CRICKET/Weekly column: Several people phoned in to the Today with Pat Kenny radio programme recently to complain about the great number of unwanted emails which they receive on their home computers.
This correspondent can sympathise; clearing out dozens of useless commercial messages from the inbox has become an irritating and time-wasting daily morning chore.
Nobody would expect - nor want - electronic messages from the Irish Cricket Union (ICU), of course. But, given the week that's in it, with what is arguably Ireland's most important match of the season coming up tomorrow at Castle Avenue, the flow of information (electronic or otherwise) coming from the ICU is hardly what you might describe as of open flood-gate proportions.
The encounter in question is the C & G Trophy third round match against Nottinghamshire, in which a home victory would be a major achievement indeed.
And, no, the lack of emails from the ICU is not balanced by information sent by fax or through the conventional post. Against this barren background, even messages delivered by carrier pigeon would be better than nothing, and would be certainly more desirable than the deafening silence from cricket officialdom.
During the run-up to the recent general election, there were many complaints from the public who had been hit, or nearly hit, by posters promoting the merits of various candidates falling from lamp posts or telegraph polls.
This unhappy experience is not likely to befall any strollers around the pleasant tree-lined environs of Clontarf and Castle Avenue, where there is not a single, solitary poster advertising the match against Notts to be seen anywhere.
Just imagine an occasion when the Munster rugby side is taking on major opponents, domestic or otherwise, at either Thomond Park or Musgrave Park.
The main streets of the two cities and the approach roads to the two grounds invariably are positively festooned with posters and advertisements for the match, and rightly so, and that has been the case from what seems like time immemorial.
Admittedly, the ICU is nothing like as financially well off as the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) or its provincial branches, and its officials include a great many people who work long and hard for no reward and no reason, other than their love of cricket.
That's fine and admirable, but when opportunities arise to promote the game in general and to sell a vital and important match in particular they should be exploited to the full.
In some ways, in fact, the ICU has gone backwards in promotional terms. Time was when Ireland's major home matches would be sponsored and a souvenir brochure produced to mark the occasion, but that time, alas, is long gone.
The lack of serious sponsors, as has been pointed out in this space before, is critical, and even the new Inter Regional Challenge series does not have a commercial backer.
At the only match played so far in the series - between the NCU X1 and the Southern X1 at Lurgan - there were similarly no posters advertising the match, while the score-card simply listed the names of the players, but with just initials and without Christian names.
That scorecard nonsense will be repeated at the Nottinghamshire game, and in terms of being a good source of information for the punters present is about as useful as the proverbial cat-flap on a submarine.
It is some consolation that the match is being staged at Castle Avenue, for over the years the members of Clontarf CC have proved themselves excellent indeed at hosting and staging major games like this.
Thus, there will be a fine public address system to keep the onlookers informed about the events on the field of play, unlike at Pollock Park in Lurgan at the Inter Regional Challenge match when the PA announcer could scarcely be heard, and mostly didn't know the first names of the Southern players - an obvious case of lack of advance home-work on his part.
To be fair, the Union, through its new Communications Committee, has introduced a newsletter called ICU Update, the first of which was issued last December, with a second due in the early spring.
That's a step in the right direction, but a great deal more remains to be done in terms of the provision of media information and general promotion.
By the way, tomorrow's match will be covered live on NEAR FM 101.6, the local radio station which certainly does its bit for cricket, both local and national.
On this day: May 28th, 1908: After making 356, Yorkshire dismiss Nottinghamshire for 17 and 15, winning by an innings and 341 runs. A good omen for Ireland at Castle Avenue tomorrow, perhaps?
johnstonkarl@hotmail.com
Australian-born batsman Jason Gallian led from the front with a captain's innings of 111 as Nottinghamshire beat Northamptonshire by seven wickets in their second division county championship match at Trent Bridge yesterday.
Together with fellow England exile Usman Afzaal (88) he put on 183 for the third wicket as Nottinghamshire passed their winning target of 230 in the 52nd over.
