At the time, North was one of the oldest clubs in Ireland and they played at The Gasworks in the Cromac Area of Belfast. We where known as the Gasworks. Malone was a local Derby, and Malone were known as the bin men and they normally swipped the gasworks unless we had Mike Gibson playing, because we all worked in offices and were softies!
Willie Duncan in the back row for Malone (Ireland) & Andy McCann a fiercome prop who played for Malone.
Then in 99, the modern era, a picture of a combined North / Collegians side, Nigel Cinnamon, Michael McCullouch a Collegians stalwart for over 40 years, the photographer Marty Malseed. the picture is from the 1st year of the merger 1999, a merger of the north veterans side and the collegians veteran side and we always used to joke about what the mix was. We started that year off by taking 30 people to Madrid on tour, 2nd year Prague, next Rome the never ending tour has continued & last year we went to Madrid and took part in the European Veterans Chapionships, returning victorious.
Then there is Michael Allens his dad Alec is photgraphed watching the 1sts and he still watches them to this day his son is in the Academy.
A bunch of guys from Ulster, purely amateur, they played the game, they end up in parties afterwards, and in those days you hoped you would be picked from your senior club to play for Ulster, for Ireland, or for the Lions,
A few things have changed but not an awful lot.
