...highlights how much the game has changed in barely twenty years, and what modern teams are missing.
Bars in cricket clubhouses came into vogue in the Seventies and I remember well the division within our club when we made the controversial decision to apply for a drinks license, and the equally controversial decision to play cricket on Sundays, and then to open the bar after the game. These may seem trivial issues in today's world, but they were huge decisions for many clubs, and in some instances they created a lot of bad feeling for years thereafter. Some members even left clubs, and although time eventually healed many of the divisions, the whole culture of sport, and in particular cricket, had changed. These were fun days before there was zero tolerance for drink and driving, and many cricketers of our era took full advantage of some lax policing. Visits to opposing clubs were as much about the socializing after the game as the cricket, and lifetime friendships were forged off the field as much as on it.
Ivan's comments brought back many great memories, not least when he mentioned that indomitable trio of Andy Gleghorne, Nigel Simpson and Johnny Millar. Add Ivan himself, and home and away matches with Muckamore were all day events, with barely a harsh word said either on the field or in the bar, other than "Time now please."
Ivan was just as cordial in his Saintfield days, and there was plenty of support from the Napier brothers, Frazer Evans, Phillip Gregg and Michael McCormick. Saintfield was full of characters, including the club guru Ron Fleming, who never smiled on a Saturday until he had a few pints in his system. Not surprisingly, matches at the Demesne were also late nights home!
Over the years you got to know when you were going to have a late night. Trips to Laurelvale were almost overnight stops, thanks to the company of Tam Irwin, Reggie and Gerald Thompson, and believe it or not the Vennard brothers. I never played at Dundrum, but I'm told trips to the Mournes and drinking at the Bay Inn made the cricket almost incidental. A few miles down the road it was always very social at Downpatrick. It had to be because in those days North Down rarely beat the Strangford Road men, but there's nothing better than being in a bar with winning opposition as they'll buy and brag all night. That's the first lesson my old mates Miller O'Prey, Jimmy Galway and myself learned, accept defeat with dignity and allow your victors plenty of license to replay the finer points of their success...as long as they were buying! In the company of people like Brian Ferris, Alfie Linehan and Jim Patterson you were never short of a drink, although getting a lift home was sometimes a problem when you realized late in the evening everyone had gone to the local Chinese.
Holywood and Bangor were neighbours and supposedly our keenest rivals, but the Bangor players always seemed to have more agro with each other as they did with us. Conn McCall was abrasive, but had a huge heart, and star players like Chris Harte, John Elder and Lowry Cunningham were a bit more serious than Tom Edgar, Jimmy Kirk and Maurice Moore, but still good to be with, especially when you beat them!
For some reason there always seemed to be a dance at Holywood when we played so it was always a late night. After a few pints you could finally listen to big John Kerstens, Simon Burrows or Billy McCormick, and when we were really buzzing, the drummer in the band had to re-set his drums to left-hand to allow Ian Shields to do his party piece. Thank goodness karaoke hadn't arrived or O'Prey would have been lethal.
Lisburn was always special, as they had the best braggers in the business. Dermott always held court, Bowdy was at his beck and call, Roger was aloof, Richard Burton was loud, the Kirkwood's were engaging, Reggie could whistle for Ireland, and Cecil Walker was the darling of the Wallace Park clubhouse. Wee Billy Taylor usually arrived late after umpiring somewhere and a drink sent to the bar was never forgotten when he stood at our next match. The Bard of Lisburn Don Savage was regal with his poetry.
It wasn't quite like that at Waringstown, and after our annual stuffing we were obliged to go to the Planters and pay homage to the masters, some of whom were speaking to us for the first time that day! All that changed when Michael Reith joined North Down and the teams became closer, albeit there was no love lost on the cricket field. Michael showed us the social side of the Villagers and over the years we had a few pints with wee Roy, Deryck, Ivan and Bushy. Eddie hardly drank but he was the life and soul of the party and had stories by the bucketful. Much like the much loved Dickie Maxwell from Lurgan. Good bunch of guys there as well, especially the rugby cricketers like big Jim Allen and Briggsy.
Trips to Belfast were great fun, especially playing at famous grounds like Ormeau, Ballygomartin Road, and Cregagh. Woodvale's bar was a lively place after the game as the locals who drank were not the locals who watched the cricket, but guys like Tom Scott, Ken Kirkpatrick, Rossy, and the ebullient Doc Crothers, were colourful characters.
Playing at Ormeau was very special, and playing against North was always a treat. They were easily the most sporting team of my era and they always played the game in the right spirit. They had so many great characters and a bevy of nicknames. Topper sat in the foyer to greet you when you arrived, and scorer Pat Rogan had always a friendly scowl, while wee Bob fussed about the wicket. Matches against North home or away were always the same, and virtually everybody stayed for a few hours in the bar.
Trips to the North-West and Dublin would require another article but suffice to say many friendships were made and have lasted the test of time. We could write a book on nights at the Ballymena and RUC Sixes as both clubs had guys who knew how to party.
Over the past few years it's certainly noticeable that more players stay behind when they win than when they lose, and that some players are off almost as soon as they shower. Obviously the game has changed, and drink and driving laws make socializing very different than what went on twenty years ago. If there one certainty in life it's change.
In many ways that's sad.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
