Raymond Hunter facts for kids

William Raymond Hunter (born April 3, 1938 – died December 9, 2020) was a talented sportsman from Northern Ireland. He played both cricket and rugby union for his country, Ireland.

In cricket, he played 28 international games and 11 top-level matches. In rugby, he played 10 times for Ireland in the Five Nations tournament. He even scored one try in rugby. Raymond also played for the famous British and Irish Lions rugby team.

Early Life

Raymond Hunter was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on April 3, 1938. He went to Wallace High School in Lisburn. Even as a schoolboy, he was a great athlete. He played international hockey and football for Ireland's school teams. After finishing school, he worked in the insurance business.

Cricket Career

Hunter was a tall player, standing 6 feet (about 1.8 meters) tall. This helped him a lot as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler. His rugby training also made him very fast and good at fielding in cricket. He started playing junior cricket at Dunmurry.

Raymond began his club cricket career at Lisburn Cricket Club when he was 17. In his very first season, his team won the Senior Cup Final. In 1957, he scored 133 runs, which helped Lisburn win the NCU Challenge Cup. This is still one of the best individual scores in that final. Later, in the 1960s, Hunter moved to Lurgan Cricket Club. In 1972, he was the top scorer for Lurgan in the Senior Challenge Cup Final. This win was the club's first time winning that competition.

Playing for Ireland

Raymond Hunter played 28 times for the Ireland cricket team between 1957 and 1967. Eleven of these were first-class matches, which are the highest level of domestic cricket.

He played his first game for Ireland in August 1957 against the Free Foresters. He scored 74 runs without being out, which was his highest score for Ireland. In July 1958, he played two matches against New Zealand. Soon after, he made his first-class debut against Scotland. He also played against Worcestershire and the MCC that year.

In 1959, he played four times for Ireland. These games were against Scotland, Lancashire, Leicestershire, and the MCC. In 1960, he played only once, against Leicestershire. In 1961, he played four times, including two international matches against Australia. In a game against the MCC that year, he took 5 wickets for only 22 runs. This was his best bowling performance for Ireland.

After a break of almost two years, he returned to the Ireland team in June 1963 for two matches against the West Indies. For the next four years, he played regularly for the team. He played international games against India, New Zealand, and Scotland. His last first-class match was against Hampshire in September 1965. His very last game for Ireland was against the Combined Services in August 1967.

Cricket Achievements

In all his matches for Ireland, Raymond Hunter scored 800 runs. His average was 21.05 runs per innings. He scored three half-centuries (scores of 50 or more runs). He also took 33 wickets with a bowling average of 29.97. He took five wickets in an innings twice.

In first-class cricket specifically, he scored 202 runs with an average of 11.22. He took 19 wickets with an average of 23.42. He managed to take five wickets in an innings once in first-class cricket.

Rugby Union Career

Raymond Hunter was also a very skilled rugby union player. He played ten times for the Ireland national team in the Five Nations tournament between 1962 and 1966. During this time, he scored one try. He also had the honor of playing for the famous British and Irish Lions team, which is made up of the best players from the British Isles.

Personal Life

Raymond Hunter was married to Maureen. They had three sons: Alan, Neil, and Graeme. All three of his sons followed in his footsteps and played cricket for the first team at Lurgan Cricket Club. Alan and Neil also played rugby for Portadown Rugby Football Club's first team. Raymond's grandson, Stephen, also played for Portadown.

Raymond was very involved with Lurgan Cricket Club even after he stopped playing. He served on the club's committee. He helped manage the work to improve the cricket pitch and other parts of the club grounds. He was part of the committee during an important time when Lurgan Cricket Club joined with Lurgan Rugby Club. They moved to Pollock Park in 1980. Raymond Hunter passed away on December 9, 2020.

See Also

• List of Irish cricket and rugby union players