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Sunday past was a red letter day for North West cricket when the Union’s former Chairman, Joe Doherty, was officially unveiled as the new President of Cricket Ireland at the governing body’s AGM in Dundalk.
The 64-year old native of Strabane has been deeply involved in cricket here all his life, attending his first ever game, Strabane v St Johnston, in 1955 with his father Joe and grandfather Charlie. Joe senior died suddenly the following year, aged just 37, but despite everything, junior had been bitten by the bug.
Joe’s playing career began in 1960 when he turned out for Strabane’s first Boys team under the management of the legendary John Devine. He played for and skippered the side during the next six years alongside the likes of Raymond Moan, Aidan Devine and Bob Rankin (Sion and Bready didn’t have Boys’ teams at that time) and opening bat Shaun Gallagher whom he recalls was a hotelier in Blackpool the last he heard.
Joe made the Strabane senior team in 1969 against Glendermott at The Rectory, taking 3-18 including, he recalled, the wickets of Billy Godfrey and John Watson. His highest score in senior cricket was 67; v Burndennett in 1981 and his best bowling return 4 for 9; v Ardmore in 1974. Strabane had a superb panel of players to choose from in that era of course so Joe had a very productive Intermediate career as well including the Intermediate Cup in 1979, 2 Swilly Cups, 2 junior leagues and the Junior Cup in 1986 when he was skipper.
He was also a member of the “Dixie’s” team that included John Cochrane of Donemana and the late Thomas Harpur (Junior) that won the Sion Mills KO Cup in 1969 and twice took 9 wickets in an Intermediate match- 9 for 59 v Waterside in 1975 and 9-17 v. Drummond in 1988.
Joe moved to live in Derry in 1973 after marriage to Maureen and began as Strabane club delegate to the North West Cricket Union (NWCU) in 1977. He was elected Chairman at Strabane in 1986 (for 6 years) and President in 1993 (for 7 years). During his time with NWCU Joe served under chairs Michael Bannigan, David Todd, Alan Friar, Jim Simpson and Bertie Faulkner before being elected to the role himself in 1999 when he began representing NWCU within the Irish Cricket Union (ICU).
His standing at committee level soon saw the Strabane man playing an active role within the ICU and in 2002 he was elected vice chairman, becoming Chair in 2004. Joe says the highlight of his two year tenure as Chair of ICU was the staging of the 2005 ICC Trophy in Leinster, NCU and the North West, in which Ireland reached the final and qualified for the 2007 Cricket World Cup in West Indies.
On the sudden passing in March 2007 of his successor as NW chair, Bob Kerr, Joe was asked by the NWCU to return as stand-in chair for the 2007 season and ended up serving a further five years in the post. Then in 2008 he was appointed to the first Cricket Ireland board of directors and was elected Chair of Cricket, a post that he held for six years until relinquishing it last Sunday.
Speaking after his inauguration as President Joe was obviously thrilled to have been chosen for the post:“I am deeply honoured to have been considered by Cricket Ireland as a candidate for the Presidency and I was genuinely shocked when Arthur Vincent rang me from the UAE with the news that I was to be nominated for the 2014-15 Presidency”.
“It’s been a long journey from Courtrai Park in Strabane where I played my first softball cricket under local rules (lbw if you were struck three times on the leg and fielders had to call ‘lost ball’ when the ball went into the deep rough to stop the batsmen running into infinity), but I’ve loved every minute and cricket has been very good to me already”.
“In looking forward to repaying the faith that Strabane, the North West Cricket Union and Cricket Ireland have always placed in me I want the cricket community to see that there is unlimited opportunity in Irish Cricket for all, irrespective of upbringing or geographical origin. I grew up in an era when cricket people in the North West viewed the Irish Cricket Union as a distant, lofty and largely irrelevant body that was reachable only by exceptionally gifted players like Huey, Finlay, Donaghey and Colhoun, or by people who were well placed or well connected. That was a perception, I know, but perception is reality to many people and the relationship between NWCU and ICU was in definite need of ‘counselling’”.
“Fifty years on, a glance at the Cricket Ireland line-up shows William Porterfield (Killyclooney and Donemana) as Ireland captain, Roy Torrens (Brigade) as Ireland team manager. Gavin Craig (Coleraine) manages the ‘A’ team and is Child Safeguarding Officer; Barry Chambers (Ardmore) is CI Media Manager, Brian Allen of Fox Lodge is one of Cricket Ireland’s Cricket Development Officers. Andrew McBrine, Craig Young and Stuart Thompson all hold playing contracts and are in the international squad”.
“And that’s only the high profile people who are making the news at Cricket Ireland – there are many others active at regional and youth level in the cause of Irish cricket and the affiliation ties are now strong. With Cricket Ireland help and funding, the North West Warriors, for example, are providing a competitive platform for established and emerging players and guiding our best cricketers along the pathway to international and first class careers. Nobody is excluded or being left behind and that pleases me as much as anything”.
It is clear from talking to him that Joe is approaching his spell as President with a real determination to build on the progress that has been made both at inter-regional and International level. He has never been afraid to fight his corner and his wealth of experience at committee and board level will ensure that Cricket Ireland will have total continuity at the top. 
President of Cricket Ireland Joe Doherty
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