'The pint goes down a lot smoother when you've won'

He played for the all-conquering Waringstown first team for over 30 years - from 1955 until 1987 - and was opening batsman for much of that time, although he was adept at bowling too, establishing himself as an accomplished all-rounder.

Roy made his debut for the firsts in 1955 in the final of the Senior Cup at the age of just 15, “so either I was quite good or there was not much else about,” he laughs.

Waringstown lost to Lisburn on that occasion but it was to be the only time he lost a Senior Cup Final. “I was never beaten again, playing in 14 finals after that and winning them all,” he says.

“In fact,” he says, “I’ve never told anyone this, but I’ve scored more Senior Cup final runs than anyone else.”

Roy’s best years coincided with the golden years of the club, with Roy winning 14 Senior Cups, 13 Senior Leagues, nine Rothman’s Cups and an All-Ireland Cup in 1983, with all these victories coming in the space of just 22 years. He also played for Ireland on three occasions, as opening batsman.

A large part of the team was made up of the Harrison family, with his five brothers also playing for the club, several of them also playing for Ireland. When asked if there was a big rivalry between the brothers, he says: “No there was never a rivalry. It was always for the team.”

He has no hesitation in stating who the best of the brothers was. “Garfield was definitely the best. He played 117 times for Ireland and at one stage he held the record for most caps for Ireland.”

As time passed, Roy then played for the seconds and thirds before retiring from cricket in 1994.

After such great success, Roy has understandably got a lot of good memories from his playing days, with one of his particular favourites being the Senior Cup final in 1983, when Waringstown beat Lurgan by 92 runs. “There was always a good rivalry with Lurgan and over the years we seemed to come out on top more than not.”

He also fondly recalls the Senior Cup Final against Woodvale when he was bowling the last over with Woodvale needing three runs to win with two wickets remaining.

After running out the first batsman he then stumped the final batsman, sealing the victory by just one run.

When asked to describe himself as a cricketer, he says: “I was a fighter. Very competitive. If I was playing marbles with a wee fella I’d still want to win. Your pint goes down a lot smoother when you’ve won,” he laughs.

He was born in Lurgan but moved to Waringstown when he was four, joining the cricket club a year later. “We just went down and practiced and played and made wee games among ourselves.”

Roy, who is now 70, is a retired civil servant, having worked as an engineer for the water service for over 30 years, and has been married to his wife Muriel for 45 years. They have two sons, Stephen and Gareth.

He was President of the NCU (Northern Cricket Union) from 2000-2001 and President of the ICU (Irish Cricket Union) in 2006, during which time he attended matches all over the country and further afield.

Although he retired from cricket over 15 years ago, Roy can still be seen around the club, giving advice to the young players and is chairman of the grounds committee. He took over the upkeep of the ground from his father in 1976. “I go out with the roller and the lawnmower and I see that the pitch is in a good state and I enjoy that. It keeps me close to the club.”