In an era when sledging and verbals are part and parcel of everyday cricket it is always interesting to look back and recall what is was like in previous years. Sledgers have always been around in some form since the start of cricket, but perhaps they have not been as prominent or as transparent as in modern times. That said, Irish club cricket has had more than its fair share of good natured banter, albeit some people might feel there is a thin line between banter and gamesmanship. However, it is in the nature of Ulsterpeople to have a good sense of humour and those with 'the gift of the gab' have always enlightened everyday life, including sport.
In their heyday Ulster cricket not only had two of the best wicket-keepers in the history of the game, they have two of the most talkative! Ossie Colhoun is a legend in North-West cricket and much of his colourful personality revolved around his sharp wit and great sense ofhumour. Yes, he was an outstanding stumper in his own right, good enough to play 87 times for Ireland , but most of the best stories about Ossie revolve around his great sense of humour on and off the field. He was one of the great talkers behind the stumps and many North-West batsmen had to have their wits about them not to be distracted by the bubbly Sion Mills man. Of course it was all part of the Ossie Colhoun show and you certainly got plenty of value from not only his cricket exploits, but his jocular banter.
Stories abound of Ossie's banter and many an Irish dressing-room was abuzz on rainy days when Ossie and his great partner in the banter business big Roy Torrens were in tandem! There's no doubt Ossie's antics played havoc with the concentration of even the most dedicated batsman, but never would anyone have accused him of sledging.
In a similar vein the great Eddie Bushe began his cricket career at Lurgan Park, married Joan Harrison and eventually moved to Waringstown to become the finest wicket-keeper in the NCU. Not one to hide his laurels behind a bushel or even a set of cricket stumps, Eddie was a doyen of friendly banter and as good a trickster behind the stumps as you could get. Of course he was an outstanding and athletic stumper first and foremost, and if the Irish selectors took ten years too long to recognize his talents, it was more a reflection of them than Eddie. At his peak he had no peer and while there was some overlap with Ossie Colhoun for the Ireland spot, it was always a case of the young lion taking the place of the old master at the highest level. There was never any doubt it would happen, it was just a question of when, and when it did happen it was painfully too late to get the best of Eddie's great talents.
Ireland 's loss was Waringstown and Ulster cricket's gain because Eddie was great entertainment and even though you always knew that friendly welcome at the crease had an ulterior motive, you still had a great laugh on the way back to the pavilion after Eddie had conned you once again. He loved the 'rabbits' and was always full of encouragement when they entered the fray telling them the bowling was rubbish and that he wouldn't stump them if they had a go at the bowling. A few seconds later when your stumps were shattered Eddie would give one of those big infectious laughs and say 'I didn't think you'd fall for that!"Of course we all fell for his banter many times over and over again, but would any of us ever accuse him of sledging? Never!
The record books will list the great feats of Ossie and Eddie in statistics but they'll never capture their amazing sense ofhumour and friendly banter. There were rare gems in Ulster cricket and have left us all with a treasure chest of great memories.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
