The Twelfth Man 2019

Norman Hazell in conversation with Wilfred Rhodes Wilfred Rhodes Image provided by Norman Hazell Micky Stewart chats to committee member Margaret Harrison on 7 April 1994 25 YEARS AGO: THE WOMBWELL IN 1994 T he 1994 Twelfth Man was a tribute to the former Kent and England wicket-keeper Godfrey Evans. He received the Society’s Denzil Batchelor Award for Services to English Cricket at the spring dinner on 29 April that year. In June came the thrilling news that Wombwell’s founding secretary, Jack Sokell, had been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. The Society’s autumn dinner in November was a celebration of Jack’s work and devotion to both Wombwell and cricket in Yorkshire. In December he received the accolade from HRH The Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace. Across the winter of 1993-94 current players and cricketers of past vintage made the pilgrimage to Wombwell: Courtney Walsh (Dinner in June 1993), Ken Taylor, Phil Neale, Roger Knight, Craig White and Christmas lunch with Martyn Moxon. Guests from new year to spring ’94 included: Warwickshire’s Asif Din and Neil Smith, Ashley Metcalfe, Michael Vaughan, many laughs with Allan Stuttard and, on 7 April, a fine evening with Micky Stewart. The Society’s membership was listed at over 700 and the autumn function schedule actually began in August when Bill Frindall returned, to a much bigger audience than back in 1969, for a special dinner to receive the JM Kilburn Cricket Writer award for 1993. Among pre-Christmas guests were Paul Grayson, Graham Roope, Jason Gallian and Peter Martin (Lancashire evening), writer David Lemmon and sports/darts broadcaster John Gwynne. Those lost to cricket and to Wom- bwell in the year included: Brian Johnston (January 1994); George Pope, who coached youngsters at Wombwell in the early years; crick- et writer Jim Kilburn; Mollie Taylor, the sister of Roy Kilner and widow of the Society’s founding President, Dr Leslie Taylor, and an active mem- ber, John Harrison in November ’94. The Society’s coaching classes were well populated once again during the winter and a coach-load of young cricketers, parents and coach- es visited Grace Road, Leicester in February 1994 for a net session with Russell Cobb, Laurie Potter and Paul Nixon – all of this a quarter-of-a- century ago! Godfrey Evans CBE at the Wombwell Spring Dinner on 29 April 1994 - winner of the Denzil Batchelor ‘Services to English Cricket‘ Award 18 19