that some other cricket teams are not getting any action this Saturday, due to the opposition forfeiting the points as they appear to be unable to field a team themselves !

Is there something else on this weekend, or is it just the cold weather putting folks off a game of cricket ?

Ref Ivan McCombe: Quote,

'Is it a case of us taking the wheat from the chaff and throwing the chaff in the bin? Guess what - if we don't look after the chaff we will have no wheat in the years to come'.

Good point Ivan and very eloquently worded if I may say so, the late Vic Johns (R.I.P.) would have been very impressed with the that !

And if I can add my tuppence worth in support, instead of just keeping the wheat and throwing away the chaff, with the aid of a good work-force; surely it would be much more prudent to use it with a drop of water and quick-lime which makes excellent cement, in order to bond the foundations and building blocks which secure the barn and keep a roof over this season's wheat and for many more plentiful harvests, ( weather permitting) and seasons to come !

If that makes any sense ?

Re Ivan

Do Lurgan not employ Derek Heasley and Graeme Hunter as development officers, a pro and have the Lurgan Tigers? Surely it is inexcusable for them to be unable to field an under 15 team?

Muckamore have reached the third round of the Graham Cup without playing a game. First Lurgan and then Laurelvale awarding us walkovers.
I must admit as a cricket lover this saddens me. The Graham Cup was for many years a blue riband trophy within the NCU.
Why can't clubs field teams ? Do the organisers need to look at the timings of the early rounds to avoid exams etc ? or is cricket in NCU declining quicker than any of us care to admit ?
Much as we marvel about the performances of Paul Stirling, George Dockrell, Grahame McCarter in county cricket is it a case of us taking the wheat from the chaff and throwing the chaff in the bin? Guess what - if we don't look after the chaff we will have no wheat in the years to come.
I think it's time the coaches and those responsible at each club for the youth teams take a serious look at themselves. Are they doing enough to get teams out ?
Here's a suggestion. Every time a club with a professional fails to field a team at under age level the professional gets a two match playing ban or the 1sts get deducted 4 points. Might just focus a few minds on the most important aspect of our game.

anybody have problems getting a team this saturday i have 8 and no doubt there will be more cry offs could not get an early start as home team refused great start for cup run am doing a rain dance now

Re substitute fielders

The main reason for allowing a substitute fielder is obviously where someone has been injured. The relevant Law then goes on to state: "The umpires shall have discretion to allow, for other wholly acceptable reasons, a substitute fielder.

The ICC at the highest level of play (does this relate to our game?)have determined that "Wholly acceptable reason should be limited to extreme circumstances and should not include
what is commonly referred to as a comfort break." This seems to be aimed at avoiding a further Gary Pratt 2005 Ashes incident.

There does not appear to be any further definition of what would constitute "other wholly acceptable reasons" and this appears to be left up to the Umpire. One example given somewhere on the internet is of a Doctor playing and in the course of the game being called to an emergency.

In our game the guy concerned simply appeared to be going to work having presumably known before the game that that would be the case. The difficulty would appear to lie in the fact that it is the Umpires call and the Laws state that an opposing captain does not have any right to object to what the Umpires decide.

It is open to abuse and I agree with Bruce that the spirit of cricket may come into play.

We had a situation in the first game of our season where the opposition only had 10 players (Ulster Heineken cup semi-final) and we offered them a sub fielder. The umpire officiating refused to allow it saying it is against the rules since the sub-fielder wasn't nominated on the team sheet....

Bruce - it WAS called the Celtic tiger!

Missed a bit of law 2 - it does refer to umpires have complete discretion to allow susbtitute for any reason.

Re Paul Robinson - Interesting one Paul. I am no expert but law 2 seems to cover the use of substitutes but only in the case of injury occurring to a player after nomination. In the case of injury the opposition captain cannot object to appointment of a substitute. There is no mention of substitutes being allowed for a fielder leaving the field of play early when not injured. I am not sure if there are anly local competitiion specific regs covering this. Maybe it would be covered under "the spirit of the game" - ie an agreement between both teams to allow a susbstitute if it is known somone has to leave early ?? Of course I could be wrong ? Any one else know?

Could Andy or another umpire clear something up for me?

On Saturday against St Johnston one of the St Johnston players left the field as he had to go to work (15 overs into the 2nd innings), they brought on sub fielder. We weren't informed of this at the start of play, and the 2 umpires didn't consult our skipper during play. Is this allowed? The 2 North West umpires said after the game that it's allowed - surely this can't be right!

One umpire actually told our captain to go away at the drinks, and then said it's nothing to do with you.