Cricket in Croker!

Aussies get green light for Croker cricket run-out



By Martin Breheny
Thursday May 20 2010
FIRST rugby, then soccer, now cricket.
Another chapter in Croke Park's extraordinary history will be written next month when the Australian cricket team show off their talents at GAA headquarters.
It follows a request by Australia to the GAA to be allowed to have a 'throw about' in Croke Park on Monday, June 14, three days before they play Ireland in a one-day international in Clontarf.
The matter came before Central Council where it was agreed to grant the Australians, who will be staying across the road at The Croke Park Hotel, permission to use the pitch. They are expected to attend the Dublin v Wexford and Laois v Meath/Offaly Leinster football semi-finals in Croke Park on the previous day.
Allowing cricket -- even if it is only a practice session -- into Croke Park would have been unheard of prior to the relaxation of Rule 42 in 2005, but now it is regarded as a chance to promote the stadium.
"The Australian cricketers were aware of Croke Park from watching their international rules and rugby teams playing there and were keen to have a run-out on the pitch. Central Council agreed to permit it as a special event. Anything that gets the Croke Park brand out there in the marketplace is important. We're in a very competitive space right now," said the Croke Park stadium director, Peter McKenna, in reference to the opening of the redeveloped Lansdowne Road.
While allowing the Australian cricketers in for an informal "throw about" may be a good marketing ploy, it could come back to haunt the GAA later on in the year when county teams seek permission to have a training run on the pitch prior to big championship games.
There have been complaints in the past when some squads were refused permission for familiarisation runs in Croke Park, which have been largely confined to All-Ireland club finalists and to county teams who have reached All-Ireland semi-finals after a long absence.
"It wouldn't be possible to facilitate every squad that wanted a run-out in Croke Park. In all, 52 different GAA teams played in Croke Park last year so we couldn't possibly facilitate them all. However, we do our best to facilitate teams who reach All-Ireland semi-finals if they haven't been in Croke Park before.
"Of course, we'll also allow the international rules team to practise there. Anthony Tohill (Irish manager) has booked five sessions ahead of the game with Australia next autumn" said McKenna.

I think its time to get OVER it. I wouldn't BAT an eyelid at this sort of story anymore. I'm STUMPED as to why this sort of story gets any coverage.

this is a joke nemo were in trouble with the gaa for lettign an irish team hire their facilities yet croker can cream a few pounds out of cricket - howzat ! im stumped.

a not impressed RHM

clash-of-da-ash wrote:I think its time to get OVER it. I wouldn't BAT an eyelid at this sort of story anymore. I'm STUMPED as to why this sort of story gets any coverage.

You'll always get someone trying to make a SILLY POINT, especially if someone gets a LEG BREAK - then there will be ALL OUT war.

Its all about money...

mullins wrote:Its all about money...

100% agree!

Just imagine that somewhere up about fairview or drumcondra
that there is a little ten year old whose dad is a porter in the hotel
Now this kid

is more Gifted than gooch
More fire than maurice Fitz
more panache that Peter the great
More heart than Keith Barr
can field better than Darragh O shea
and kicks frees better than the lovechild of a Sheehy-Rock

Now lets say that this porter hauls a few kit bags up to the room for Ricky Ponting and for his troubles gets a bottle of Castlemaine, A few Aussie dollars and two passes to the throwabout.

So next day Ponting is on the crease and hits a cover drive into the top deck of the cusack where young junior runs thirty yards and catches the ball in a spectacular diving catch
Now the catch gets filmed on Youtube and junior becomes the biggest star in Queensland to a point where him and the whole clan get offered 500,000 dollars to relocate to sunny oz where he joins a cricket academey centre of excellence.
15 years later he is wicket keeper for the ashes team and the same summer
dublin lose and all ireland final after Chuck Redmond misses a 21 yard free.

Nothing new hear at all the Aussie cricket team where in Croke Park in 1993 that I know for a fact just google a guy called Merv Hughes with his giant handlebar mustach.

I wasn't too far away from them when they attended the 1993 Leinster Hurling Final

JimWexford wrote:Nothing new hear at all the Aussie cricket team where in Croke Park in 1993 that I know for a fact just google a guy called Merv Hughes with his giant handlebar mustach.

I wasn't too far away from them when they attended the 1993 Leinster Hurling Final

Merv the Swerv. The little plump guy who bowled for Australia Shane Warne is really a blonde lad who plays for Tyrone.....

Jim I hear they were gonna sign up a couple of the Wexford forwards until they saw the amount of 'wides' they were giving away!

Just another example of the inferiority complex that still exists in the south, a "banana republic" hang up.

The old "hey the Aussie Cricket team expressed an interest in Ireland"

"Wow, here et them have whatever they want, I mean, the Aussie cricket team".

I think the President and Taoiseach met Muhammed Ali when he arrived to fight Al Blue Lewis at Croke.

Now Ali was massive in later life, but you somehow couldn't see the Queen meeting him, at the airport.

patrique wrote:Now Ali was massive in later life, but you somehow couldn't see the Queen meeting him, at the airport.

No sure about that P. I have an elderly uncle who was a major electrical contactor in Dublin at the time and was at the airport when Ali landed - and not to see Ali. But Ali's people commandeered his Merc for the ride to town!!!

ps How come you are not impacting on Kilkenny!!

I haven't much problem with it in principle, but given Nemo's treatment for alowing an Irish international team use their training facilities, the hypocricy stinks.

Dr.Shephard wrote:I haven't much problem with it in principle, but given Nemo's treatment for alowing an Irish international team use their training facilities, the hypocricy stinks.

see above dr!

Nemo go away with a warning and the GAA state the rule Rule 5.1: "All property including grounds, clubhouses, halls, dressing rooms and handball alleys owned or controlled by units of the Association shall be used only for the purpose of, or in connection with, the playing of games controlled by the Association."

Maddening hypocrisy as said above.. Unless of course Cricket is now controlled by the GAA.

I wonder were Aussie Cricket fans complaining when gaelic players trained on the MCG?

Sebastian wrote:I wonder were Aussie Cricket fans complaining when gaelic players trained on the MCG?

not the point seb - the gaa took exception to nemo renting out their facilities to a irish rugby team yet they can give the crickerters from oz the field with no problems!

No Prob with non sports related activity being allowed in Croke Park so with cricket its ok

Cricket?!?!?!?! Next thing they'll be letting Ladies Football in!!!

Anyone seen the Magners advert that's being show on TV over here?

"Never been beaten, that team from the town of Clonmel..."

It then shows a cricket team making a load of easy catches (because they catch apples all the time or something). They're playing cricket in Clonmel?!

Could at least have had them catching sliotars...

I saw that ad Sami and thought exactly the same as you . . . cricket???????

SamiPremier08 wrote:Anyone seen the Magners advert that's being show on TV over here?

"Never been beaten, that team from the town of Clonmel..."

It then shows a cricket team making a load of easy catches (because they catch apples all the time or something). They're playing cricket in Clonmel?!

Could at least have had them catching sliotars...

sami they don't hurl in clonmel thought a tipp man like yourself would know that, thats football country.

JimWexford wrote:

SamiPremier08 wrote:Anyone seen the Magners advert that's being show on TV over here?

"Never been beaten, that team from the town of Clonmel..."

It then shows a cricket team making a load of easy catches (because they catch apples all the time or something). They're playing cricket in Clonmel?!

Could at least have had them catching sliotars...

sami they don't hurl in clonmel thought a tipp man like yourself would know that, thats football country.

I do know that Jim, don't insult my intelligence, but there's more hurling than cricket, hence that use of "at least"

[quote="SamiPremier08
I do know that Jim, don't insult my intelligence, but there's more hurling than cricket, hence that use of "at least"[/quote]


On the eve of Tipp's opener in Munster, young Sami is in a bullish mode...
Jim will not appreciate this level of puppyism.**

**From a soccerball enthusiast as well..