CRICKET/HUNT FOR WORLD CUP TICKETS:WELL, HERE we go again. After years of heartbreak in trying to qualify for big events, Ireland have now made it two-in-a-row with a trip to next year's Twenty20 World Cup secured early on Monday afternoon.

And that means the Blarney Army will be back on the move, two years on from their excellent World Cup debut in the Caribbean.

Over 3,000 supporters made the trip last time, with the combination of cricket, sun and its timing around St Patrick's Day making it a memorable occasion.

That we beat Pakistan and Bangladesh and tied with Zimbabwe added to a trip of a lifetime for many.

It was refreshing also to see so many supporters who had no allegiances to clubs and were there simply because of a love of the game and the wish to see Ireland play at the highest level.

The ludicrous prices (the cost of a ticket in Guyana was equal to the average weekly wage) put them out of reach of many of the locals in the West Indies, meaning Ireland fans who made the trip had no problem getting to see their side play.

The Blarney Army may need more than the gift of the gab this time around to secure tickets for next summer's finals, which take place within easy reach at Lord's, The Oval and Trent Bridge.

The appeal of Twenty20 cricket, added to the condensed nature of the first round of next year's finals, make it enticing for fans, while the large populations of ex-pats from the big cricketing nations who reside in England will be keen to see their heroes in action.

A visit to the ICC website (www.icc-cricket.yahoo.com) yesterday morning showed that tickets were only available for one of the seven group stage fixtures, five of which are double-headers.

Even though tickets have been on sale since June 30th, Ireland supporters only found out yesterday where they will play their games and so have been on the back foot from the start.

A further fly in the ointment exists in that Zimbabwe have yet to confirm they will pull out of the competition, even though a decision was expected within a month of the ICC executive board meeting on July 3rd.

If the Zimbabwe board do change their mind, not alone will the groups change but so will the venue, as the British government have said Zimbabwe would not be allowed travel.

Overall it leads to a state of confusion for Irish fans, although event organisers confirmed yesterday a batch of tickets have been held back for Associate qualifiers, and that they will be released for sale once the final line-up of games is completed.

Cricket Ireland will also receive an allocation of tickets, but they are likely not to go much further than members and sponsors.

All in all it looks like adding up to a ticket hunt that will match those seen in other sporting codes.

Of course, Ireland supporters have pulled off some famous coups themselves over the years.

Giants Stadium in 1994 was a sea of green for the World Cup clash with Italy.

And Munster rugby fans have become experts at sniffing out every last ticket for the big occasions.

Cricket fans here might just need that sort of guile and ingenuity to see their side in action next summer.