Former stars shine in Abberley memorial game

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

Warwickshire, the new County Champions, met their match in a side made up of the legends from their recent past today but the result was less significant than the occasion at Knowle & Dorridge CC.

Warwickshire won the Championship for the seventh time in their history at Worcester’s New Road ground on Thursday but they found that the old boys who helped the county to win seven trophies in the 1990s had lost none of their competitive edge in the inaugural Neal Abberley Memorial Match.

Allan Donald was given time off from his duties as South Africa’s bowling coach to play in the match and made an unbeaten and unexpected half-century to steer the Warwickshire Old County Cricketers’ Association XI to victory.

The county’s current coaching team of Ashley Giles, Graeme Welch and Dougie Brown also played for the WOCCA side alongside the likes of Asif Din, Paul Smith, Neil Smith, Tim Munton, Gladstone Small, Dominic Ostler, David Hemp, Tony Frost and Mike Burns.

Ian Bell was given permission by the England management to play in the match which honoured a man who shaped his career and David Brown, Bob Willis, Dennis Amiss, Nick Knight, Andy Lloyd, MJK Smith, KD Smith, John Jameson and Steve Rouse were among the former team-mates who made the trip to Solihull to remember a much-respected former team-mate.

The event, superbly organised by WOCCA chairman Jason Ratcliffe, helped to raise funds for WOCCA and Neil Carter’s benefit fund and is intended to become an annual event which will forge close links between Warwickshire’s current first team squad and players from the past.

Abberley died last year aged 67 after 50 years of service to Warwickshire as player and coach. Giles and Warwickshire captain Jim Troughton dedicated the county’s latest County Championship title to one of the most influential figures in the county’s history.

Abberley’s wife Chris, children Russell and Collette  and his grandchildren also attended the event, blessed by pleasant sunshine at his local club, which capped Warwickshire’s Championship celebrations.


Date: 09/09/2012 23:09:09 by Paul Bolton
In: Warwickshire | Today |