The honour is a fitting tribute to one of the giants of NCU cricket, and a true gentleman in every sense.
Cecil has distinguished himself at every level in the game and he has donned virtually every role imaginable at Wallace Park, his lifelong cricket home. This latest honour follows the naming of the Lisburn Clubhouse in his honour, but his impact and contribution to the sport has extended far beyond the confines of his beloved Wallace Park.
He was a fine middle-order batsman in arguably the greatest Lisburn team of all-time when they dominated local cricket in the 1950s and 1960s. He was a natural leader and he donned the mantle of captaincy with consummate ease. Six times Lisburn won the Senior Challenge Cup under his leadership and he was a Senior League winner on three occasions. He was also a top Ulster table-tennis player, and when he eased out of the playing side he took on the responsibility for running the club as Secretary for 14 years, and later as Chairman and President. Not one to shirk any job, he was often seen working tirelessly on the ground long and late. On Saturdays he was always the welcoming face to visiting teams and he masterminded Lisburn’s ascendancy in NCU cricket. His greatest coup was bringing Ian Botham to Wallace Park to celebrate the club’s sesquicentenary in 1986, an amazing promotion that filled the tiny Wallace Park ground to the seams.
Amazingly, at the same time he unselfishly accepted an emergency call from the NCU to act as their President for the NCU Centenary in the same year after the sudden death of incumbent Ferguson Grainger. Like everything he did in life, Cecil took it in his stride, and with his charisma and bubbly personality he carried off both celebrations with considerable aplomb.
A short time later he was the Irish Cricket Union President and later the Chairman, and he did much to raise the profile of the national game and help give the administration a much stronger commercial base. He brought many new sponsors into cricket and through his company Walker Eurosalt he sponsored numerous sporting causes. His infectious personality brought the best out of people and his skilful diplomacy defused many demanding situations.
In due course, Cecil returned to his Lisburn roots, but in truth he had never left them. In recent times he may have passed on the mantle of everyday leadership to a younger generation, but nothing happens at Wallace Park without his knowledge or approval, such is the esteem he still holds. This latest honour is a fitting tribute to one of local cricket’s true legends.
Cecil Walker joins a small elite group of cricket dignitaries that have been honoured down the years. They include some of the biggest names in the game’s history and include Willie Andrews, Jimmy Picken, Dixon Rose and in more recent times, Kyle McCallan and Roy Torrens.
The name of Cecil Walker sits comfortably amongst these giants of the game, coupled with his lovely wife Sylvia, who has been a rock behind him throughout.
Congratulations Cecil and Sylvia from all your friends in cricket.
Clarence Hiles
Editor
