Expert set to assess Mount Juliet

Colin Dines of Nottinghamshire, one of the leading experts on the art of preparing wickets, is to visit Mount Juliet to assess the chances of the local track being made capable of staging the World Cup match between the West Indies and Bangladesh in 1999.

As revealed in The Irish Times last month, the Mount Juliet authorities made an approach to the Irish Cricket Union, bidding to host the prestige game, scheduled to be played on May 21st 1999.

Since then, an ICU delegation, led by the president John Wright and including the long-serving secretary Derek Scott, visited Mount Juliet on a fact-finding mission. It now seems likely that the next step will depend on Dines, who will assess the realities of the Mount Juliet bid.

Predictably, many people close to the ICU have privately rubbished the suggestion that the World Cup be staged in Mount Juliet, and have wondered aloud just how spectators could be attracted to the match. The answer to that is, of course, simple; drawing 25,000 or more onlookers down there for golf has not been a problem, while the West Indies, as usual, will be a major draw in themselves.

One would have thought that the interest of a major institution like Mount Juliet would be good for Irish cricket. Despite its many good works, the ICU is hardly renowned for its promotional skills; handled properly, the Mount Juliet initiative could be used as the start of a campaign to get badly needed commercial sponsors and interests involved in the development of cricket in Ireland.

The NCU, having already won the title, not a lot is at stake, in tomorrow's Senior Interprovincial Championship match at Malahide between Leinster and the Ireland Development X1.

Still, both teams include a number of players who were involved with the full national squad this summer, like Kyle McCallan, John Davy, Ed Joyce and Gary Neilly of the Development team, and Leinster's Johnny Byrne, Peter Davy, Angus Dunlop, Alan Lewis and the Molins brothers, Greg and Jason. The spirit of competition will hardly be lacking.

Carlisle, in hot pursuit of the League Section A title, hope that skipper Richard Davies will be fit to today's match against Clontarf at Castle Avenue. Davies has a back problem. Clontarf will again field an unchanged side.

Carlisle are 28 points clear of Rush, and have a game in hands, but clearly won't want any slipups at this late stage.

In Section B, the leaders Merrion and Old Belvedere meet in what is an important game for both clubs, at Anglesea Road today. The Cork County player, Ken Sorensen, lines out for Old Belvedere.

The Hills, in hot pursuit of Merrion and with a game in hands, should pick up more valuable points at the expense of Fingal neighbours North County, at The Nevitt.

Leinster: M Dwyer (The Hills) capt., J At- kinson (Phoenix), J E Byrne (Leinster), A Canavan (Old Belvedere), P Davy (Pembroke), A Dunlop (YMCA), A Lewis (YMCA), G Molins (Carlisle), J Molins (Carlisle), S McCready (YMCA), B McNeice (Clontarf).

Ireland Development X1 (from): K McCallan (Cliftonville) capt., N Anderson (Lurgan), B Archer (The Hills), S Carruthers (Ballymena), J Davy (Pembroke), M Jones (Leinster), E Joyce (Merrion), G Lyness (Cliftonville), P Mooney (The Hills), D McGarrigle (Donemana), G Neilly (Donemana), R O'Reilly (Clontarf).

Carlisle (from): R Davies (capt), M Cohen, T O'Neill, G Molins, J Molins, R Molins, S Molins, W Evans, I Langstaff, P Vella, D Bell, H Solomons.

Merrion: R Dowse (capt), A Joyce, E Joyce, Dominic Joyce, Damien Joyce, D Poder, R Stanton, S King, J Myers, J Morrissey, A Fleming.

YMCA: S Taylor (capt), M Nulty, A Lewis, A Dunlop, B Sweeney, H Harrison, M Miller, S McCready, C Hosford, D Streek, A N Other.

Rush: J Scanlon (capt), D Armstrong, M Donnelly, N Shaukat, Cian Armstrong, Conor Armstrong, J Carthy, D McCann, C McGee, R Wilde, C Doyle.

Old Belvedere: H Prior (capt), T O'Gorman, F Synott, A Cousins, A Dunne, S Moore, A Canavan, H Young, D O'Riordan, K Sorensen, B Tucker.

CYM: B Buttimer (capt), S Cullen, S Moore, C Moore, M Launders, C Morgan, C Macey, J Singh, F Kelleher, M Wilkins, M Whitney.

The Hills: D Moore (capt), B Archer, Matt Dwyer, Mick Dwyer, M Clinton, J Clinton, B Moore, P Mooney, L Clinton, J Archer, J Andrews.

Clontarf: B McNeice (capt), J Daly, J Barry, A Botha, A Cullen, S Kuhn, D McGeehan, R O'Reilly, M Ryan, K Spellman, D Vincent.

Umpires: Today: Senior League Section A: at Castle Avenue: J Connolly, S McCready; at Park Avenue: L Keegan, D Thompson; at Claremont Road: S Daultrey, D Geraghty; Section B: at Malahide: P Boylan, R O'Reilly; at Anglesea Road: J Ford, L Hogan; at The Nevitt: D Brennan, D Carpenter. Minor Cup final: at Kimmage: P J Carroll, J McGeehan.