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| Welcome to the Civil Service North of Ireland Cricket Club |
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Civil Service North was formed in 2004 by the merger of the Civil Service C.C. and the North of Ireland C.C. The Club is always ready to welcome new members at any level of the game. The Firsts play in the Premier League of the NCU, and the Fifths and Sixths play (occasionally against each other) in the bottom League of the NCU. Net times: Senior nets: Mondays & Thursdays from 6.30pm Junior nets: Under 11s: Tuesdays from 6.00pm to 7.30pm Under 13s: Tuesdays from 7.30pm to 9.00pm Under 15s: Thursdays from 5.30pm to 7.30pm |
Club Pro. Ewen Thompson offers specialist video coaching to individuals. |
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2007 Season |
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The villain of the 2007 season was the weather, the heroes were the team Captains who managed to field sides through one of the wettest seasons in memory. Special mention should also be made of groundsman Philip McCormick who coaxed playable pitches out of what were sometimes almost impossible conditions. The Firsts struggled at times to show what they are capable of, but under the steady hand of Nigel Jones they stay in the top flight and face the 2008 season as a more settled side with Nigel once again at the helm. The highlight of the season must have been Ewen Thompson's 137 at Comber. Those who saw it were treated to a wonderful exhibition of batting, capped with 5 sixes and a four in the final over of the 20 over game. Neil Holmes' Second XI achieved promotion back into Section 2 and reached the final of the Intermediate Cup. Despite a wholesome start to the day at La Mon they didn't manage to bring home the silverware, but their promotion in the League was an essential part of the development of the Club. The other senior teams fielded a mixture of youth and experience which made for enjoyable cricket. At times, in closely contested Leagues, there were glimpses of promotion and, briefly, relegation but all the teams concluded the season in fairly satisfactory positions. The junior section continues to thrive. This year it was the Under 15s turn to shine, winning their League title. Under Ewen's tutelage and with members and parents lending support the youngsters' enthusiasm is unabated, and it was a 5ths team with only one senior member (the Skipper) who posted the highest team total of the season. Looking forward to the 2008 season, work on resurfacing the nets will be completed on schedule, and a slip cradle will be available for catching practice. Both the 1st XI and 2nd XI captains will be unchanged, giving a more settled feel to the top tier, and with Regan West joining the Club both teams must be looking forward to challenging at the top of their leagues. Junior members are beginning to establish themselves as real prospects for places in the senior teams, and the old hands are still gamely available to bolster things up early in the season before the school holidays. The Club members can look forward to a season where all teams are in a position to enjoy a successful campaign in 2008. |
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2006 Season |
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The 2006 Season turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag for the Club. The Firsts recovered from an uncertain start, finishing the season strongly to maintain their position in the Premier League. The Seconds suffered from the loss of their Captain in the early part of the season. John Neill stepped in, but in spite of all their efforts to get games played the team was unable to complete its fixtures and was relegated to Section 3. The Thirds, Fourths, Fifths and Sixths all finished the season safely. No silverware, but no relegation either. On a grim day in the middle of the season in unusual circumstances the Thirds were deemed not to have fulfilled a League fixture. As a result the winning performances in their Cups of the Fourths, Fifths and Sixths on the same day were held to be invalid. A blow to the Club and a ruling which left many members somewhat bemused. In Junior Cricket it was, for the second season in a row, the Under 11s who stole the limelight from the other junior teams. This year they won the NCU Quoile Cup, progressing to take the Ulster Cup, and then went on to win the All Ireland Cup, with a convincing win over Pembroke at Stormont. Looking forward to 2007, the Club will continue to field six senior teams. The Firsts will be under the Captaincy of Nigel Jones, and fellow Kiwi Ewen Thompson will return as Club professional. Neil Holmes takes over as Second XI captain, and veteran Kevin McConville takes up the reins of the Thirds. The lower teams will continue to foster the junior talent in the Club, and those who put in the performances can look forward to places in the senior teams. Two new Surrey loam pitches have been laid for the use of the Club, and these will come into use during the latter part of the new season. The Sports Association has plans for refurbishment in the pavilion in the early part of the new year. All in all things look well set for an enjoyable and successful season in 2007. |
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2005 Season |
The 1st XI, under the Captaincy of Wayne Horwood, had a successful season, winning their League and gaining promotion. The chase for the League was a close one. Two consecutive losses in the middle of the season meant that the team needed to win nine games in a row to get into a tie with Muckamore. The play off against Muckamore at Carrickfergus was a closely fought affair, but CSNI came out winners by 14 runs. The 2006 season will see Section One Cricket at Stormont for the first time, a prospect to relish for both players and supporters. The Seconds, Thirds and Fourths all finished Second in their Leagues. The Fourths also reached the final of the MQ Cup, narrowly beating the Sixths in the semi-final. A creditable effort in the first season of a merger, and very promising for future seasons. The Fifths and Sixths didn't get very close to winning anything, but had quite a jolly time in the process. They fielded a blend of youth and experience, giving some young players their first taste of playing at such venues as The Lawn (Thanks Waringstown!) Juniors The Junior Section was, for the most part very busy this season. The Colts only played one game, but the Under 15s reached the final of the Graham Cup, and the Club fielded two Under 15 League teams. The Under 13s played pretty well too. So many Under 13s turned up for nets that they had to be given a separate night for practise! It was the Under 11s, however, who won the new Club's first Trophy, winning the NCU's Quoile Cup. They went on to win the Ulster Cup, and were narrowly beaten, by 2 runs, by Merrion in the final of the All Ireland Cup. |
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