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A brief autobiography

I grew up with Cricket as a major part of my life. My Father and my Grandfather were huge fans of the game, both had played cricket before I was born and as they had both been wicket-keepers, my fate sealed; a ‘Keeper’ I would be too, no discussion!

Childhood

I am told that my first outing involving cricket was at Dean Park in late August during the summer of 1948, albeit in a ‘pram’. I am assured that I was walking by the time I was eighteen months old and that I walked the boundary at Dean Park the following year in a July holiday during the summer of 1949! These outings were all down to the fact that my Father and Grandfather insisted on taking a week’s holiday in Bournemouth to coincide with ‘County Cricket’.

Before WW2, my Father had been an apprentice at Wadhams, the firm that at the time leased Broadhalfpenny Down from Winchester College and so it was that, as ‘a return to his pre-war youth’ in the summer of 1952, I visited the grand old ground, the monument, and the Bat and Ball Inn for the first time.

So many of my early memories involved cricket. Driving out (Winter or Summer) each and every Sunday for a ‘mystery tour’ in the old Morris 8 with my Father, Grandfather, Mother and Grandmother. Not that much of a mystery though, because we would always end up at Ridge Meadow or Broadhalfpenny Down or Sarisbury Green for some sort of game, which during the cricket season would be a session starting with a tennis ball and racket to practice reaction catching, followed by a cruel sort of French Cricket with a ‘composite ball’ (which I still have incidentally) in which I was ‘hardened up’. I can still feel my shins and hands stinging from those episodes.

It may be that unwittingly my Grandfather invented the ‘Mongoose Bat’ when he cut down a Stuart Surridge bat that had seen better days, so that I had a full size handled bat with a blade that was only about 10 inches longer than the splice! That too caused many a stinging sensation when used to strike a well used ‘nut’!

My Father and Grandfather had never joined Hampshire County Cricket Club as Members but avidly followed the County in newspaper reports written in the Summer version of the ‘Portsmouth Pink Paper’ as well the ‘Nationals’. I can still hear them bemoaning the fact that Shackleton had been left out once again! They were also avid Pompey fans and it was through that connection that my hero worship for the dear departed Mike Barnard began.
I listened to TMS and watched every moment of Test Cricket that I could on the T.V. Even now, when I visit the Oval, I can only see the ‘Gasometer’ in black and white!

Adulthood

As I got older, Bournemouth was no longer a holiday destination (my last visit was in 1957) but I made visits to the United Services Ground a great deal, from the age of eight until I left Mile End House School in 1964; the owner and Headteacher was cricket mad and often let anybody as enthusiastic as he was, and who played for the school side, to leave early and get to the ground after lunch. When my mother thought I could be trusted, the odd train journey to Southampton was approved and I was able to see the days’ play at Northlands Road on many occasions during the late 50’s and during the 60’s.

I was lucky enough to take to the field with both my Grandfather and Father in a friendly game arranged ad hoc at the old Civil Service Ground in Portsmouth in 1962, while my Grandfather was engaged in some building work at the ground. We three shared the ‘Gloves’, a memory I still cherish!
My playing career was nothing to shout about; the school side, nets and much enjoyment with local village colt sides and plenty of scratch pub sides while at Borough Road College, London University (Pub sides they were always short of a wicket-keeper) during the middle to late sixties.
I married in 1971 and for some reason, because I had mentioned I would not be so engaged with sport because of teaching and my involvement with horses, my wife said, “Well, when you finally retire from teaching you will be able to watch as much cricket as you like.” Little did she realise when making that statement what it would lead to in the future!

After that, my marriage, my teaching career, horses owned by my wife and sister-in-law, plus my own growing family, kept me from playing or attending many cricket games; although I did manage watching a couple of days a year during my summer break from teaching throughout the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. I followed cricket on terrestrial television for as long as was possible and never lost the habit of listening to TMS. I still read the cricket sections of local and national newspapers avidly and sustained my interest in Hampshire, a game that brought back such warm inner feelings of happy times.

Retirement

In early 2004 I retired and reminded my wife of that fateful statement of thirty-three years earlier: I joined Hampshire Cricket as a member. My membership at Hampshire led me to become a member of the revived Hambledon Club, something I have much enjoyed.
Within three years as a Hampshire Member, I had been elected to the Members’ Committee, then elected as Chairman of that Committee in 2010. I served in that role enthusiastically until 2016.

As a Vice President of Hampshire Cricket, I have remained actively involved with Hampshire Cricket and in 2018 was delighted to accept the invitation to become Chairman of Hampshire Cricket Heritage Ltd.

And now the ultimate honour, the Presidential role at the revived Hambledon Club.