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Distinguished Former Players
J Clarence Hiles
One of the most influential personalities in our recent history is J Clarence Hiles. Domiciled in Barbados, he still knows more of what is happening in the North Down scene than many of the locals. His involvement in the upper echelons of the NCU never diluted his love for our club and his masterful book on the History of Senior Cricket in Ulster is awash with references to his club and their illustrious past and present.
Instrumental in bringing Mike Reith to 'The Green' in 1980, little did Clarence think that the devastating bowling combination of Reith and Lawrence Hunter would never materialise.
Lawrence's illness ironically brought Clarence into the side and while the gap in ability was clear, the team was greatly strengthened by his qualities of determination, motivation and comradeship. The team developed a strong bond that went far in contributing to the goal of staying in the top flight and winning the Senior Challenge Cup in 1981
Clarence was a natural left handed number 11 but his 'off the wrong foot' unpredictable medium pace caught out many of the best players. His 42 wickets in 1980 placed him high in the NCU averages and he was the bowling change that frequently removed the opposition 'Pro' with wicket keeper Artt engineering a few stumpings from the notorious leg side 'beamer'.
Walter (Artie) Coey
Artie was a great servant to the club in the post war era. He was a very useful hard hitting bat and competitive with it. He played in the good 1955 side that won the Senior Qualifying League Cup. He is still one of the club's greatest supporters and is never short of an astute comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the current 1st XI.
Dennis Artt
In his secondary role
North Down 1st XI has been blessed with good wicket keepers over the years and Artt certainly fits into the category. He played initially with Collegians but with his brothers Billy and Peter both playing at NDCC he eventually joined and added a new dimension to the side. He played interprovincial for Ulster Town and was unlucky not to have played for Ireland. His leg side stumpings are legendary as was his competitive approach to the games. Occasionally he scored valuable runs from the lower order.
1977 Section 2 League Champions
Lawrence Hunter, 2nd left, came to North Down in the early 70s from Lisburn CC after an illustrious career there. Originally a fast bowler, his pace had slowed somewhat at 'The Green', but his experience and knowledge of the game was a vital ingredient at that time. He proved to be one of the seventies side that acquitted himself well at the top level as the 1st XI bounced back and forth in their remarkable roller coaster ride. He captained the side from 1976 - 78. Pictured with him at the NCU Dinner are Ian Shields, Adrian Thompson and Syd Elliott.
(See 'Great Games' section to see a typical Hunter performance)
Roy Thompson
Roy was a top administrator in the club and his work as secretary in the 50s kept the club afloat when the going was really tough. He played for the 1st and 2nd XIs as a wicket keeping batsman.
Willie Wilson
Willie was the off break spinner in the second eleven for many years during the 60s and 70s and captained the side. He took lots of wickets but was kept out of the 1sts as Willie Dempster was the prime slow bowler in the club. Willie was a natural number 11 batsman.
Willie Dempster
Willie Dempster was the best slow bowler at the club for many years after the 2nd World War.(See Wicket Takers) He was also the groundsman and was instrumental in developing the field into the top pitch that we use today. As a result of his time working at the ground the North Down side was banned from the 1962 Senior Challenge Cup for playing him as he was deemed a 'Professional' by the Union. The 'Spin King' has two sons, Geoffrey and Ivan, and both played significant roles as members of the 1st and 2nd XIs respectively
Jack McMillan
Jack was the captain of the second eleven when they won the Junior Cup in 1981 and played on occasions for the 1stXI. He was involved in an unusual incident at Donacloney when ,as a runner for Ian Shields, he attempted a third run when batting with Michael Reith, and ran Shields out. Jack had a great enthusiasm for the game and like too many players gave the game up at an early stage. He is the brother of former bowler Trevor and uncle of Richard.
George Norris
George was another Regent House prodigy and was a left arm quick opening bowler of some repute. He was also a big hitter and the 18 year old promised that he would cause the mighty Waringstown a few problems in the '68 Senior Cup Semi. He did this without much support from the rest of the team and hit a quick fire 34 only supported by Rev Hammie Leckey with 33. The 130 total was never enough but George took the wicket of Roy Harrison as we went down by 8 wickets
Jimmy Boucher
Jimmy moved from Ards to Comber in 1956 and made his Senior debut a year later. He was a quick opening bowler with a distinctive 'slinging' action. He played for all the teams at various stages in his career and regularly won bowling awards. He wouldn't have won them for batting and was a natural number 11! For almost twenty years he devoted his time and enthusiasm to coaching and managing the Boys' XI. His son Ken followed in his footsteps being a more than useful quick bowler.
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