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I am sorry to bring this subject up again as it has been flogged to death but I hear that dandekar has been approved by the ncu to play for lurgan in section 1. How can this be? The ncu know that dandekar is in breach of a standard visitor visa by his job in India bring cricket. He was initially applying to come on a tier 5 PROFESSIONAL visa after all. So are the ncu now helping clubs break the law? It will be interesting to see if the ncu face any action if the home office come knocking. An extra incentive for clubs to want to raise their game against these clubs.

Don't know who the supporters were watching the top match at Comber yesterday as I was one of a very few who saw both games but will say that in junior cricket now a lot of captains sadly say win the toss and umpire second, in other words let's see how the opposition guys umpire first.

Saw that DonaghcloneyMill 2nds posted 352 for 4 v Muckamore 3rds. Does anyone think that's unfair that they are in that league (Jr3) with McCart etc of Millpark 1st (2016) featuring with a hundred ?

Making comment while you are in a pub,drunk is not a good idea.i also watched north down v muckamore 4ths and our first playing against waringstown yesterday and I must say I watched 2 good matchs in a cold windy day .muckamore were too good for us and it was an easy 10 wicket win for them and I didn't see any real cheating from either of the team. Some times making comments is not a good idea while our emotions are very high and are in a pub as it can damage the relationships and people will get wrong messages.

very negative I'm sure you would swap your pc for an abacus in an instant but its human nature to evolve and the end goal of achieving test status and a few matches a year is more than possible I think scoring has turned you into a bit of a grump so be be careful or cricket Ireland will be sending you tickets for all Afghanistan home test matches lol ps kevin Costner once said build it and they will come field of dreams 1989

Re Supporter

Some teams are of course worse than others but there is not a single club junior adult league team in the NCU who when umpiring their own teams do so impartially, although there are of course individuals who buck this trend.

It's not a new phenomenon and that along with arguing and general bickering/verbal nonsense Has made JNR game no fun to play in. LBWs may as well not exist along with many no ball interpretations or stumpings.

What however annoys me about it the most is adults on teams encouraging this sort of behaviour and worse with children playing alongside them.

Regrettably it's not going to change as the glory of winning JNR 2 - 8 is more important in many folks heads than fair play.

was watching 2 matches at comber today in very chilly weather what I did see was blatant blatant cheating on top pitch by muckamore 4ths to win the game it was a disgrace now north down were not angels either but muckamore really took it to extreme levels it was a good match as I seen all of it as I had a good seat watching both games if a team has to cheat that badly to win there is no place for them in the league I heard one player saying he was ready to walk off

Wake up and smell the coffee

All I can say is that cricket is a minority sport watched by a dedicated band of supporters and that the use of an electronic device is a bit much for Section 3 game on a cold afternoon at Mallusk.
Fine for a ODI or international fixture where statistics are studied for hours but for a fixtures between teams playing for the enjoyment of the game not an issue.
Cricket has fallen behind the major sports in our country and despite the efforts of the Administrators the game is never going to match rugby, soccer or GAA.
I also wish to add that Test Status is a complete joke and where are the superstars who will lead the line. Look at age profile of many of the team and ask would they match the leading nations? When the infrastructure is in place then perhaps but how many play the game on the island as a whole. Why not take a census of how many playing at each club and age profile.
I scored at many fixtures over the years and a few players looked the part but many did not and those who live in their ivory tower in Dublin have really no idea about the way the country works regarding sport. Why not survey the general population and ask if they will be attending cricket at Shaws Bridge on Saturday or watching the football on Sky?
I have the deepest respect for those who have promoted our game but in reality the prospect of a child wanting to play for Man Utd comparing to playing cricket is a non starter. I hope that local cricket can continue to flourish for those who enjoy it each week as I did when younger but please live in the real world and stop this nonsense of being something that is a wonderful aspiration but potential for failure. 20/20 and ODIs are the limit at present and surely the recent defeat by Afghanistan illustrates the massive task to register with the larger test nations.

Thought it may be an idea for posters to post predictions each week. I can start of with Prem and Section 1. No disrespect to section 2 and 3 I just don't know an awful lot about them:

Carrickfergus v Muckamore
Carrick win in a close encounter

Instonians v CIYMS
Dougherty looks in fine form and will inspire CIYMS to convincing win

CSNI v Lisburn
Could be a battle of the whipping boys come end of season CSNI to shade another close encounter

North Down v Waringstown
Waringstown will be too stron for ND on this occasion

Bangor v Downpatrick
Another close one with Downpatrick getting the points

Derriaghy v Armagh
Lewis inspired DCC victory

Donaghcloney Mill v Woodvale
Woodvale to win with ease

I would say at the outset that I am unfamiliar with the new on-line, computerised scoring systems but I am aware of at least one scorer who uses the system tearing their hair out when there is "a run short". So perhaps there are merits in the pen & pencil method! Also congratulations to the PSNI who defeated Northhamptonshire Police yesterday in a close fought game.

I think Ed "player " means unofficial umpires as in team mates who have to umpire when there is no official umpires available - on these occasions it is dam hard in getting LBW / stumpings / runouts and faint edges as dismissals as most players do not want to give their own players out

Hope everyone has a good summer and as a player who plays in the junior leagues can I ask for fair play during matches and not the blatant cheating by unofficial umpires that goes on every year win lose or draw lets enjoy and go in for a beer after

My Predictions for the upcoming season.

Premier

Waringstown
CIYMS
Instonians
North Down
Muckamore
Carrick
CSNI
Lisburn

Waringstown my selection to take honours. Great team and best local talent. CIYMS will come close but fancy them for another cup run. CSNI will be in a fight for relegation but think they will pip Lisburn who have a young side.

Section 1 -

Derriaghy
Downpatrick
Bangor
Woodvale
Cliftonville
Academy
Lurgan
Donacloney Mill
Holywood
Armagh

Tough league to predict this year with the majority of clubs not having a pro. Unlike John's prediction I feel that Holywood will struggle with many new faces and bringing a few 2nd XI players from CSNI will not get them to third in the league. Derriaghy have a good mix of experience and will take a lot from good performances last year. I expect Bangor also to be a tough team but will the 'Party Boys' take their league seriously to challenge.

Section 2

Cregagh
Ballymena
Templepatrick
Laurelvale
Larne
Saintfield
BISC
Cooke
Donaghadee
Dundrum

Can't see there being a runaway winner this season in this league. Agree with the latest recruiting from Cregagh they will be a formidable force.

Jonathan and other 'old school' scorers.
Why stop at that recent (in cricketing terms) linear method.
For genuine authenticity I find a freshly plucked goose quil the best.
But I wouldn't be averse to the original cutting notches in a stick.
Wake up, smell the coffee and join the rest of us in the 21st century.

I would like to ask all scorers to read Polly Rhode's article in Daily Telegraph where she asks scorers to complement their scoring using electronic devices with the scorebook or linear method of scoring.
As an experienced scorer I am a strong supporter of the old methods and although statistics can be broadcast do we require such details in our local game?
A challenging question or electronic buffs!!!