Paul Francis passed away on November 18 2025.
He survived by his wife and children!
Rest in eternal peace Paul Francis!
Tributes to the late Paul Francis from some of his
closest friends!
I will never forget those meetings at his place when
we were planning the St Pat’s Christmas dances in Sydney. Honestly, I don’t
know how we managed to organise anything given the state of those gatherings…
but they were the good times, full of laughter and camaraderie.
Then there was the famous grand final win against
Berala. We were all nervous, facing that big left arm quick, until Paul strode
in and smashed a match-winning 80 runs to collect the Grand Final trophy! We
reminded him of that story just last week, and he lit up with a big smile, as
ill as he was. He was always proud of that innings.
Paul’s sporting ability was quite remarkable. Back in
Pakistan, he captained the school cricket team for St Pat’s school cricket team
for three straight years. On the field, his pace and skill as a wing man were a
joy to watch.
He also had a vision for the community. It was Paul
who suggested holding an annual Christmas and New Year dance to raise funds for
the cricket club – a tradition that turned into a great success.
Beyond sport and organising, Paul was a kind and
generous soul. He loved cooking his Niahri, serving it with Lebanese bread and
gathering us around the dinner table. Those nights of food, drinks and laughter
will always stay with me.
Rest in peace, Paul.
Your spirit, generosity and joy
will never be forgotten.
By Mervyn Pinto
The emergence of any young sporting team, more
often than not, comes as a welcome breath of fresh air. More so when this
happens when the season draws close to an end, bringing down the curtain on the
successes and failures of the immediate past and opening the arena for new expectations
in the new season.
This is particularly true of the St Patrick’s
Cricket Club … a team brought together with a blend of experience and youthful
enthusiasm and dedication to the art of cricket excelled.
The club was established three years ago. It
did not take off on the “highest notes”
in the first season of competition cricket but it has never looked
backed since, going from strength, attracting new talent and encouraging its
budding new players.
An imposing list of successes over the past
three years have made it a force to be reckoned with in club cricket. Runners-up
last year in the Auburn cricket competition, the young cricketers were blooded
in experience gained from their first foray in cup final cricket and were
recently looking to more successes in the inter-cultural competitions, where they
were leading the competition with four wins, two draws (washouts) and a loss in
the quarterfinal play-offs.
St Patrick’s originated from a coincidental number
of parishioners of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Karachi, migrating to Australia,
especially Sydney. Tracing its roots, the team consists mainly of Karachites
whose parents originated from Goa and Mangalore in Indian but spent most of
their adult life in Karachi, Pakistan. But with the multicultural nature of
suburban Sydney, St Patrick's also boasts players of other nationalities.
Paul Francis was the so-called elderly
statesman of the side is a former captain of St Patrick’s school cricket team
in Karachi. He is also a mentor and inspiration for the younger migrants. His
captaincy goes way back to 1969. His knowledge, understanding and remarkable
wealth of experience make him the typical thinking man’s cricketer, a little no
unlike England’s Mike Brearley, except that Paul can give the ball a bit a
thump. He is a hard taskmaster and lays down the law strictly.
The club is self-financed.
The Indian Down Under March 1988.
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