BUSY SCHEDULE FOR CRICKETERS AS CUP SEASON HITS FULL SPEED

We�ve come to the stage of the domestic cricket season where commitment is very much the order of the day and club�s schedules are at their most demanding; a time when fortunes could well be decided for the season.

On Saturday past local clubs were scattered all over the country as the Bob Kerr Irish Senior Cup got under way and the weather here in the North West saw to it that four of the five sides drawn at home will now have to make travel arrangements for reverse fixtures on Sunday week.

Worse still, the quartet of North West sides definitely through to the next round have all been drawn away from home and if Brigade overcome North Down at Comber, they too will be on the road. And if anything the timetable is set to be even more challenging over the next few weeks leaving you wondering why there�s such a mad panic to get these matches played.

Tomorrow night (Thursday) the Faughan Vallley and Sperrin Springs cups start, Fox Lodge hosting Strabane and Coleraine at home to Limavady in the former while Burndennett meet St Johnston, Killyclooney take on Sion Mills and Ardmore host The Nedd in the latter.

Then on Saturday most Division 1 sides will play their Northern Bank senior cup second round ties with the exception of Limavady, who were due to continue their match at home to The Nedd this midweek and Bready who have already won through, as well as Strabane who were drawn to play Ballyspallen.

Twenty four hours later they�re back at it again, this time the Club Turf Ulster Cup which means an especially long day for players, officials and supporters of Coleraine, Strabane, Brigade and Bready all of whom have been drawn to travel. Despite the fact that money has crept ever more into our sport over the past 20 years it remains for the vast majority a labour of love.

Players have to meet a large proportion of their own expenses but we are now in an era when preparation is far from amateur. It is a big undertaking in every respect, especially for those with families and it is easy to understand why, for many that don�t really see themselves as in with a chance of winning the tournament, early elimination is no disaster.

In some ways that�s a pity because the All Ireland and Club Turf should be right at the top of every agenda bar those whose honest to goodness priority is avoiding domestic relegation. I don�t intend to incur their wrath by naming the clubs likely to fall into that bracket but perhaps the powers that be really need to start looking at the domestic cricket schedule.

I�m sure there�s some reasoning behind the intense cup programme but here are two things that don�t make much sense- Firstly, there is a seven-week gap between rounds one and three of the Bob Kerr Cup and another five weeks between rounds 3 and 4. If you�ve got that sort of free time, why not allow a bit more breathing space?

Secondly, and probably more importantly, even though local sides turned in excellent performances on Saturday, if the same percentage of those still to play their first round ties are eliminated and the format is applied again for Round 2- that means that after 11 June the North West will have a maximum of three teams left in the competition.

By that time the Northern Bank senior cup will be down to the last four as well and it is quite possible, indeed likely that it could be roughly the same teams left standing in both tournaments. Bear in mind too that the season will be only 6 weeks old at that stage and yet we have only a few teams left with any cup ambitions and still 12 weeks of the season to run.

For the life of me I cannot understand why it isn�t time enough to start the Club Turf then. That would give clubs something more meaningful to play for in the second half of the season and ease the needless congestion we�re seeing at the minute.

Why should teams be asked to play first round ties in the three main cup competitions in the space of 8 days in a season that lasts four and a half months? It�s the worst kept secret in Irish cricket that a lot of sides could easily have done without the Club Turf commitment and it would be an interesting move on behalf of all the competition organisers if for one season only, they asked teams to physically enter the domestic cups.

It would be fascinating to see how many would put their names down for them all. The waters are muddied further by the fact that the eight-team league argument will undoubtedly be back on the table again sometime soon and that could change things as well. The more you look at it an 8-team elite league is becoming a very real consideration for many although Cricket Ireland will certainly need to have more homework done before then. The current arrangements are simply far too lopsided and someone needs to take a look at the whole picture and work out a way whereby the commitment can be spread a little more evenly.

We touched on the performance of local sides in Saturday�s first round ties and there is little doubt that our lads restored a lot of pride considering our poor recent return. The big guns of Strabane, Brigade and Limavady have yet to play their hands of course, as do Bonds Glen, although all have very difficult ties to negotiate but with four out of six already through it has been a very good effort.

All turned in very commanding performances too and it augurs well for the domestic season here that there looks likely to be strong competition among them. The two teams eliminated on Saturday both put up a very bold show as well and for Fox Lodge skipper Brian Allen it must have been a long journey home from Shaws Bridge. Only a late middle order rally from Instonians helped the Belfast outfit to their respectable total and just as Allen�s men were about to reel it in from the final two overs the rains came with the Foxes a single behind on Duckworth/ Lewis.

The umpires deliberated as to whether or not to go off and having been in that position a few times I have every sympathy with them. If you go off and it starts to thunder down you can happily point out the window to show just what a good decision you made. If you pull the stumps, as the rules stated they had to do once they decided to go off, and the sun is out by the time you reach the boundary rope, well that�s a different feeling altogether.

In their defence the rain was very heavy when they made the call but every official would much rather the game was decided between the teams. Despite the Foxies ill-fortune DL still remains by far the best available system to get a result although little doubt on Saturday that the visitors can feel very aggrieved to have lost.

Congratulations then to Glendermott, Bready and Donemana, and of course to Eglinton who, although yet to be fully tested, have already bettered their return for the whole of last season, and who look a long way from being finished yet.

And so, as we set out on a chaotic fortnight of cup action the very best of luck to one and all. Hopefully though the weather will hold a little better than it did at the weekend or we could be running to cup matches til the herd returns.