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At the age of 83,
Duncan Fearnley, a former Worcestershire player and administrator who rose to
prominence as one of the sport’s most sought-after bat manufacturers, passed
away.
Originally from Pudsey, Fearnley started his career with the Yorkshire Seconds
and transferred to Worcestershire in 1960. During the course of seven seasons,
he made 97 appearances as a left-handed batter, scoring 687 runs and four
half-centuries in the team’s 1964 County Championship success.
He left the club in
1968 and came back in 1972 as the captain of the Second XI. By then, his bat
manufacturing company in Worcester was doing well, and some of the top players
of the time, such Sunil Gavaskar, Ian Botham, Graham Gooch, and Allan Border, were
using his products.
Fearnley, a woodwork teacher’s son and a cabinet maker’s grandson, apprenticed
with batmakers Fred Clough and Les Ward in Bradford to augment his winter
earnings. In 1968, he opened his own shop in Worcester after launching his own
line, Tudor Rose, which later became Fearnley of Farsley.
“I gathered some equipment together and that way I could make bats in the
winter and play in the summer,” he once told The Cricketer. “By the
time Worcestershire didn’t extend my contract, I knew if I got stuck in then
there was no stopping me.”
After taking over as
Worcestershire chair in 1986, Fearnley led the team through a successful period
of twelve years that included two County Championship trophies, two Sunday
League titles, the Refuge Assurance Cup, the Benson & Hedges Cup, and the NatWest
Trophy.
In addition, he presided over the club as president from 2011 to 2013 before
being chosen to be an Honorary Vice-President. In 2005, he co-founded Chance to
Shine, a cricket charity that has assisted in bringing cricket back to state
schools in England and Wales, alongside presenter Mark Nicholas and former
Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King.
“Duncan’s
passing is a tremendous loss,” Paul Pridgeon, Worcestershire’s acting
chair, said. “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 club will always
be remembered. Today, we have lost a true cricketing legend.”