Last waltz at Curran Court
by Wilfred

Larne cricket club marked the end of their disappointing season with the traditional end of year dinner-dance extravaganza at the Curran Court.  There was an unusual poignancy in the evening as the club bade farewell to one of its oldest and most supportive friends, namely the Curran Court building itself.  The old hotel has gone the way of many other large buildings in the area, and been sold on to developers whose first action will probably be to knock it to the ground. 
 
Over the years the bar area served not only as the unofficial bar of the club, but also invaluable sponsorship that carried the club through many difficult years.  Thankfully, new premises are being built in the area, and it seems more than likely next year’s dinner will be held in its new function room.  One thing that will be lost though forever is the after-match tradition of a drink in the ‘Court after a game.  Everyone at the cricket club would like to wish the kind owners and wonderful staff all the best in their new building, and thank them for their excellent service over the years. The treasurer of the club has also asked me to use the web to issue a personal message to the owners, namely- “Keep sending the cheque...”
 
The evening itself was energised by the presence of an illustrious guest speaker, namely Mr. Robin Walsh, outgoing NCU president and ex Larne player. He watched as Simon King and Chris Keenan made off with most off with the lions’ share of the trophies.  The two young batsmen were selected as players of the year for the Firsts and Seconds respectively, and also scooped an individual batting prize too.  Cameron Ruys and Chris Dempsey dominated the junior awards, whilst Ian Hill collected the coveted “Sportsman of the Year” award. 
 
There seemed fewer awards than usual, with the highly prized “Unexpected physical attack on a team mate” trophy not being awarded this year.  Also, the (inedible) “Biggest Belly Increase” Shield went un-presented, while there was no mention at all of the ever popular “Longest Huff Medal” or “Traitor of the year”, who is normally presented with a complimentary tie.  There was still time for some old Curran Court records to be beaten too, with Hodgey asking a remarkable 79 times if the food was ready yet. 
 
Equally curious was the absence of the club’s trouble-makers. The conspiracy theorists had a field day during the evening wondering where Heggers, Mal and the other rowdie wits famed for their general irreverence had gotten too. One “troublemaker” who did not want to be named later revealed that several club members had been tricked by the Management Committee.  Gaw explained that invitations to a “free pie and beer” evening had been secretly delivered to a selected few people.  “When we turned up it was actually a trap.  We were awaiting the free food and drink when suddenly we realized we were trapped in an abandoned warehouse with no hope of escape.” The mystery deepened when the six were released at about two am on Saturday morning just after Mr. Walsh had left Larne. “That guy Hood locked us up, and that’s why we were not there” he added. Except for those temporarily incarcerated, a fantastic meal was enjoyed by all. However, the veneer of respectability that the club had effectively cast over itself was about to be lifted in dramatic fashion.

page 2 --->