Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Excellent Talk by Jim Cumbes

I went to a talk at Grace Road in Leicester recently.

I love cricket, but although I am now quite a long standing member of Leicestershire County Cricket Club, spending as much time as I can watching cricket during the Summer, I am not actually a member of the Leicestershire Cricket Society.

It's simply that I am rarely able to get to the society's meetings, so there's not a lot of point in being a member, although the Chairman, my friend Norman Harrington, the poet and playwright from Rothley, has suggested to me on a number of occasions that I should!

Anyway, this talk was by Jim Cumbes, former opening bowler with Lancashire, Worcestershire and Surrey. He was also one of a breed of sportsmen who were at one time much more common than they are today. They played good class football as well as cricket. Jim was a goalkeeper.

At one point in his career Jim had his own radio programme in Birmingham, and he is now a much respected administrator, being Chief Executive of Lancashire County Cricket Club at Old Trafford.

The talk was excellent, in fact one of the best I have attended with any organisation.

Before the meeting started, Norman approached me and asked if I would give the vote of thanks. That rather took me aback, as I had never actually done that before. But of course I was happy to do so, and was able to give a sincere - and I think appreciated - appraisal of a very good and interesting talk indeed.

I admitted to remembering him as a bowler and as a goalkeeper, and being aware of his administrative abilities, but was unaware of the broadcasting part.

Thanks, Jim.