MARTY Connors has been kicking a soccer ball since he could walk.
He was seven when he left Ireland and moved to England and was playing soccer for English Schoolboys at 14.
At that level, the league team scouts were always out and about and Marty was invited to try out with Manchester United.
He played in their youth team for four years before signing a professional contract with them at 17.
“It was the thrill of my lifetime to sign with Manchester United,” he said.
Marty’s latest claim to sporting fame at a fit and jovial 70 years of age was being recognised for his history making lawn bowls achievements on Sunraysia bowling greens.
“I’ve had the ‘pleasure and pain’ of playing with Mark Eckel who is regarded by me and most other lawn bowlers as the best bowler in Sunraysia.
“Together Mark and I have won the club pairs four years in a row, (which has never been done before) and the Champion of Champion Pairs three years in a row – another first for Sunraysia.”
In 1966 Marty flew to Australia with a “healthy bank balance” – his rewards for a successful soccer career at the top level for seven years.
“I was soccer-mad from the word go and that’s all I’d played in England,” he said.
“But with the continuing shocking weather that England dished up and soccer games being cancelled due to rain and snow, it was too dangerous and I’d had enough.
“I hadn’t even heard of Australia and it wasn’t until I was watching a show on TV called Skippy the Bush Kangaroo with the beautiful scenery, wide open spaces and the wonderful sunny weather that I said ‘that’s for me’.
“I purchased a house and an apartment in Melbourne, sponsored my mother and two sisters to come and live in Australia, bought myself a a new car and headed off on my around Australia adventure in 1970.
“I only planned to spend a weekend in Mt Isa and on a Friday night I visited the Irish Club.
“They asked me if I played soccer and to join them the next day for training.
“Straight after training they had the pen out and the contract for me to sign – ‘We’ll give you $200 a game, get you a job and pay your accommodation.
“How could I refuse that?” he laughed.
It was then back to the club for a pint of Guinness.
“Mt Isa at that time was like a ghost town – the mines owned everything.
“There was just the pubs, the mines and the accommodation – a series of shacks. I’d love to go back today and see the changes that have occurred.
“I stayed on playing good soccer for 18 months, the standard was brilliant. We won the Queensland Cup twice in Brisbane.
“We trained three nights a week, I didn’t drink and as a result didn’t have any friends – everyone headed for the pub.
“I chose to train for an extra couple of hours on my own until I was exhausted and ready for sleep.
“I was earning good money driving the giant earthmoving Euclid dump trucks and after 18 months at Mt Isa I moved on to see more of Australia with $78,000 in my pocket.”
When Marty had finished his travelling around the country, which took him three years including his 18 month stint at Mt Isa, he returned to Melbourne and joined the Medway Golf Club, a private course, and worked on his game to get his handicap “down and down” until he got into single figures.
“I was ready to settle down and take up other sports to see how well I could play them.
“I took up golf, which became my favourite sport, even over soccer.
“I think golf is the most skilled and challenging game in the world.
“I believe there are around 25 points in the swing that have to be mastered to hit a great, straight drive. Get one of those wrong and you’re in the trees or you hook a slice,” he said.
Marty also tried his hand at tennis and squash to “keep himself fit” and ended up playing pennant in both sports.
Having tried pretty much all sports on offer, Marty got the opportunity to have a crack at Aussie Rules football.
“My brother was on the committee of North Melbourne and it was the start of the Super Rules competition which gave me the opportunity to play with the likes of Ron Barassi, Billy Barrett, Kevin Murray and Hugie Mitchell.
“When all the big names came into the game, I went back to my other sports – mainly golf.
“I met my wife Elizabeth who was working in Melbourne in 1983, she came from Mildura and we returned there and were married in 1984.
“Not long after, we settled up in Melbourne and returned to Mildura to live.
“I joined Coomealla Golf Club, my favourite course, but also joined Wentworth, Red Cliffs and Riverside to see what the courses were like.
“I got down to a handicap of three but in my 60s my handicap was six and I beat Lars Holden, the Coomealla professional in the Johnny Walker Classic, and went down to Royal Melbourne to play in the final there.
“I came in equal fourth, which I was very proud of because the guy who won it played off scratch.
“I’d been watching lawn bowls on the telly and thought that looks easy for an old bloke. I decided to give bowls a go and joined up with Mildura.
“After working out which bias to play in my first game – after my bowl went the wrong way completely – I realised that the game was harder than I thought.
“Virtually straight away I got hooked on lawn bowls, because of all the sports I’ve played, it’s the most wonderful way to meet and keep friends.
“I’ve met some great men and women in the sport of bowls here in Sunraysia and don’t regret selling my golf clubs four years ago.
“If I ever go back to playing golf, I can buy a set of the ‘new technology’ state-of-the-art clubs.
“I still try to play twice a year at Murray Downs – a beautiful golf course in Swan Hill and there I hire a set of graphite shaft and titanium head clubs – much easier to hit the ball because of the larger heads.
“They’re more ‘forgiving’,” he smiled.
“The first year I started playing bowls, I got to the last 16 in the state with my partner in the pairs, Graeme O’Neill.
“In the second year I won the Winter Singles at the Working Man’s Club on the Deakin Avenue greens.
“It was my only singles game and I much prefer the team games.
“Without a doubt, sport has been the biggest thrill of my life next to meeting Liz.”
This article appeared in Saturday’s Sunraysia Daily 11/02/2012.
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