Cricket club mourns passing of its first international player

A fiery fast bowler and a capable low-order hard-hitting batsman, Desi entered the Eaton Park club’s history book when, in 1981, he received international recognition, playing in two one-day matches against English county teams, Middlesex and Gloucestershire.

In the Middlesex game Desi performed well and dismissed England Test player Clive Radley. However, in the second match he suffered punishment at the hands of Zaheer Abbas, then one of the greatest batsmen in world cricket.

Earlier in the same year, when Ballymena gained promotion to Section One of the Senior League, Desi made a big impact with the ball in the cup competition, claiming 26 wickets in five ties.

In the final at Downpatrick, he also made his mark with the bat, scoring 45 and putting on 79 with Gordon McKenzie, after North Down had reduced Ballymena to 52 for six. The Comber side won a see-saw final by 39 runs.

It was the second time that Desi, then 30, had featured in the Blue Riband event. From 1971 to 1974 he played for a strong Queen’s University team which contested the final in 1973 with Waringstown.

Desi picked up a couple of wickets and contributed 33 with the bat in the first innings, but the Lawn side won comfortably by seven wickets.

After graduating with a degree in civil engineering, it was expected that the paceman would link up with a Belfast club. But his close friend Jim Boyce, with whom he had played for BHS Old Boys, persuaded him to join Ballymena.

Another factor that influenced his decision was his friendship, through rugby, with Alec and Adrian Goodrich. Desi was a good enough rugby player, operating as a centre for Ballyclare, to earn selection on the Ulster Junior XV.

In his second season at Eaton Park, Desi and Harry Cook formed a devastating new-ball attack, and with assistance from Peter Lowry, they demolished the batting of many Section Two teams en route to promotion.

Carson McCullough, the Ballymena honorary secretary and First XI scorer, recalled:”Desi was the outstanding bowler, taking 72 wickets at an average of 9.8 and Cook had 52 dismissals at 12.7. Both players were called up by Ulster Country.”

By 1980, Desi’s impressive form preserved his Country place and he was being mentioned as an Ireland ‘possible’. Sure enough, a year later he was wearing the Ireland sweater – an honour subsequently gained by a further two Ballymena players, Adrian McCoubrey and David Kennedy.

Desi continued to perform well for his club, often bowling long spells of 20 overs. Back trouble developed and in 1986 he was in and out of the team through injury and medical experts advised him not to bowl again.

In 1987, Michael Burton, the Ballymena captain, persuaded Desi to play for the First XI as a batsman, and he enjoyed reasonable success at number six in the order.

But Desi did not fancy standing in the field for 50 overs watching other people bowl and midway through the season, he retired.

Away from cricket, Desi, after graduating from Queen’s, worked for 12 years for a construction company.

When his father retired from his insurance company, Desi and his wife Janette took control of the business, which subsequently was sold to a larger firm. In recent years, Desi was employed by a Belfast city centre insurance company.

Carson McCullough holds the view that the captains of Queen’s and Ballymena teams on which Desi played, under-estimated his role as a batsman.

“His two excellent innings in Senior Cup finals showed that he could bat really well in pressure situations when his team was in trouble.

“Desi could have been a genuine all-rounder and should always have batted in the middle order. His bowling wasn’t always consistent, but on his day, especially on hard, fast wickets, his pace and lift posed problems for even the best batsmen,” added Carson.

Officials from cricket’s governing bodies in Ireland and players representing a large number of clubs, were in the congregation at a Service of Thanksgiving for Desi’s life at St Patrick’s Parish Church, Jordanstown, on Thursday of last week, after which interment took place at Carnmoney cemetery.

Sympathy is extended to Janette, to the couple’s married daughters, Julie and Suzanne, and to the entire family circle.

Billy Spence