TIME FOR TALK AS PLAYERS LOOK TO VOICE CONCERNS

It's always good to generate a bit of debate and over the past few weeks there has been plenty of feedback on some of the topics that we've covered recently regarding North West cricket.

Whilst the concept of re-organising the Senior Cup(s) and starring lists has appealed to some there is no doubt that for a large number of players in the region, they now want to have their say regarding earlier start times and a serious look at the early season cup schedule.

Even more than that it is quite clear as well that players also want to voice concerns over the number of double-header weekends, particularly early in the season; the feeling being that any rain during the first month means playing catch up over endless weekends and nights.

Quite where it goes from here is anyone's guess but the time has come to stop sweeping these issues under the carpet and finding out what the players themselves want. One of the postings on the CricketIreland website over the weekend suggested that starting games at 12 o'clock would have a major impact on young lads no longer being able to play schools cricket in the morning.

That would definitely be an issue if it were true but when you're out enjoying the sport on offer this coming (double-header) weekend, count how many games are delayed in order to let a 14-year old get changed out of his school colours.

Conversely, starting games at noon increases the chances of finishing matches in one day and when conditions aren't a factor it also means earlier finishes. During our discussions with some players it was apparent they felt that if one thing was driving youngsters away from the game it was matches finishing at 8.30 on a Saturday night, much more than the prospect of early starts.

Either way it is surely time for club reps to the North West to sit down with their players and find out what they want rather than continue buying blindly into the status quo.

The second part of this weekend's double header (technically it's a triple header as we have a full league programme as well as the second round of the Irish Senior Cup on Saturday) is the Ulster Cup second round on Sunday and here again I'm a little puzzled.

There appears to be a formal protest from Bready that their conquerors Instonians may have fielded an ineligible player in the last round, and not just any old ineligible player, but professional Farooq Iqbal who finished that game with the impressive figures of 5 for 9.

Mr Iqbal was apparently registered by his club with the NCU before their May 15 deadline (NCU rules state that no player can be registered by a club after that date, and there was us thinking we were the only ones who could make up daft rules) but no-one seems to be able to tell whether or not he was registered to play in the Ulster Cup.

I mean how else can anyone explain why it has taken 2 weeks to find out if the rule was broken or not? Surely all that was required was someone to ask the NCU for confirmation of the date that the guy was registered and then get a copy of the Ulster Cup rules and hold both up to the light. Unless of course it took a fortnight to find the Ulster Cup rules.

Whatever the reason it is pretty obvious that we need to be working more closely with our sister Unions as well. You may remember a few years back when Neil Russell (and I'm a fully paid up member of the North Down man's fan club) picked up a one match ban after his last game for Glendermott. �Russeller� then returned to Comber the following season and to his credit, contacted the NCU before his club's first match to ask if his ban went with him to a different Union.

The gist of the reply he got was �What ban?�, so Neil played on. That particular loophole has now been closed but rather than continually fire-fighting is it not about time that we got ourselves organised a bit better? I don't subscribe to the one set of rules for everybody school simply because our 20/20 replay system is better than their Duckworth Lewis for league matches but there has to be a lot more common ground to explore.

In saying all that of course issues will never be resolved by everyone standing around in a circle and pointing. We have long since been bemoaning the declining standard of cricket in the North West and while there is no doubt that CricketIreland, and our own Union in particular could do more to help, the onus is on clubs themselves first and foremost.

The issues we have alluded to over the past few weeks are things that clubs can change themselves and once that is done we will be in a much better position to start to look at fixes for the long term problems. The North West has been pilloried for years for the fact that clubs would rather plough their money into paying players (and not always good ones either) and while that is just as prevalent in the NCU and Leinster, it takes the edge of any complaints about the lack of proper development opportunities.

In layman's terms if we were helping ourselves, CricketIreland have suggested that they would be more than happy to help as well; the new net facilities at Donemana a case in point.

Anyway, before I get myself into any more bother a quick look back to the weekend just gone and the Northern Bank cup ties in particular.

First off an apology to Sion Mills for failing to pick up on the fact that they have been fielding the first six weeks of the season without two very pivotal players in John Brown and Lee McGonigle. John has taken time off as his daughter had been preparing for major surgery and obviously we wish them both the very best, however Lee's is an altogether different story.

His team mates confirmed at the weekend that Sion's opening bowler suffered two broken arms learning to walk in flip flops! Lee of course also holds another unwanted record- he is the only player to be given out �timed out� having encountered problems with a bathroom door a few seasons back.

On a serious note however we obviously extend genuine best wishes to both men and hope to seem them back playing for the Mill men very soon. Without them it was little surprise that Donemana recorded an easy success in their outstanding second round senior cup clash on Saturday although a pity that the rain put an end to the victors' quarter final tie at Fox Lodge.

Strabane continue to hold the Indian sign over Limavady for now and that looks sure to be a cracking semi final at the Park when they entertain Brigade's conquerors Bready. The Magheramason side seem to save their best for Beechgrove and it's startling to put their season to date into context when you see what they're capable of.

Fox Lodge are fast becoming most people's fancy to break into trophy winning company and the signs are that this could be a big year at Ballymagorry. Coleraine will travel to the winners of that outstanding tie and the Bannsiders toocan seriously contemplate a cup final appearance less than two years after having been relegated.

And they say football is a funny old game....