Duncan Fearnley, bat-maker and Worcestershire legend, dies aged 83
Duncan Fearnley, the previous Worcestershire participant and administrator who went on to develop into one in all cricket’s most sought-after bat producers, has died on the age of 83.
Originally 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 tools, together with Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and Allan Border.
As the son of a woodwork trainer, 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 earnings, 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 equipment together and that way I could make bats in the winter and play in the summer,” he as soon as informed The Cricketer. “By the time Worcestershire didn’t extend my contract, I knew if I got stuck 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 Club 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 Bank of England and the broadcaster Mark Nicholas, he co-founded Chance to Shine, the cricket charity that has helped to reintroduce cricket to state faculties in England and Wales.
“Duncan’s passing is a tremendous loss,” Paul Pridgeon, Worcestershire’s appearing chair, stated. “His contributions as a player, an administrator, and a passionate supporter of the club were immeasurable. He was the heart and soul of Worcestershire CCC, leaving an indelible mark on the club.
“His legacy as a bat-maker and his profound love for the membership will all the time be remembered. Today, we’ve misplaced a real cricketing legend.”