Wally Glynn - 'Cricket is in my blood'

As the Maltese national cricket team gears up for the European Third Division Championships in Belgium, one man is looking back in time to August 1997 when the championships were held in Zous, Swit-zerland.

When Wally Glynn, then aged 65, took to the field as a member of Malta's national team in what was then called the European Nations Cup, he became the oldest player to represent his country in a national cricket match.

"I was thrilled that we won that match 2-0 and proud of my contribution. I bowled three overs, took a wicket and made 25 runs," he reminisces.

As the team, which included his younger brother Ernest, celebrated their victory, Glynn had no inkling that he had just made history.

A few months later Michael Micallef, then the secretary of the Malta Cricket Club, broke the news that Wally's participation in that match had earned him a mention in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The certificate he was awarded for his feat hangs in pride of place on the walls of Glynn's Marsa home.

That was the last time Wally turned out for Malta, but his cricketing days did not end there.

In 1999, he was asked to umpire the European Championship semi-final between Greece and Portugal and went on to qualify as an umpire in 2003.

Although Walter and Ernest Glynn learnt the game from their father at an early age, family res-ponsibilities kept Walter away from the game for close to 40 years, returning in 1989.

Fourteen years later, he was awarded his certification as umpire by the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers. Ironically, the highlight of Glynn's umpiring career so far was refereeing the European Championship semi-final of 1999.

Approaching his 76th birthday, Glynn still plays cricket as often as he can, although he admits this is not often as he would like.

"There was a time when I would participate in almost every match but these days, my main role is that of umpire.

"The Malta Cricket Club is hosting an international tournament next autumn, and I am looking forward to playing my part as umpire," he says, looking ahead.

Although in his prime he was often the first to bat, Glynn is also an accomplished spin bowler.

Indeed, since his eyesight is "not what it used to be" Glynn is now restricted exclusively to bowling... a role he clearly enjoys.

Surrounded by memorabilia collected during a lifetime of cricket, Glynn looks to the future of the local game.

"We have some promising youngsters learning cricket at the moment," Glynn reveals. "It is an unfortunate fact that most of them stop playing once they hit their 20s.

"I often look back to a time, just after the war, when Ernie and I started showing some youths how to play cricket in the empty streets.

"We soon had about 20 playing with us and all was going well until we swapped the tennis ball we were using for the real thing. None of them came back after that session.

"Today's youth probably have different reasons for giving up the game but it's a shame, just the same."

When does Glynn plan to retire from cricket?

The very suggestion seems to take Walter Glynn by surprise, "I can't retire; cricket is in my blood!"