William J Shields

Billy Shields played his cricket from a young age at The Green, playing for the 1st XI in the mid to late 1930s as a middle order batsman and slow bowler and was a member of the 1936 double winning ‘dream team. He played in 3 Senior Challenge Cup Finals all against Woodvale winning 1n ’36 and losing the other 2 in ’37 and ’39 in spite of his 84 run contribution in the latter. At an earlier age he had played junior interprovincial cricket for Ulster, and later on in his cricketing life, in the early 60s , was instrumental in fielding a 3rd XI of which he became captain. He was a member of the Ballydrain XI that won the Dundonald League, under the captaincy of his brother- in- law James Caughey, a side that contained members of the great early North Down teams and also had ‘the seeds’ of the great days that lay ahead.