Raymond Crosby

Raymond epitomised everything that was good about the club, on and off the field. He had a distinguished career as an all round sportsman, starting with the Boys’ XI and eventually winning a place in the 1^st XI in the late 1930s at the age of 16.  He served as Secretary and Treasurer and was of great value to the club during and after the Second World War when he was a mainstay of the team. Capped by Scotland at hockey where he played for the Cartha club, he also played a number of times for the Ulster team and won a Steel and Sons Cup medal at football and had a spell with the Glentoran club.

As the 1930s moved on, the club went from strength to strength. It would appear that regular practice was taken for granted and Willie Andrews’ ‘Scribbling Diary’ of 1939 confirms that players booked their practice slots well in advance. Frank Andrews and Raymond Crosby, Jim and Bob Montgomery and Harry Donnan all braved the elements in the first week in May – Raymond Crosby on three occasions! James Macdonald, Willie Dempster, Victor Houston and Willie Andrews joined the first group in the second week and it was a full net the following Thursday in preparation for the visit of Pembroke to The Green on the Saturday.

Raymond was not only a fine, dedicated all round sportsman, he was a lovely person and in later life extremely popular with the members.