ACS members meet in London
Jeremy Lonsdale on an enjoyable gathering
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Saturday, 12 September, saw around thirty ACS members gather at the Union Jack Club, near Waterloo Station in London. The day proved a tremendous success. Further events, open to all members, are certain to be held in the future. To avoid missing out, please click here:
The gathering came as a result of positive feedback from members about last year’s anniversary event, which had allowed many to get together for the first time since the COVID pandemic.
The meeting was hosted by John Bryant, chair of the ACS general committee, who welcomed members and guests from different parts of the country. The day’s proceedings took the form of a varied and entertaining series of talks by seven speakers. In the morning, they were:
Jeremy Lonsdale, who spoke about Bill Bowes, the Yorkshire and England bowler, and the subject of his recently published biography, An Unusual Celebrity: The Many Cricketing Lives of Bill Bowes (Pitch Publishing).
Tony Watts, who was interviewed by Peter Hardy about his forthcoming ACS book Town v Gown; City v Village: A History of Cricket in Cambridge, which will be published on 1 November. Watch this space!
Chris O’Brien, who discussed the current exciting work under way in developing the Peter Wynne-Thomas Library at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.
Over lunch, members had the opportunity to mix with old friends and make new contacts. In the afternoon session, there were four more speakers:
Keith Walmsley, who provided an ACS records update and then a cricket quiz of forty questions of varying difficulty. Philip Bailey secured first prize.
David Kendix, ACS President, who was interviewed by Peter Hardy on his work with the ICC, in particular his responsibility for identifying statistical trends in the game and drafting playing regulations, as well as his work on team ranking.
Annie Chave, who spoke about her life in cricket (including setting up and editing the quarterly magazine County Cricket Matters), her involvement in commentary for Somerset, and her active support of the recreational game.
Jo Rice, who brought the day to a close with a talk about the work of the Kent Cricket Heritage Centre, set up to encourage the study and promotion of cricket in Kent, and to maintain and display the club’s archives and artefacts.
Thanks go to all the speakers for their interesting and entertaining talks, as well as to Peter Hardy, Huw Nathan, John Bryant and Keith Walmsley for organising and running the day.