Warwickshire tribute to Hugh Cherry

By Paul Bolton, County News Correspondent

You won’t find Hugh Cherry in Wisden or back issues of the Cricketers’ Who’s Who. You probably won’t find too many references to him on a Google search but he contributed a great deal to cricket in Warwickshire, the Midlands and to the English Schools Cricket Association, and he didn’t receive a penny for his efforts.

But his death earlier this week aged 81 after a long battle against prostate cancer has led to tributes from Warwickshire players past and present who appreciated the contribution that Cherry made in their formative years.

Cherry, a straight-talking Yorkshireman with a mischievous sense of humour, was Warwickshire’s Under-19 manager for more than 40 years and in that capacity he helped in the development of many of the side that won the County Championship this year, including captain Jim Troughton.

He also played his part in the emergence of the likes of Asif Din, Gladstone Small, Dominic Ostler, Ian Westwood and Mark Wagh, who all benefited from Cherry’s organisational skills and self-deprecating humour.

He was a long-serving treasurer of the Warwickshire Schools Cricket Association, a busy volunteer with the England Schools Cricket Association and, for several years, a member of Warwickshire’s general committee where he took a dim view of those who did not share his love of the game.

Cherry supported Warwickshire throughout his life and will have particularly enjoyed seeing a side that included some of his protégés win the County Championship at Worcester last month.

Not all of those he managed made it to first-class level but all of those who met and knew Hugh Cherry were better for the experience.

Date: 19/10/2012 11:56:37 by Paul Bolton
In: Warwickshire | Today |