Coach Simmons lords it at the Mardyke

Those who came to the Mardyke’s Richard Beamish Grounds to celebrate 140 years of Cork County Cricket Club were duly transported back in time, albeit only by 15 years, as former West Indies star and now Ireland coach, Phil Simmons stole the show.

Seeing the Trinidadian all-rounder, who played his last international match in 1999, hit a half-century brought back memories for fans who kept the game going in Ireland when it was off the sporting radar.

“I’m happy just playing,” said Simmons, relaxing by the bar in his Irish flannels after his spell at the crease.

“I’ve played three of these games this year, which is more than I’ve played in the last three years. You just try to enjoy it and make it fun for the people who come to watch and enjoy it too.”

While eager supporters came early for the 12.30pm start between Cork County and the Irish President’s XI, their numbers were supplemented by curious tourists on their way towards Fitzgerald Park, and the onlookers grew in number as the evening stretched.

However the biggest drama happened early in the afternoon, as 51-year-old Simmons hit one run for every year, before being spectacularly caught on the boundary by Anthony O’Reilly, after a Tim Clifford delivery.

The top-scoring coach quickly dismissed calls to select himself as a naturalised Irishman: “There’s no chance; I’m totally retired from anything higher than this!”

Simmons lightheartedly vowed to get revenge when bowling against O’Reilly, who represents one of the younger members of a Cork County side who only last Sunday guaranteed promotion to Leinster Division 1. So while the 140th year is a landmark, the 141st year will see a new milestone of even greater significance as the Southerners take their place at the top level of Irish cricket for the first time in recent memory.

That air of celebration from last weekend’s win over Malahide continued to echo around the corridors of the pavilion, with O’Reilly reflecting on moving the club towards 150 years.

“If you had said at the start of the year that we’d get promoted, I don’t think anyone would have truly believed that we would, in our first year at Division 2. There’s a core of young players in the team who wouldn’t have much experience playing at that sort of level, so to get promoted in the first year is a massive boost. We’ll have to try and make sure we stay up there, and try to really push on then.”

Captain of the Irish President’s XI, John Mooney, also saw the day as an intersection between celebrating the past and promoting the future growth of cricket.

“There’s a duty of care to my employers, Cricket Ireland, to make sure that the numbers are there to take my place when I head off, which might not be too far away! Cork County is a great club, it’s been a great day and even if one person took up cricket due to this game, it has been a success.”

The club’s last Irish international, Ted Williamson, capped in 1999, was next highest scoring for the President’s XI, with 45 runs. His name adorns the walls of the pavilion alongside memories of bigger crowds, first-class matches and visits of world stars, such as WG Grace, Graham Gooch and Nasser Hussein.

However the club’s hope will not only be for Cork County to continue to make a mark on the Cork sporting scene, but for it to develop new talent and become a part of the first-class domestic structure that Cricket Ireland aims to achieve.