I think it is a fantastic response shown here on this thread both by people who back the idea, and by the APAT themselves for making things possible regarding a Northern Ireland team entry. I also would especially like to acknowledge leigh"s response, as it lends a bit of weight to the cause from someone whose voice is respected within the APAT community, your support may be one of the factors which has lead the APAT to offer this slot to us over here in the north.
I understand the complexity however, of breaking up a championship winning side in the process of setting up this new team but I think that it is a natural evolution that Northern Ireland be deemed worthy of its own team, and obviously with championship pedigree embedded within some of our more famous players, I feel we would have a great platform from which we can prove we are worthy of a separate slot.
However, I propose that a Northern Irish team is not solely dependant on one player and, so as to allow him to defend his title, I feel it is only fair if Colin is considered to be an Irish team member, if that is his wish, to allow him the opportunity to defend his title with the team he won it with last year. I do stress, however, that Northern Ireland have all the key elements, coupled with a hefty amount of desire, to be able to represent itself in these team championships, and we would certainly offer a strong and ambitious outfit for the team championship if offered a place in the lineup.
I thank the captain of the Irish team for agreeing, in principle, to the creation of a second Irish outfit set up here in the north, and I thank the APAT for giving us a chance. As I said, with the growth in NI players, it is a natural thing to want to be able to represent ourselves, and I am sure we will rise to the challenge.
