TRYING TO MAX THE BENEFIT

Max Sorensen’s move north will certainly add strength to the CIYMS team and inadvertently it could help the Northern Knights and the Interprovincial Series if he is selected within his new cricket abode!

There has been plenty of discussion about the gap between the Leinster Lightning and the other two provincial teams since the series started, mostly centred on the concept that the southern team has set the benchmark and the other two teams have to rise to it.

Simplicity at it’s best no doubt, but far too idealistic for people on the ground, because all the cards are stacked in favour of Leinster as it stands. This is due to player contracts and the fact that the Leinster team is virtually 100% professional and the other two teams are not far from 100% amateur.

How can a team of amateurs compete regularly against a team of professionals and be on a level playing field?

And before anyone claims the players and officials are paid in representative matches, the remuneration is pittance and many amateur players suffer losses to play in their games. Sorensen moving north will allow the NCU selectors an opportunity to include a top player, but if the selectors follow a similar path to that taken with CI all-rounder Johnny Thompson then the move might be cosmetic.

After all, playing more and more ‘outsiders’ in the NCU team will inevitably mean less opportunities for homegrown talent and a good example could be last season’s NCU top all-rounder Peter Eakin.

The young North Down player has enjoyed an exceptional path through youth and schools representative cricket and has shaken off a troublesome foot injury two years ago to get back to the form that pushed him close to the international squad.

He’s one of several emerging young NCU players, but if they are to be edged out by overseas professionals, overseas Ireland-qualified players and high-level internal recruits, then how do we expect to motivate them to greater things?

This is a dilemma facing NCU selectors who are currently under attack for not picking the best players available, but who will be ravaged by others if they sacrifice homegrown talent for imported talent.

There is also the side issue of ‘Peter taking from Paul’ and although Leinster Lightning will fill quickly Sorensen’s boots through their rich assets, the same cannot be said for the North-West Warriors, who have seen several of their players snapped up by CI and are now performing in the NCU area.

Is the solution here to let the players declare who they want to play for and then let destiny take its course?

Or should players playing in a representative area be restricted to playing in that area?

There are no easy solutions, but it does highlight the different needs of Cricket Ireland and the provincial unions. Cricket Ireland essentially funds the Leinster Lightning team through player contracts, so perhaps the governing body should level the playing field and give the provincial unions the same amount of funding to provide local contracts?

The current Interprovincial Series is going nowhere and it is in dire need of a complete revamp and some innovative and creative thinking.

There is a serious disconnect at the highest level and the well-paid “suits” at Head office need to step up to the plate and come up with a better format that is fair and serves the needs of Cricket Ireland and the provincial unions.

We understand talks are ongoing, aren’t they always, but if they are directive rather than consultative then they won’t achieve any long-term benefits and the same old tugboat will chug along with a few plugs to fill the leaks.

This should not be an option. We live and play in the professional era where player movement is now an integral part of the system. Overseas players continue to be part of the cricket fabric and although recruitment across the unions may not be rampant, it is happening, and the consequences of it have to be evaluated and used to the benefit of everyone.

At the very least, the rules need to be clarified.

Of course, another solution would be for the affluent northern clubs to pillage the Leinster clubs and shift the balance of power.

Is the solution not looking us straight in the face?