I knew the team would be weaker because of retirements and lads going to England, so I'm glad I stayed on to give a bit of experience to the new caps."

Gillespie would have liked to have played more in the West Indies, but understands the selectors' problem and is grateful for the whole experience. "It was an amazing time, I got to see the Caribbean with my wife and the guys. We won or tied every game we targeted so I can't blame the selectors. The team and Irish cricket was more important than my own position so I just got the head down and hid any disappointment I felt."

He leaves Irish cricket at a crossroads, with many of the players who will play in the next ICC Trophy in place. "We have plenty of talented cricketers in Ireland and with 16 months to Dubai the natural cycle will turn."

"I'm looking forward to playing for my club with less pressure on me. For 16 years I've batted under the pressure of making runs for Strabane and North West to get in the Irish team and, when I was there, to keep my place." He made 2,776 runs for Ireland, and was seen at his best in the competitive games against the counties where he made six 50s and averaged 35.

"I'm grateful to Irish cricket for all it gave me, and thank my family and wife Ciara for all the support they've showed me over the years", he said. One of the gentlemen of the game, the ICU should find a role for him . . . and others like Paul Mooney . . . as the sport strides forward.

THOSE strides include the first live broadcast of an Ireland game on a local channel since 1980. Setanta Sports will be showing the five Stormont ODIs live, starting next weekend with Ireland v India, with coverage starting at 10.30am.

THERE has been a huge increase in children playing cricket since the start of the season. A survey of youth development officers in Leinster shows membership up by 40% to 250%.

In Clontarf, Deryck Vincent reports an increase from 200 youths to 320, with more expected as exams end. "After years of being a Cinderella sport it is great to have these problems", says Vincent. "The members have really got behind it and our coach Rod Hokin has put together an excellent coaching programme."

David Gray of Sandyford reports a 100% increase, while Brian Gilmore has seen a huge uptake in Malahide, where he oversees some novel ways of getting kids to sample the game: "I did my first cricket party last week: 20 ten year old kids from Portmarnock who had never set foot in a cricket club. They had 90 minutes of play followed by pizza in the pavilion . . . they had a ball!" Gilmore is convinced that "cricket has entered the mainstream".

At Leinster CC, numbers have gone from 100 to 170 with particular growth in the younger age groups: "A lot of the interest is coming from kids whose parents who have little or no cricket experience suggesting that this has been fueled by the World Cup success, " says Colin Rogan. "The challenge this creates is handling the numbers . . . but we need support. Investment is needed now or we may miss the boat."

Railway Union have seen a 40% growth in their youths section, while neighbours Pembroke have also seen an increase, although they attribute the doubling in youth numbers in the last five years to immigration. Merrion's numbers have jumped from 130 to 190, which Jim Walsh says is "undoubtedly mainly due to Ireland's World Cup success and the increased media coverage of the sport. The increase has been difficult to manage both in terms of numbers of coaches available and also in getting a sufficient number of fixtures so that the kids can play matches against other clubs."

Outside Dublin, Bagenalstown in Carlow have more than doubled youth numbers to 52 while Ardmore in the NorthWest have gone from 12 to 30.

Progress has definitely been made in getting youngsters to sample the game, but most of those surveyed are concerned that they may be unable to keep the new members without help from the unions.

Congratulations to quiz winners Annraoi de Paor, who receives two tickets to the Ireland v South Africa game, and Liam Rooney, who wins a replica shirt.

Man of the match in the Ireland/SA game in Grenada was Jacques Kallis.

The Hills is always a great place to play and watch the game, but today's 20-20 games should be spectacular. The first round of the LHW Cup sees Leinster and Old Belvedere visit and besides the usual warm welcome and fine catering, Willie Dwyer promises a big screen in the bar to show the game live, complete with 'stump cam'. The game can also be seen live on www. thehillscricketclub. com.

gsiggins@tribune. ie