This was probably the hardest selection yet. Only two Belfast clubs in the Premier League yet a quite a few in Section 2. As a general rule I have picked teams that are balanced. Generally 2 openers, 2 middle order batsmen, a wicket keeper who can bat, 2 opening bowlers, an off spinner, a left arm finger spinner or leg spinner, a third seamer and an all-rounder. Sounds straightforward and up until now it has been. Belfast has a lot of good batsmen and a number of all rounder's to pick. Someone has to be disappointed.

Yet when you look at the opening bowling partnerships from those sides you can see the extent of the difficulties. Out of Ewan Thompson, Nigel Jones, Alan Coulter, Phil Clark and Eugene Moleon only Coulter was born in Ireland. Nigel I believe is also eligible for Ireland so I have selected both of them to be true to the balanced team. I also am aware that when you make a decision it is difficult to be consistent. Having selected the England based Gary Kidd in Armagh, I now can't ignore Gary Wilson for Belfast.

Having declared Johnny Bushe the best wicket keeper in the NCU you realise that Down will point to Shields, Antrim to Dunlop, and Belfast to Wilson or McCann. Gary Wilson may be the Ireland back up to Niall O'Brien but I have picked Rory McCann behind the stumps, if for no other reason than Gary Wilson is a brilliant fielder. I am not going to even pay lip service to those left out other than to say it has been a really difficult decision. The sandbags are in place and the flack starts now.

Belfast

John Stevenson (Instonians): Teak tough competitor. His 163* in the cup single handedly avoided an upset. He's a good cricketer and exactly who you want beside you in the trenches.

Wayne Horwood (CSNI): Another left hander but the more aggressive opener. When fielding it's WH who encourages the team for 50 overs even when it's getting tough out there. Those things matter.

Rory McCann (Instonians) wk: One of the most exciting young cricketers for a while. Very strong off his legs and a very solid batsman.

Andrew White (Instonians): When Whitey gets a hundred it's usually a big one. A brilliant fielder and an excellent bowler. Will reach a hundred Ireland caps soon. Quality.

Gary Wilson (CSNI): Another excellent player. A good enough bat that Surrey signed him. A top keeper and a brilliant fielder.

Derek Heasley (CIYMS): Another one who has been there done that. A brilliant 'death' bowler and a top quality batsman.

Regan West (Instonians, photo right): Not a fan of his antics at times but a big fan of his cricket. Really rips his left arm spin and a very destructive bat.

Nigel Jones (CSNI): He's had a few niggling injuries that have impaired his bowling which I hope have cleared up because this guy can bowl. And with over 500 runs last year he can bat too.

Johnny Hewitt (CIYMS): I've Johnny batting 9 which is ridiculous. Could anyone give me some help as to who can drop down the order to let him go higher? Still doing the business with bat and ball.

Stephen Donnelly (Woodvale): I know it's a departure from my usual format but 31 wickets at less than 10 per wicket means Stephen has to play. He's been an excellent performer now for many years and fully deserves his inclusion in the team.

Alan Coulter (CSNI): Hard to believe that an Ireland Under 23 player is only in the team to keep it balanced. Didn't do enough for me in 2007 and will need to work a lot harder to fulfill his true potential. The raw materials are there.