For those unfamiliar with the origins of this event I’ll begin with a few lines on its history. The IYT was a bi-annual U19 Tournament organised by the National Cricket Association based at Lord’s and featured sides from Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Canada, Bermuda, Holland (as it was then described) and England who supplied two teams labelled England North and England South.

Ireland Squad at the 1987 tournament

Well that’s the simple version anyway. For those seeking more detail, Ian Callender wrote an article in 1998 - ‘Ireland and the International Youth Tournament’ which summarised events in each of the tournaments 1975-1995. It is to be found here on the site.

Now back to 1987 - When Belfast was named as host of the 1987 event the job of Tournament Organiser fell to Jimmy Boyce. Jimmy was the obvious choice, someone who had managed the U19s in previous tournaments and whose soccer connections with hoteliers and transport companies meant that the event would be based in the Wellington Park Hotel, a distinct upgrading from the hostels and army camps that had served previous events.

Tradition decreed that there should be a Pre-Tournament ‘Managers’ Meeting and naturally it fell to Jimmy to chair it.

Managers from each of the countries settled in their chairs as Jimmy opened proceedings by sending for a waiter to ‘take an order’. The waiter duly arrived and worked his way round the room.

Most of our visitors seemed to feel obliged to order a pint of Guinness if only out of curiosity, until the young lad arrived at Clayton Butterfield.

Now Clayton was a diminutive wizened Bermudan who featured regularly on television. He was invariably to be found, first in the queue outside Lord’s on the day of Test Matches, MCC tie, Blazer, white Panama and ‘man-bag’ on his shoulder. He was every news reporter and cameraman’s dream and seemed to know it.

“Drink Sir?” asked the waiter.

“Bushmills and Grapefruit Juice,” was Clayton’s reply.

The waiter paused, his pencil hovering over his pad and without raising his head said - “Is that one drink or two Sir?”