Despite the competitive nature of the new 8-team Premier Division, the normally vibrant North West winter transfer market has hardly merited a mention thus far and as we head towards February there has been much more talk than action.

Ardmore's capture of Decker Curry has been easily the biggest story to date but despite being linked with a plethora of strike bowlers as well, it appears the Bleachgreen boys have as yet been unable to clinch a deal in that department.

On the plus side for Lee Brolly however the signs are that Dean Curry will be joining his "oul fella" down the rocky road, giving them decent options in the middle order.

Like several other clubs Strabane are believed to be looking to strengthen their squad with former all rounder Ryan Gallagher and Jonny Robinson seemingly on the Red Caps' radar.

Club and players have refused to comment on the speculation, the former champions pointing out that they have been heavily linked with players in the recent past which haven't materialised.

It has been very quiet on the Limavady Road too, prompting speculation that Gareth McKeegan's men could well go with pretty much the same squad as last time with the addition of an overseas man.

*************************************

Off the field, progress seems to have been made on the new T20 competition which will replace the existing Faughan Valley format and come under the remit of the North West from 2014.

Agreement has been reached with the Derry Midweek League that will see them retain full control of the proceeds for the continuation of their fantastic charity work. The DML will also be represented on the Organising Committee with the format changing to 4 groups of 4 teams- two from the Premier Division and two from the Championship.

The groups will be regionalised as best they can given that matches look set to be played on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout June and July. Teams will play each other once in the group stages with the top two going into an open quarter final draw and the bottom two contesing a separate Plate competition.

Full details and draw will be posted to this website shortly.

***********************************

Work is also continuing apace as the Warriors Development squad prepares to be put through its paces over the coming weeks.

Preparation is at an advanced stage for a launch evening covering the North West's development plans for underage cricket generally and details of that will follow as well.

President, Andrew Fleming, Warriors Head Coach Bobby Rao and TAO Trevor Hamilton and their team have worked tirelessly over the past number of weeks to gear up for these ambitious plans and there will be much more on the subject next time.

**********************************

For now however I would just like to finish by paying tribute to our friend and colleague Eric Cooke who passed away earlier this month.

Eric's sudden and untimely death has taken us all by surprise and although you will probably have read the tributes already, I couldn't finish this piece without assuring Valerie and the girls of our support in the tough times ahead.

We are also exploring various options of marking Eric's long association with North West cricket in a meaningful way and hope to have news on that before the new season starts.