It probably met with few raised eyebrows outside the North West in any case but the the dust is now settling locally on Cricket Ireland's decision to award the Ireland v England game to Malahide in 2013. The Leinster club is to be congratulated on their recognition and on their hard work in completing an impressive 11,500 capacity cricket arena and no-one would deny them their day in the spotlight accordingly. The chances of finding 11,500 people to watch cricket on a regular basis is another matter; in fact I would suspect if you put everyone in it who has watched a domestic game anywhere in Ireland over the past 12 months you still wouldn't fill it, however there is no doubt that the club have now thrust themselves to the front of the queue for big International games.

The disappointment being felt in these parts is a combination of being overlooked for the major International action for around 15 years and counting, coupled with the fact that it seems that both ourselves and Cricket Ireland have missed a golden opportunity to mark next year's City of Culture celebrations. I covered a number of issues in last week's piece and don't intend to go over old ground again but there has been a damning silence from Cricket Ireland this week in relation to what will, to be brutally honest, feel like a snub to many in the North West. At a time when we are being extolled the virtues of a single vision for the future of Irish cricket the reality is that we can't quite get to see it for ourselves.

By the way this is not intended as a rant or a whine because the likes of Bready need to assess their situation too. For example is there a danger that we barking up the wrong tree completely or did Bready prepare their new venue on the understanding that it would be meeting International specifications? Did they take advice on ground size and the requirements of coming up to that standard? Most importantly, have they been told why their ground does not appear to meet with approval and have they asked for a list of requirements to allow them to do so?

There are also things that the club would have needed to address to allow the parent body to consider them for top Internationals. For example, where would we put 11,500 people if England came to town? Have we checked out temporary seating and stands and if so, what sort of numbers could be catered for? And while the club itself has no direct control over it, the patent lack of communication signals would be a major problem for press and media trying to cover matches. There is every chance that Bready has already addressed some or all of these issues but if not then I'd imagine that's the reason we would be offered for the fact that we're still not getting the big games after all this time.

That however in no way diminishes Cricket Ireland's role in the whole saga and questions need to be asked and answered so that it is crystal clear to everyone where they stand. The most obvious of those is has anyone from the parent body carried out an assessment at Bready Cricket Club to establish if the ground meets the specifications for International cricket? Can someone clarify precisely what is preventing the club from hosting full Internationals? And given the fact that we now appear to have Dublin and Belfast posturing over who should get the big games, where exactly are we in this pecking order?

It is definitely much easier for Cricket Ireland to factor the North West out of the equation and let the other two maul each other over the crumbs that fall onto our floor but where exactly does that stance fit in with those visions you keep telling us about?

With 2013 now just six months away can you tell us openly and honestly if the North West is being assisted to mark the City of Culture year with a major cricket event? Derry City Football Club in association with the FAI have made contact with a number of English Premier League and Spanish La Liga clubs with a view to possibly bringing one of each to the city next year. And wait for this one- the local Pigeon Racing Club is also in on the act and promoting a big pigeon race in this showcase year. And yet you tell us that cricket is the fastest growing sport in Ireland?

The unfortunate truth is that we hear it but we don't see it. Our disappointment may be about to be pushed back in our face if you've been keeping an ace up your sleeve and are about to tell us that there is some big plan afoot. Maybe it's the cynic in me but I'm pretty convinced at this stage that we're getting nothing at all, or nothing's next door neighbour, Mr Token Gesture.

You see the fact of the matter is that we're continually being told about how included the North West is in Irish International cricket. That Roy is the team manager, Barry the media manager, William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, and a host of new-ish faces like Graeme McCarter, Scott Campbell and Andy Britton in or on the verge of the International set-up, and yes that's all true. Remember though that despite being by far the smallest in size per capita of the Unions, the North West (OK maybe Donemana in particular) has been by far the most successful at under-age club level in the recent past therefore it's hardly a surprise that some of those players are kicking on.

The point is that the people you're talking about show what the North West is contributing to Irish cricket; not the other way around. We already know what the North West does for you. The bit we're stuck at is, well, you know what it is.

So what's the chances, lads?