Duncan Fearnley, bat-maker and Worcestershire legend, dies aged 83

Initially from Pudsey, Fearnley moved to Worcestershire in 1960 after starting his profession in Yorkshire Seconds, and went on to make 97 appearances as a left-handed batter throughout seven seasons, together with 687 runs and 4 half-centuries within the membership’s County Championship victory in 1964.

After departing the membership in 1968, he returned in 1972 because the Second XI captain, by which stage his Worcester-based bat manufacturing enterprise was thriving, with a number of of the best gamers of the period utilizing his gear, together with Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and Allan Border.

Because the son of a woodwork instructor, and the grandson of a cabinet-maker, Fearnley had taken on an apprenticeship with batmakers Fred Clough and Les Ward in Bradford to complement his winter revenue, and after launching his personal vary – Tudor Rose, which turned Fearnley of Farsley – he opened his personal store in Worcester in 1968.

“I gathered some gear collectively and that method I may make bats within the winter and play in the summertime,” he as soon as advised The Cricketer. “By the point Worcestershire did not lengthen my contract, I knew if I received caught in then there was no stopping me.”

In 1986, Fearnley was named Worcestershire chair, and oversaw a golden period for the membership that included two County Championship titles, two Sunday League titles, the Refuge Assurance Cup, the Benson and Hedges Cup, and the NatWest Trophy over a interval of simply twelve years.

He additionally served as Membership President from 2011 to 2013, and was subsequently elected as an Honorary Vice-President. In 2005, in collaboration with Mervyn King, the previous Governor of the Financial institution of England and the broadcaster Mark Nicholas, he co-founded Probability to Shine, the cricket charity that has helped to reintroduce cricket to state faculties in England and Wales.

“Duncan’s passing is an amazing loss,” Paul Pridgeon, Worcestershire’s performing chair, stated. “His contributions as a participant, an administrator, and a passionate supporter of the membership have been immeasurable. He was the guts and soul of Worcestershire CCC, leaving an indelible mark on the membership.

“His legacy as a bat-maker and his profound love for the membership will at all times be remembered. At this time, we’ve got misplaced a real cricketing legend.”