GRASSHOPPER PLAYER PROFILES
NAME: PAUL STAFFORD - DOB: 11/12/1964
- OCCUPATION: Independent Financial Adviser
- CLUB: Brigade CC
COUNTRIES PLAYED CRICKET: South Africa, Barbados, St Lucia, Spain, England, Wales, Scotland.
FAVOURITE COUNTRY PLAYED IN: Hard to beat playing at Sahara Park Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa.
TOP 3 MEMORABLE CRICKET MOMENTS: Winning British Universities Tournament with Ireland in 1986 & 1988 as captain/ Winning Challenge Cup with Lurgan in 2002/ Hearing I was selected for Ulster Town when I was at QUB as a 20 year old nobody from the North West.
TOP 3 WORST CRICKETING MOMENTS: Losing 1997 League by the now discredited bonus point system, Losing 1997 Cup Semi to Downpatrick and 1997 ISC to Leinster. We should have won the treble.
FUNNIEST CRICKET MOMENT: Lee Derby fielding the ball with his knee in Spain and setting off after the deflection, first running then hopping then crawling as the knee seized up.
TOP 3 FRIEND'S IN CRICKET AND WHY: I am so lucky to have made as many friends as I have but there a few characters I am very fond of.
MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN YOUR PLAYING CAREER TO DATE AND WHY: None really. I’ve always been my own man and drawn my own conclusions.
TOP 3 BEST PLAYERS PLAYED WITH AND WHY: I have played with some fantastic cricketers at some time or another. Ian Rankin, Simon Corlett and Alan Johnston stand out.
MOST DESTRUCTIVE PLAYER PLAYED WITH AND WHY: Ross McCollum. In the space of 6 or 7 overs he could take the game away from the opposition with seriously clean hitting.
MOST RELIABLE/CONSISTENT PLAYER PLAYED WITH AND WHY: Alan Johnston. He never ever bowled badly.
MOST DESTRUCTIVE PLAYER PLAYED AGAINST AND WHY: Jim Patterson of Downpatrick and NICC. I really enjoyed my battles with him over the years. A bad ball to Jim never went for anything less than 6.
MOST CONSISTENT PLAYER PLAYED AGAINST AND WHY: I know he’s a Professional but Wasim Haider always got runs against Lurgan. I think 87 was his lowest score. Locally, Alan Nelson of Waringstown was similar to Alan Johnston of Lurgan in that he rarely bowled badly.
FAVOURITE INTERNATIONAL CRICKETER AND WHY: Sir Viv Richards. The ground became turbo charged as he swaggered into bat. A really nice man too. I was due to play against him in 1987 but it rained. (Add that to my disappointed list!)
BEST TOURIST YOU HAVE TOURED WITH: Gavin Rogers, Michael Turkington, Neil Russell, Simon Stokes, David Finlay, Peter McCall, Peter Noblett, Alan Lewis, Johnny McGrath and many other legends.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN TOURING INDIA IN FEB 2009: The sights, the sounds, the smells of India, the cricket and most of all the craic!