Above: The brilliant Ani Chore says goodbye to The Green
The men’s 1stXI season came to a conclusion last Friday night when they were comprehensively beaten by Woodvale at Ballygomartin Road.
Results have taken drastic a nosedive since just before the mid-season split as we’ve gone from a healthy 4 wins from 7 in the PL to a very disappointing 4 from 14 in the final analysis. The saving grace amongst it was that our early season form gave us the cushion of finishing ‘above the line’ and therefore any threat of relegation was removed and we’ll finish a respectable sixth.
Those early wins against Inst and Lisburn had given cause for optimism but a lack of form, quality and depth led to a series of demoralising defeats, as confidence drained quickly.
The performances have been way off where we would want them to be, and there will be a lot of soul searching to do in the close season to ensure that we get the side back on an upward curve, like the rest of the club.
It hasn’t all been bad news though because in recent weeks a number of young players have gained valuable exposure at the top level – a tough learning experience of course, but one everyone has gone through and it will stand them in good stead for the future, providing they are learning from it of course!
We also said goodbye to Ani Chore who is re-locating back to India with his family. What a player and what a guy – he has been the mainstay of our batting for the last four years and a superb wicketkeeper into the bargain – universally loved by the North Down faithful.
Speaking of which, just about the least welcome addition to the club this year was some of the ‘verbals’ dished out from the sidelines to players who were doing nothing more than representing the club to the best of their ability.
Perhaps the players aren’t the only ones who need to come back with renewed positivity in 2025!
At committee level, the hard work is underway to ensure 2025 is a better season for our flagship side!
