The pace of change is upon us and for many traditionalists these are challenging times. For many years we all toddled along in Irish cricket. Leinster did their thing, NCU theirs and North West theirs. We were all happy. Cricket was a social thing and inter-club rivalry although intense was generally positive.

Inter-Pro competitions and All Ireland cups were a great way of measuring the respective strengths of the Unions and an opportunity to make new friends and meet old ones. The main purpose of the Inter-Pros was to give some grounding to the relative strengths of the negotiating power of each Union's selector. It was a tribal thing. The job was not to pick the strongest Ireland team but to get as many from your own Union into the team as possible.

It is ironic now but I remember well one person currently close to the top of the Irish set up, complaining some years ago that people from the LCU can get capped if they collect enough Green Shield stamps!

So what has changed? Well almost everything. Ireland has changed. I don't mean the cricket team I mean the country as a whole. Ulster is at peace, relatively. There is more wealth and opportunities. There has been a huge investment in Infrastructure. Look at Belfast, L'derry and Dublin and compare those cities to 20 years ago. Ireland, North and South, is at peace with itself and presenting a confident front to the rest of the world. Instead of the Irish emigrating around the world, immigrants are coming here. We are less insular.

Ireland cricket has been coached by an Englishman, a New Zealander, a South African and a West Indian. We have embraced new ideas and have dared to dream of what we can achieve. All of those appointments were not greeted universally. Not all have been successful but all have helped us grow.

Change is never comfortable. I personally hate it. It takes you out of your comfort zone. But hating it because it is uncomfortable doesn't mean it is wrong. Someone once told me that everything you ever wanted was outside your comfort zone.

When the NCU introduced 2 up and 2 down my experience was only of Section 1 cricket. My experience was the cricket was already competitive and it was unnecessary. However the effect of it throughout all of the leagues has been revolutionary and the whole dynamic has been changed. This is something I didn't expect because it is something I had never experienced.

Looking back at the way Kerry Packer revolutionised cricket in the 1970s my conclusion is that he moved the game forward in an unprecedented way and was slaughtered by the establishment for doing so. Cricket as we know it today is because of the changes made by Packer and yet it was a massive crisis at the time. One Day Cricket, coloured clothing and day/night matches were Packer initiatives.

Advances in technology come with completely new designs. Designs can be modified, improved, streamlined, made faster more efficient and effective. But they reach a point where only a brand new design will take you to the next level. Can the NCU and the NWCU be modified, streamlined and improved, or do we need a new design to take us to the next level?

I hope to examine the issues in my next column.