DECISION TIME LOOMS FOR DOMESTIC GAME AS CRICKETIRELAND PREPARES FOR THE FUTURE

There seems to be little doubt that there are major changes in the pipeline over the next few years to the way that domestic cricket in Ireland is both structured and administered. Understandably, CricketIreland appears to be focusing on the fact that their International requirements have quickly outgrown the support network that is available within the regions and seem intent on trying to find various means to redress the balance sooner rather than later.

It’s not difficult to see what they will be trying to do; Ireland are now ranked in the top ten countries of world cricket, but internally we’re still very much a recreational sport. The early signs are that new measures will be aimed at retaining the recreational theme whilst at the same time creating an “elite” option in each of the three main regions.

Top of the agenda will be 8 team “Premier” leagues in the North West, NCU and Leinster. The Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup is also likely to come under the microscope and the return of a fully fledged Inter-Provincial series must be a major consideration as well. The Club Turf competition is apparently already under review and with any or all of those impacting on the game here there is bound to be a knock on factor. Elite leagues will require elite umpires you would imagine; maybe elite pitches too, and how the top sides are accommodated in their domestic competitions will also need to be sorted out.

The problem for us is that historically, the North West has often seemed completely resistant to change. The 8- team league format in particular is very likely to meet with substantial disapproval although the fact that we have a fairly tenuous bed-partner in the NCU will help for now. The Belfast clubs’ failure to give the necessary two-thirds support for an 8-team top flight in 2011 at their recent AGM probably throws a spanner in the works at least temporarily, however it won’t have gone unnoticed that a reasonable majority were in favour.

Should CricketIreland demand uniformity among the regions then it looks like we, more than the other two, will have to make concessions. Despite having discussed the issue in this column several times, I’m drawn again to the proposal of 12.00 starts which has been rejected by the clubs for the umpteenth time as a prime example. We’re a million miles behind with that one and you can bet your bottom dollar that clubs from Belfast and Dublin will not be agreeing to travel here for 1pm starts regardless of the competition.

Disciplinary matters also seem set to be re-visited and the indications are that all regions will be governed by a single code of conduct. This will probably eventually lead to one central, Independent disciplinary committee that will deal with all such matters at senior level.

We carried an interview with Ireland skipper William Porterfield recently and the former North West man was keen on the idea of an Inter Provincial series being resurrected, but only on the basis that it featured the best players in each region. The old series died on the back of the North West selectors having to contact over 40 players before being able to field a team, which turned the whole thing into a fiasco. The flipside of the argument however is that CricketIreland has to work out whether it wants an Inter-Pro series featuring the best players in the North West, or rather those chosen by a selection panel with a view to being considered for International duty. It is more likely than not that those two teams would differ substantially in personnel.

So how are players and clubs in the North West likely to react to proposed changes in the coming years? Well, the obvious answer is with deep suspicion. The North West has, as far as most of us remember, been very insular in our outlook. The majority of clubs see competitions like the Irish Senior Cup and Club Turf as a day out, and that is in no way meant to be demeaning to either organisers or sponsors. At any one time we have a maximum of 4 clubs that set out believing that they can do well in either competition and until rules of engagement change, that’s how it will always be.

The fact is that at local level we have spent the past couple of seasons tightening our own registration regulations to ensure that clubs aren’t flying players in and out on a whim. The North West AGM ratified a decision last week the upshot of which is that from 2010, clubs are allowed one overseas professional, and anyone else registered after the initial meeting must be resident in Ireland, North or South. Whilst that levels the playing field a bit within our own region, it is another huge disadvantage for our sides in the Inter-Provincial competitions.

Leinster clubs will quite correctly point to the fact that they already do something similar, but they know full well that they could fill teams with former professionals who have settled in the country. Elite, Inter- regional competitions will only ever be truly balanced if Cricket Ireland introduces a rule along the lines of one professional and no more than one person that has been employed as an overseas professional in the past 5 years per team. And what do you reckon the chances are of that happening? The alternative is for the North West to retract and let clubs sign as many “outsiders” as they want, but you can imagine the problems that will create internally.

The absolute bottom line is that the North West is fairly unique because, logistically, we can do things that other regions struggle with. We can play midweek, evening cricket much more comfortably for example and the knock-on effect of that is that we don’t really need Duckworth Lewis for our league competitions. This is the only region with two-day showpiece finals and the players and clubs relish the chance to play in them. It’s a fact that the vast majority of clubs here play recreational cricket and are happy to do so and they will take some convincing that anything else serves their best interests.

To be fair, I have absolutely no doubt that there will be plenty of merit in any proposals that may be about to be unloaded. The various Umpires Associations for example should be encouraged to maximise their training and assessment procedures and those who undergo full training and examination should be charged with the top matches and rewarded accordingly. Grounds Inspection Committees and Disciplinary Committees must be given more prominent roles and these are areas where uniformity throughout the country is attainable.

As most people agree too, these committees must also be fully transparent in all their dealings and their veil of secrecy lifted forever. Outside of the senior ranks there is bound to be provision for Youth Development and that too is an area that can be, nay must be improved radically. If CricketIreland is serious about an all-singing all-dancing framework however they will first have to satisfy clubs and officials here that there will be no poor relation. They could start by giving assurances on the future of Regional Development Officers.

The North West AGM heard last week that we have lost the funding for our Development Officer as resources have now been re-directed into the elite end of the sport through CricketIreland, although that was a directive of the funder. Still, the irony that the new blueprint was sent to clubs at the same time as this news was breaking should be lost on no-one and to be perfectly honest, this looks like a complete two fingered salute to grass roots cricket throughout the country. A new establishment has been set up to look after the developmental side of the sport but it was pretty obvious that North West delegates were singularly unimpressed that once again there is no North West representation.

The realists among us would have been stunned had it been any other way. It’s about high time this region stood up for itself in this regard and Cricket Ireland must get the clear, concise message that we’re far from happy.

The Development Officer post was working really well for North West cricket, particularly within schools and we feel entitled to have at least one person in such a role. An occasional visit from someone who, however well intentioned, will have little understanding of our needs is some way short of meeting those requirements. That is not to say of course that clubs shouldn’t be investing heavily in their own youth set-up, they certainly should, however the lead has to come from the parent body if their real goal is the future of the game in Ireland.

It could be a while yet before any of this formally comes to pass of course, but expect the groundwork to start fairly soon and let’s hope that our clubs have the courage to move on the issues that we need to and the fibre to resist where we don’t. Anything else will serve only to further deepen the suspicion that many will have already.
Finally today, as Inside Edge goes to bed for a while, many thanks to everyone who took the time to comment or suggest topics for discussion during the season. We will be back periodically during the winter to keep you posted on any developments that may be of interest.