...shouldn't come as any big surprise, given his exceptional ability and fitness. After all, the "Prince" is just forty and in the modern world that represents a lot less than forty years old. And was it not the great Abraham Lincoln who said "It is not the years in life, but the life in years, that count?"
How true, and let's hope this mercurial batsman returns at the top, as that's where he left, and it is a testimony to his greatness that he has retained a dignified silence since his retirement, and avoided the temptation to criticize the West Indian players and officials who expedited his "retirement' for their own objectives. West Indies cricket was already in serious decline at that stage, but it has sunk to the cricket gutter since.
Age is just a number, and there are many examples in sport that kill the myth that you must retire at a certain time. It is just the same in local cricket, and who better to illustrate the case than Billy "Bumper" Dale who joined the Sixty Club with as much enthusiasm as any teenager arrives at the club nets after school. Billy is a great example of longevity, but it has not been easily achieved. He has always kept himself superbly fit and lived a healthy life. But above all, he has enthusiasm that would put most others to shame, and let's hope his presence at the Demesne this season helps to invigorate Saintfield, and this progressive club grows to bigger and better things.
Where would local cricket be without its "Golden Oldies?" They have added so much to the sport and helped bridge the generation gap with their experience and knowledge. Personally I recall the great honour it was to play with and against icons like Noel Ferguson, Tom and Billy McCloy, Raymond Hunter, "Sonny" Hool, and Ronnie Berryman, in the twilight of their careers. Little did they know at the time how much their presence lifted the status of any game in which they played, and I'm sure I was not alone in my appreciation. After all, these guys were amongst the best players of their time, they were legends in local cricket, and on a number of occasions they played against some of the best players in the world.
Every club has its "Golden Oldies" and every player can look back and take great pride in sharing their loyalty with past players who did the same before them. To have played in the same team was a privilege.
It remains to be seen whether the "Golden Oldies" culture will remain in the future given the steady decline in the numbers playing junior and minor cricket, and the competition from family commitments, television sport, golf, bowls, drinking and general laziness. Each activity in its own way has taken older cricketers from the game, so it says much for the loyalty and devotion of the stalwarts who have stayed, because they continue to give so much to the game. Looking back at my generation at North Down, Billy Dale has outstayed if not outplayed a number of great stalwarts who played that extra mile; players like Ian and Don Shields, and just a few years before them, Walter Wishart. I'm sure if bionic legs were available on the Internet then all three would be vying for a place in the current North Down 1st XI. I'm also conscious of the longevity in players at other clubs and the huge contribution made over many years by people like Chris Harte, Alfie Linehan, Ivan McCombe, Roy Harrison, Alan Waite and others.
Time will not age them, and I'm sure Billy Dale will be telling Brian Lara that he has at least another twenty years in him!
Good luck to the "Golden Oldies."
Clarence Hiles
Editor
