The dark nights are very much upon us. Jolly Old Saint Nick is preparing his reindeers for a tough shift, uphill into the wind, with Rudolph given the new cherry as always.
Come the early year, thoughts will slowly turn to a new cricket season ahead of us.
In recent weeks, club reviews have made for interesting reading, and the u-turn on the senior league structures will ensure 2023 has an edge to the top flight.
Perhaps, it is time to mark the report card for NWCU, the governing body.
Youth Cricket – A
In recent years, aspiring young players in the North-West have been given every opportunity to enhance their abilities in an inclusive environment.
It was a pleasure to watch a little of the Under 13 world cup or see some familiar names playing representative cricket for Ireland in various age groups.
Whilst complacency is to be avoided, credit to the NWCU officers and staff for creating and delivering this successful framework, which is a huge improvement.
One worry though is the performances of the Union against their peers. Heavy defeats the order of the day at youth interprovincial level for the boys, Munster aside.
Still, a minor gripe in an area where much improvements have taken place.
Domestic Cricket – B-
Following wide consultation with clubs, 2 or 3 years ago, a number of rules changes were ushered in. Coloured clothing, 40 over matches and an amalgamation of Premiership and Championship league structures.
While it would be unfair to say that they haven’t worked, it is difficult to make a cohesive argument for a materially positive change. To their credit, the NWCU listened, consulted widely and had the tenacity to drive change.
Anecdotally, coloured clothing and 40 over matches have generally been received well. The jury remains out on the new league structure, though, with too many “dead rubber” fixtures occurring in peak cricketing seasons.
As mentioned above, it has been jettisoned a year ahead of schedule, with the clubs once again taking the lead.
The suspicion remains, though, that the standard of domestic senior cricket is on a perpetual downward spiral.
The horrific performances of clubs in the Irish Senior and National Cups meant North West interest ended early in both.
You have to go back nearly 20 years for the last success by a team in the region and on the evidence of this year, it could be another 20 before it changes.
A continued exodus of leading talent to Belfast; think Tyron Koen, Stuart Thompson, Jared Wilson, Craig Young, Ross Allen amongst others, is testament to the fact that ambitious cricketers need to play in Belfast or Dublin to be noticed. Conor Olphert remains an exception to the rule, as most bowlers with high pace are.
Qualifying Cricket remains somewhat of a graveyard. Too many experienced ex-senior players, and talented youngsters, are walking away from the sport rather than playing qualifying cricket.
A lack of umpires ruins it, by and large. This has an impact on Senior Cricket – quality players aren’t knocking on the door – which means an awful lot of mediocre players are now playing senior cricket.
Finally, worth noting that NWCU has encouraged several clubs in recent years to enter league cricket – Maghera, Enniskillen and Letterkenny all spring to mind – as well as the success of Newbuildings.
On balance, a B minus feels about right.
Commercialism – B-
The NWCU is a Limited Company. It has staff. It should make money. It should also publish accounts. For some reason they didn't in 2021.
The Union, like their compatriots in the NCU, Munster and Leinster are VERY dependent on finances from Cricket Ireland, who plough in the region of 800,000 Euros into the provinces (last figures available from 2020).
The reliance on the governing body and grant funding restricts the independence of the Unions.
It's not all doom and gloom for the region, with General Manager Peter McCartney providing an upbeat assessment to the AGM last week.
Club fees here are the lowest in Ireland, and they have also resisted the player registration fee model favoured by their peers.
While the amount raised from sponsorship in the past has been derisory, with little actual cash and barter deals being the order of the day, they also have appeared to turn a corner.
Fleming Steel and Agriculture have made a significant investment, while others have chipped in with cash and barter sponsorships.
There is still much work to be done though and it's hard to believe they turned down an offer to sponsor the Women's Cup, preferring nothing to something.
It seems like a total lack of imagination prevails, also – would local business not enjoy the prestige of sponsoring a match ball? Or offering a player of the week prize?
If there was any vision or foresight existed, the NWCU would be negotiating a bulk deal on video services for matches for all clubs, and selling the sponsorship rights to a single sponsor.
And, the commercial side matters. More money means more coaches, more umpires and a better cricketing product.
First Class Franchise – B
While a few rules have been altered over the years, and not that many North-West locals are playing for the Warriors, credit where it is due.
A high performance, elite pathway has been built out from scratch – and the Warriors are more than holding their own. It’s a B grade here.
Does it really matter that few care about their results or can be bothered to attend games?
Boyd Rankin had a decent first year at the helm, with two of his charges getting senior recognition - no surprise they are both bowlers. What of his work with the batsmen? The jury is out, but you can't fault his work ethic or pedigree.
In summary, heading in the right direction, but much work still to be done,