CLUB OR COUNTRY (WITH A LITTLE BIT OF TYSON OR PATTERSON)

The past week was as busy a time for following cricket as any of the summer months with Ireland playing Papua New Guinea, Australia playing India, New Zealand entertaining Pakistan and of course the under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.

Now that we’re in an era of such wonderful modern technology (with input from the ever-reliable Ian Callender and Larry the Leprechaun) it was easily possible to follow the lot of it too; for as long as you could stay awake that is.

And not only were we able to watch the action as it happened but we could also interact “live” with people all over the world discussing key moments in the games. At times I couldn’t help but marvel at the media-driven world we live in, however the over-arching comparison that kept springing to mind was whether or not the actual standard of cricket being played has progressed to the same extent.

Because by and large, things were better in “our” day.

That seems to be a rule of thumb from generation to generation and while modern technology is great, we could all pick XI players from ours that could beat anyone else’s. It’s nonsense of course because there’s no way of proving it definitively one way or t’other.

The world’s best players today may well have been able to handle the best bowlers of yesteryear but much of that would be down to the advancement of science. And the fact that Courtney Walsh would be looking down the pitch at David Warner thinking his bat resembled a bathroom door.

Having followed my dad around the cricket grounds of the North West and beyond since I was six years old I’m not even sure when “my day” was, but no doubt it was better than yours. That’s certainly true away from cricket- the nearest we’ve come to a proper World Heavyweight boxing champion in the past 30 years is Michael Gerard Tyson. Before that there were about 8 of them around at the same time and they had to fight each other for the honour.

Of course when I talk about Tyson in front of my ‘oul fella I get that “pfffft” noise that people who know better, make. Yes, I know he was no Ali or Frazier (also my day by the way) but apparently Floyd Patterson was so good that Tyson would have needed permission from the Board of Control just to go to a weigh-in with him.
It is all relative, obviously, and the reason for bringing all this up is the fact that we were able to watch a team of young lads from our own doorstep crossing swords with India in a World Cup opener in Bangladesh, live on Sky TV no less.

How fantastic it is that players (and in some cases officials) can now travel the world to play, officiate or as part of the back-room team, representing our country in our sport. The opportunities are endless and as we are also seeing in the senior ranks, cricket can even now be a way of life.

We have never had so many coaches, so many strength and conditioning or fitness gurus or so many lifestyle exponents, so what’s not to like?

Well, while all of that marks a wonderful advancement in the past decade, there remains a fairly major concern for the sport in these parts. Because while all the positives stack up to make these days much better than ours, the one area where that improvement has been less than tangible is club cricket.

Political correctness demands that there are some things that should never be criticised and the golden one is anything to do with our young people. They are the lifeblood of any sport and quite rightly have been targeted by the cricket hierarchy as something we needed to work on.

We now have dozens of specialist coaches working on the game at the grassiest of grass roots and doing a wonderful job, but should the goal not also be to cultivate a healthy club scene rather than set the benchmark solely as representative cricket?

Because while a strong Ireland set-up raises the funding to put that spadework in, without a club system, there would be no Ireland set-up.

I can only speak for the North West and while we are currently blessed with a large number of upcoming teenagers (as witnessed by the current Warriors squad) our club game is struggling. The social and economic climate could well have much to do with that but it is one area where I would defy anyone to argue that despite all the help available to players today, the standard wasn’t better in our day. It was miles better.

Incidentally, this is not a slant on North West clubs- far from it- because if you look at the number of teenagers in or around the Warriors squad, we’re in a better place than most. That makes it all the more urgent to ensure that we do what we need to keep that development process alive.

In short, the responsibility doesn’t stop once a young lad leaves the under-11, under 13 or under-15 set-up. That is only the start.

Early next month, Warren Deutrom and Ross McCollum will be at Bready to talk about Cricket Ireland’s strategic plan for the next four years. These are two men who very much know the time of day and who have spent the past number of years knocking on any door they could find that might be able to help drive Irish cricket forward.

Their presentation is believed to be quite heavily influenced by the club cricket scene throughout the country and that should be music to your ears. It is absolutely essential that every club voice is heard and that the generic and individual problem experienced by our clubs is put on the table.

It is an opportunity to share experiences and discuss needs that only come along once in a while. It’s as important a meeting that club members will be invited to this year and no-one who fancies coming along will be turned away.

For heaven’s sake don’t miss it.