...because so many of us assumed he had already passed the milestone long ago! Michael seems to have been playing for years.
Congratulations Big Man on a wonderful achievement and there can be few more worthy of the honour, not least because your longevity could just as easily be called loyalty, as it has all been achieved in the colours of your beloved Holywood Cricket Club.
Michael Shannon has been a rare talent in local cricket and the backbone of the Holywood senior team for three decades. The Shannon family name is synonymous with the club down the years, and perhaps that’s why the talented big man has never left for pastures new. He was certainly afforded every opportunity, as he could have walked onto any senior team in NCU cricket and every one would have been delighted to have him. But despite the ups and downs of Holywood over the years, Michael stayed loyal to his roots, and in the process helped the club through some of its toughest years. He has always been a prolific wicket-taker, and a more than useful batsman, but what most people will not fully appreciate was the work done behind the scenes with a small group of stalwarts to ensure the club survived. It would have been all too easy to have walked away when the club lost its ground to the local GAA, but Michael and his cricket teammates stuck together through the tough times and they are now well settled at Seapark.
Michael burst into the Holywood team as a teenager in the early eighties and he appeared to have the cricket world at his feet when he was called up by Ireland for the three-day match with Wales at Malahide in July 1984. Captained by the mercurial Dermott Monteith, Ireland won by ten wickets, and although he only bowled thirteen overs in the match, 0 for 15 was a creditable debut. But strangely, it didn’t happen for Michael at the highest level, and he was never recalled by Ireland despite a string of excellent performances at every level of cricket thereafter. Perhaps it was his loyalty to a smaller club that restricted his opportunities, or maybe the presence of some formidable spin bowlers in Irish cricket at the same time, but one Ireland cap for a player so rich in talent is more a reflection of a flawed selection process than his talent.
Looking back over a fine career it is all too easy to say he should have achieved more rewards for his ability and his performances, but Michael Shannon has always been a team player, and Holywood has always been his team, so he would be the first to play down any mention of missed opportunity. His reward has come from the satisfaction of playing with his peers, and playing his part in keeping the club alive during the toughest time in its long history.
Holywood Cricket Club has produced some great cricket people over the years, both as players and as administrators. It is a club where traditions and family connections are greatly valued, and Michael Shannon has always been up there with the best of them.
Retirement? Not even on the agenda!
Well done Michael.
Clarence Hiles
Editor.
