As a child, Martin McGuinness loved nothing better than putting three stumps in the ground and imitating players in the England cricket team, and later he would spend time following the career of 1980s star Ian Botham.
This and other surprising revelations were offered up in an interview with The Irish Times following an official celebration of the exploits of the Ireland team at Stormont Parliament Buildings last night.
Cricket's profile among Ireland's political heavyweights remains high despite some indifferent recent form. The Ireland team were in Belfast for a reception thrown by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister at Stormont.
The Rev Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness first issued the invitation in the days following Ireland's defeat of Pakistan at the Cricket World Cup, but busy schedules prevented an earlier date for the occasion.
Martin McGuinness painted a picture of domestic life during the World Cup: "My wife came down to the sitting room early in the morning and asked 'What are you doing?", he said, "I told her I was watching Ireland, and she went back to her bed."
He recalled a surprising list of sporting heroes: "Ian Botham and Fred Trueman were great idols, people whose exploits I followed closely".
The Deputy First Minister recalled cricket's role in his childhood in Derry: "We would put stumps in the ground and play games with a bat and ball. I was useless but enjoyed playing."
To those who would be surprised at McGuinness's interest in what he described as a "British colonial game", he said that "there were many closet supporters of cricket within the Irish republican movement".
Earlier, Dr Paisley told the hundred or so dignitaries that it "was fitting that your [ the Ireland team's] achievements are recognised here".
Anyone saying that Ireland would beat both Pakistan and Bangladesh, "would have been accused of being barmier than the English supporters' Barmy Army", added Dr Paisley.
"Let's have more shocks!" he urged the team.