One senior player told me that they had been told their earnings would be paid within two weeks of their return but the cheques were only handed over on Friday, nine weeks late. The ICC finance department told Inside Edge that they had paid the money to the ICU in "the fourth week in May".

"We were fed up being played for fools", a player told me. "Jeremy went out on a limb but he just articulated what everyone else in the squad was saying between ourselves." Last month Bray told the Sunday Tribune that the ICU was "a joke" and he couldn't afford to play for Ireland.

The players were further annoyed by manager Roy Torrens assertion on Wednesday night that "the cheques are in the post". It seems, however, that it was only the media boycott that concentrated the minds at the ICU and John Wright wrote out the 15 cheques on Thursday afternoon. The players received their money . . . about 5,500 . . . after training at North County on Friday.

The squad are still simmering because they feel they have lost out on some of their prize money. Qualifying for Super Eights earned $50,000, while wins in the first phase earned $10,000, ties $7,500 and defeats $5,000. With one of each result recorded, the players reckon they should have shared $72,500, but the ICU have retained $15,000, saying that they had "budgeted for three defeats" and spent the money.

The squabble highlights further the vast inequities in the sport where each of the test nations collected $10million for turning up and the "minnows" were left to squabble over the loose change.

Relations between squad and union are at an all-time low, with both sides struggling to hear the other's point of view on the road to semi-professionalism. The union have said they hope to begin contracting players by the end of this year, but for senior players such as Bray they can't come soon enough. There is a danger that last week's protests will flare up once again.

The Twenty20 finals day has rapidly become one of the highlights of the cricket calendar in Dublin, and next Sunday's promises to be the biggest yet. Railway Union host the day, which features the Hills, Clontarf, Merrion and, thanks to four bowl-outs, Old Belvedere.

The action kicks off at Park Avenue at 11am, with the second semi at 2pm and the final at 5pm. Admission is just 5, with children admitted free. Adults who bring four kids along will get in free too. Railway chairman Maurice Whelan promises a bouncy castle and face-painting for the younger fans, while a BBQ and Indian buffet will keep the adults happy.

The competitive aspect to the day will also include a tug-of-war between local sports clubs, with Stella Maris rowing club the most fancied. Further details from 086-8567760.

Take a bow Andrew Kenny, who became a unique figure in cricket history on Friday. Andrew was the only man to have paid in to the Scotland v Holland game at Stormont when play began at 10.45am. An attendance of one at an ODI is surely an all-time low? There are more at those football matches played "behind closed doors".

With a promised upturn in the weather this could just be the time to pack your kids off to learn the great game at one of the summer camps about to take place in the Dublin area.

LCU development officer Briain O'Rourke has teamed up with Irish international Eimear Richardson to run the Boundaries Cricket Camps in Sandymount. Aimed at both boys and girls aged 8-13, the week-long camps start on Monday 16 July in Pembroke and 30 July in YMCA. More details from 086 818 7944.

Rod Hokin (087 314 9886) is running the Clontarf CC camp for 7-13 boys and girls from 17-19 July, while Rob O'Connor (087 758 2972) is running two Howzat Cricket Camps in Rathmines. The first camp, for boys aged 9-13, is on 2327 July, while the second, for girls aged 9-15, is on 7-10 August.

A fond farewell was bade to the old Strabane ground last week. And with a fine sense of history the new occupants of the site, Asda supermarkets, invited Paddy Gillespie and his son Peter to perform the opening ceremony. Paddy was groundsman for 40 years and Peter won 124 caps before he announced his retirement in this column in June.

Ed Joyce made a welcome return to form with an excellent 81 on a difficult wicket at Southgate against Derbyshire last week. It was Ed's 100th first-class appearance, joining just five other Irishmen who hit that mark.

He has some way to go to catch Freddie Fane (417 games) and Tim O'Brien (266), but will have Martin McCague (135), Tom Jameson (124) and Tom Horan (106) in his sights. Ed also passed 7,000 career runs last week, with only two Irishmen ahead of him: Fane 18,548 (average 27.39) and O'Brien 11,397 (27.00). Ed's average of 46.81 puts him well ahead of the Victorian pair.