'Alas, half an hour after I got home, his son rang to say he was dead, just sitting on the settee.'

'Alas, half an hour after I got home, his son rang to say he was dead, just sitting on the settee.'

Tom remembers playing with his bowling partner, and winning a match, just hours before he passed away.

Tom Sutton

Trinity College Dublin

1977

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Tom Sutton

Marriage and Family

Life Story

Glengormley, Co. Antrim

1970s

During my time as Treasurer one of the ministers of state in Northern Ireland was the flamboyant Sir Nicholas Scott. He loved it over here and I think we had three going away parties for him before he left the province, but not before he had sanctioned grants to some bowling clubs which included new pavilions for Ulster Transport, Hilden and the Provincial Towns indoor bowling stadium at Ballybrakes, Ballymoney, which previously had been a sewing factory.One last thought about my bowling days is of my good friend and bowling partner on many occasions, the larger than life Stanley Nash. Against all the odds, we won the Irish indoor pairs at the Shaw's Bridge stadium against the formidable Howard Caruth and Syd Thompson. Some years later, he played third to me in the Veterans Cup final, in which the Cavehill Club was involved. He had a terrible game and laughingly told me he was knackered. As the game ended in a draw an extra end was played. Amazingly, he played the perfect bowl and we ended up winning. As I left him home, we arranged to meet on Saturday night. Alas, half an hour after I got home, his son rang to say he was dead, just sitting on the settee. What a way for a person so full of life to go.

Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)