Fred Rumsey
Younger readers and indeed, I’m guessing, even some older reader may not immediately recognise the name of Fred Rumsey. He played 5 tests for England in 1964/5 and his county cricket for Worcestershire and Somerset. He also worked with Derbyshire and the Lords Taverners cricketing charity. A principal claim to fame is that he was the first to float the idea of a union for professional cricketers which eventually turned into The Professional Cricketers Association.
What, you may ask, is any of this to do with Middleton Stoney Cricket Club? Well, one of our longest standing Vice Presidents, Derek Marsh who compiled the 2001 memoire “Memories and Extras” (see our ‘About‘ page) to celebrate 200 years of cricket in Middleton Park, has recently made a cash donation to the club together with a copy of Fred Rumsey’s book entitled “Sense of Humour, Sense of Justice
Derek went to school with Fred Rumsey, they played cricket together and they have remained friends ever since. In the early 1970s Fred was invited by Derek to play at Middleton in a President’s X1 vs Club match but sadly, the weather intervened and the match was not played. (We had bad weather in those days too!). Some years later Fred gave Derek a few copies of his book to use as he though fit to perhaps ‘do a bit of good’ and hence the recent donation to us and the receipt of the book. The book also corrects an earlier supposition by Derek that Fred Rumsey only played for England when Fred Truman was absent. Not so, they actually bowled together in four tests in New Zealand in 1965.
I have thanked Derek for his donation and the book is available in the clubhouse. It is a delightful read redolent of cricket and life of a bygone age.
Andrew Hickman
April 2024
