A Presidential Diary Part 10

October 15th 2013 by Cricket Ireland | International

Robin Walsh is in good company with Cricket Ireland's Hall of Fame recipients

In different ways, the funeral of Des Cashell and the RSA Cricket Ireland Awards had one thing in common: a celebration of what is good in Irish cricket.

The service for the remarkable Des Cashell was real proof of the fellowship that exists within sport, witness a crowded St Ann’s Church in central Dublin.  Of course, there was sadness but in his excellent eulogy, fellow past President Stan Mitchell ensured that a grand life of almost 92 years was chronicled meticulously and laced with the humour and warmth for which it was renowned.

Business was a long career in insurance - “an unqualified success”, as Des used to put it - and sport revolved in the main around the cricket of Malahide and the rugby of Skerries; a player and administrator of serious note in both as well as a referee in rugby. The guard of honour at the end of the service represented both sports and thereafter Des’s beloved Hibernian Club played host to many an hour as reminiscences - and wine - flowed.

For many of us, it was a different celebration the next evening, the blazer getting a rest in favour of the black tie that is required at the RSA Cricket Ireland Awards. It was a top of the range tribute to players, volunteers, officials and teams and carried off in a style that matched the excellence of the winners.

Each winner was a highlight as reported elsewhere in these pages. And there were two others, not of award winners but of two towering figures within the game in Ireland.

The speech by Chief Executive, Warren Deutrom was a tour de force or, as Ger Siggins reported in the comprehensive coverage by the Sunday Independent, a-state-of- the-nation address. It painted a picture of a game in good nick but with work to be done if the heights of Test status are to be climbed by the declared aim of 2020. No resting on laurels.

Trent Johnston was not an award winner on the night but the standing ovations as he mounted and left the stage were the most rousing of the evening.  He spoke of the joy that his 10 years in an Irish sweater have given him, how that win over Pakistan in 2007 was the most memorable of his 187 caps and confirmed that his appearance in the Intercontinental Cup final against Afghanistan in December in Dubai will be his last. As Warren Deutrom put it: “Rarely have I met anyone who had such an impact on a group of people.”

My lasting memory will be of a photograph.  It has me planted in the middle of the 10 Ireland internationals who have in recent years been nominated by the Cricketer Writers of Ireland and inducted into the RSA Cricket Ireland Hall of Fame. They are worth listing: Ivan Anderson, Ossie Colhoun, Simon Corlett, Gerry Duffy, Dougie Goodwin, Michael Halliday, “Ginger” O’Brien, Alec O’Riordan, Roy Torrens and Stephen Warke. It is a photograph that will be treasured.

To the excellent Morton athletics stadium at Santry on Friday morning for a spot of exercise before the big bash. Not for me I hasten to add, rather for the international men’s squad, pushing themselves to the limit and having their fitness levels assessed under the experts eye of Strength & Conditioning Coach, Brendan Connor.

It was impressive stuff, the players left exhausted as they gradually cranked up speed over a series of bursts that added up to a two kilometre test. They deserved their night of relaxation and celebration that was to follow.