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Strabane - reports are that the pitches haven't been very good at the new ground?
I would have thought that for the ISC Final the best playing surface available would have been the number 1 priority...

Congratulations to Civil Service North on reaching the senior cup final. What I'd like to know is how the members view this achievement. Is it the second final for the new club or another notch for the old North of Ireland club?
What way will historians record the modern achievements? Just curious.

Is the venue for the Irish Cup final a secret?

wee poem
A PERFECT DAY

AS I PULL ON MY COAT AND PANAMA HAT
I THINK OF WIDES, NO BALLS AND HOWZAT
I'LL ASK MY COLLEAGUE "WHICH END DO YOU PREFER?"
"YOU BE BILLY BOWDEN AND I'LL BE DARYL HAIRE"

"FIVE MINUTES LADS, WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO THE MIDDLE"
I HAVE BAILS AND COUNTERS AND DO I NEED
A JIMMY RIDDLE?
THE SUMMER SUN BLAZES ON A GLORIOUS DAY
COUNT FIELDERS,GIVE GUARD AND ANNOUNCE TIME FOR PLAY

THE BOWLER RUSHES IN, IT'S DOWN THE LEG SIDE
"HOWZAT!" FROM THE SLIPS."SORRY LADS THAT'S A WIDE"
I WONDER WHO'LL WIN, WILL THE PRO GET A TON?
PERHAPS I'LL SEE A HATRICK BEFORE THIS ONE'S DONE

BUT IN NO TIME AT ALL IT'S THE END OF THE GAME
NO HATRICKS NOR TONS AND ALL PRETTY TAME
AS THE LOSERS HANG THEIR HEADS THE VICTORIOUS CHEER
THEN ALL BACK TO THE PAVILION AND A NICE COLD BEER.............PERFECT!!

i would like to thank billy pollock for his comments on umpires, it is good to know we are appreciated for giving up our free time so players aren't put under the pressure of giving their mates out, while umpiring their own games. and yes you're right we do enjoy our job. there is no better place to watch a game than from directly behind the bowlers arm. i only started this year and have a new found respect for the guys i once gave little thought to. there is a great comradeship in our ranks and a special feeling being part of such an institution. don't know your age billy but i firmly believe your never too old.....give it a go.

Is it true the Irish Cup final is going to be played in Strabane?
If so that's great for North-West cricket fans and I'm sure plenty will turn out to support Donemana. Despite what some ejits shout out at matches we love our cricket and I'd appeal to the organisers to put up signs and announce it regularly that we have zero tolerance for abusive and bad language. It is NOT the language of the working class despite what some people want us to tell us. It is the language of louts!

I'm pleased to hear that Andy and I have to admire you and your colleagues for the way you do your business. I'm too old to consider joining the white coat brigade but I have to add I don't think the modern players get half the enjoyment we got out of the game years ago. I'm sure umpires still enjoy their role or they wouldn't do it but I see more scowls than smiles on faces these days.
Contrast Greg Norman on Sunday. What a role model in defeat.

re Billy Pollock - have to disagree with you about games being played in the right spirit being the "exception". I have been closely involved in games for the past season and a half and I can say that with possibly one or maybe two exceptions all have been a pleasure to watch - that's the advantage of umpiring (I can hear some guys commenting poacher turned gamekeeper) - you get the best view in the ground. Would thoroughly recommend it.

Isn't it a sign of the times that the games played in the right spirit and within the laws are becoming the exception rather than the rule these days? I don't watch much cricket now because most games are not played in the right spirit and players only 'enjoy' matches when they win. Same with supporters who can't even applaud good performances by the opposition and the worst offenders? North West supporters by a distance!

Just read some emails on the other channel relating to foul and abusive language by a northern spectator at the ISC semi final match in Dublin. David Cooke says he's not excusing it but gives five excuses! Either you condone it or you don't David. It can't be that difficult to work out.
Also I thought it was against the law to be abusive at sports matches or is that solely for international matches?

hi Andy, well said. the match at woodvale on sunday was played hard with both teams giving 100% but within the laws AND the spirit of the game. congratulations to both skippers. a fine example to OTHERS!!!!

I agree with Simon that, whilst our pitches are getting better we still have some way to go. Scores of 200+ are almost the norm nowadays while 130-150 would have been a challenge 20 odd years ago.
I was also fortunate to be at two games over the weekend at Derriaghy (Sat) and Woodvale(Sun) that were played totally in the real "spirit of the game".

I was lucky enough to be at Comber on Saturday to see a good game of cricket played hard and fair by both sides. I was also hugely impressed with Gary Wilson's batting. He took a few overs to adapt to a relatively slow wicket, but then showed us how it should be done. Even the home supporters were applauding him. Playing regularly on good fast wickets has obviously helped him, and exposed the frailties of batting and bowling techniques locally. Whilst we may think our pitches are good, (and they are certainly a lot better than they used to be), we still have a way to go.

Stewart
Your posting covers a lot of the issues. As a club Ballymena have done no wrong. They have just taken advantage of the veto on Sunday cricket offered by the NCU. It's the NCU who I think need to re thnk this stategy. As looks likely next season your 1sts will play in Section One and that means more cricket and possibly more rearrangements. I can't see the difference in clubs being allowed out of playing on a Sunday because they have some players unavailable to the likes of Waringstown having to play league games with at least three players in the full Ireland squad. Can we expect the representative players to take more time off work to play league games on a Friday ?
I spent all day yesterday (Sunday) from 11am at Beechgrove watching three different 20/20 games. The ground was packed with a crowd that may only be bettered at the NW Cup final or the Irish Cup final. Great days fun and if the International 20/20 at Stormont is as good then all cricket fans should get along.
On the field Donemana looked a thoroughly professional outfit. Boyd,R McBrine,Olphert,Dunn,Britton and Dougherty are all fine young players while McGonigle and McGerrigle probably have their best years ahead of them but to me the stars were the McBrine twins .A couple of years ago I watched Birgade thump Donemana in a league game and I thought James and Junior were starting to show their age. Well yesterday both guys were sharp in the field, were as excited as any of the younger players when a wicket fell. I read in today's paper they are approaching 45 years of age well what odds (Jeff) on them still playing Senior cricket at 50. On watching Gary Wilson keep wicket surely it's only a matter of time until he's playing county cricket.

re the 20/20 - there's a bus going from Muckamore so at least we're supporting it.

To go back to a posting earlier in the month from Jeff re the Dundrum pro - had the pleasure of being at Dundrum on 14th and I can only say what a nice guy he is. Perhaps he could show a guy a bit further down the road from Dundrum how a cricketer SHOULD behave!!
P.S. you weren't there so Richard and I missed the coffee!!