Forum

Another excellent season for the mighty North Down. Their successes are thoroughly deserved for all the hard work that goes on within the club.
As a player in the 2000 double winning side I predicted that N. Down would dominate NCU cricket for the next decade and now in 2010 I am about to repeat it for the next decade.
However I have a challenge for the boys at the Green and one which I feel they are more than capable of achieving and its this;-
DO IT ALL AGAIN IN 2011 WITHOUT A PROFESSIONAL!!
What a message that would send out to all other clubs!!

"well now Clarence - having said that - to be fair" - can still hear Boycie ringing in my ears!!

OK you Victoria guys don't be too hard on your own. Jim scored 55 in the 1st round senior cup replay against Saintfield in 1987. Victoria lost and in the 2nd round Rumesh Ratnayake took 9 for 9 to bowl out Saintfield for 56. I'm sure Jim would have seen him off!
Great to hear he's still playing.
What are you guys eating down at the Park?

I'm sure I saw Jim Neill offering some younger players the finer points of taking a diving catch once... are we talking about the same man?

I wonder what the team was back then?

Never mind Park-ranger what section, but what was his claim to fame back then in the senior-cup of 86 ?

Surely not scoring some runs !

No don't tell me.... most catches dropped in a match by any player in the history of the senior-cup !

Some things never change !!!

Thanks Roger. I think you are right so perhaps Wylie or Holywood can confirm and then change it on the NCU website? I'm loathe to criticize the newspapers with all this flack flying about but it looks like a typo gaff!
Thanks Jeff. I didn't think Ray McCavery was that old and once again the newspaper listing of R McCaffrey sounded right but the spelling got lost in the translation!
Andy, I didn't go as far as to mention Jimmy's 'inside men' to avoid law suits!

Re: Clarence

J Neill is Jim Neill. Still playing, and current vice-captain of Victoria's 2nd XI.

What section were Victoria in at the time?

Yes Clarence, Jeff got in there before me and he'e quite correct with the first name of the V.C.C. player who played in the then Senior-Cup from the 86' vintage Jim Neil and happy to report... he's still playing away !

Hi Clarence, I think "C Tawney" of Holywood is their pro Charl Daubney!

Nice piece about Paul McCrum, he was a superb professional/coach at Armagh and his legacy lives on as most of our extremely youthful first XI took their first steps in the game under his tutelage. I know of at least 2 cricketers who may never have bothered if it wasnt for his influence!

Stephen Williamson

Puzzle of the Year. Q.How did ND manage a tie with Lurgan?
Answer: With a 38 run last wicket partnership!

David - the telegraph also noted that lurgan had suffered the ignomy of going through the entire season winless in both league and cup. Maybe Ian Callender knows the outcome of this weekend's relegation game with Downpatrick already - get your money on!

David - I wouldn't put too much store in the Belfast Telegraph. I always remember a comment by Robert Fenton in the much missed Ireland Saturday Night while covering a game -v- West Indies back in the 80s at Downpatrick when a young Phil Symonds was making his way in the WI side with an 80 odd but having hit a six and been caught next ball by Jonny Cohen the BelTel cricket "expert" surmised that "it looks as if young Brian Lara has blown his chances of making it into the West Indies team"! never say never. Congratulations on the feature on Boycie but it omits the role of Carl Anderson of Sunday News fame who was a big fan of T.D.Kane!! Unfortunately I can't see anyone of JRW's ilk on the horizon in Irish cricket.

re Downpatrick and Ballymena
Will it be a case of checking the scorebooks for runrates if it gets close? I don't think Lurgan will do Downpatrick any favours. Lets hope its not rained off and 50 overs are played.

Clarence , its spelt Ray McCavery Dundrum