KEN BARBROOK - OUR

MY CRICKETING MENTOR, by Trevor Clifford

Ken Barbrook - Southwold Clubs best ever all round cricketer. Our Ian Botham !!

I recently read an extract from the Club minute book – from the 1954 AGM. Reflecting on the 1953 season the President quote “paid a special tribute to the outstanding feat of young Barbrook who had topped both the batting and averages and also taken the highest number of catches”.

For the 20 odd years that followed - not a lot changed!!!

But there was more to Ken than just being an outstanding cricketer.

In his early playing days Ken played in a successful Lowestoft side and could have continued playing at that higher level but business and family commitments didn’t allow that and he committed himself to Southwold CC.

In one way or another he was devoted to the Club for over 60 years. Committee member from the late 1950’s - becoming Club in 1956 with further spells in the 60’s and 70’s before retiring from playing and becoming Chairman and then Club President in the 90’s .When stepping down he was made an Honorary Life Member and continued supporting the Club while watching David and Matt and more recently with Anita watching their grandsons Sydney, Harry and Finley

Small Cricket Clubs like ours are usually run by a handful of people and to survive need committed families. A cricket match is a long day (I’m sure Anita remembers) and needs lots of preparation and we were (still are) lucky to have the Barbrook family on board.

In the late 1990’s Ken and Anita President Day lunch was always such an enjoyable day.

My earliest memory of going to the Common to watch cricket was 1960/61. I was 10 and elevated myself from carpet peg cricket to go down and watch Southwold play. Messrs Nollers, Leach , Cook, Girling, Constable etc and of course Ken (Mr Barbrook).

Mr Barbrook stood out immediately - bowling down the hill, a long run up, floppy hair and a wonderful bowling action (he could bat a bit aswell!). I soon realised what was different about him from the rest on view – he looked like them on the telly !

He was such much respected by his opponents.

As I progressed, from a young supporter, to putting the score up on the scoreboard, then becoming club scorer – I watched more intently and realised I was watching a special talent and wanted to try to become like him. (It didn’t happen!).

(Apologies if I get Cricket technical here)

He was doing things differently. His slower ball was a normal delivery bowled from 25 yards sometimes from behind the .

It wasn’t long before I saw my first live century – (YEP) K BARBROOK!

Then one match on the common while batting he got struck in the nether nether region and fell to the ground in pain - I realised he was normal.

The great thing in those days (for someone like me) was if you are the cricket club scorer and there is a late call off - you are first to be asked to play. So it wasn’t long before my first chance came to play with my local hero at Eye Cricket Club in 1963.

It wasn’t long after that I became a regular player and Mr Barbrook became Ken or Kenny. We had become team mates and good friends. I didn’t know it at the time but he was my Cricketing Mentor. There were “perks” midweek lifts to Portman Road to see our beloved Ipswich Town’

Ken was a great sportsman and competitor. Play hard (usually fair) and win!

His love of sport and its importance of how it can help develop a young person was visible and there for all to see.

The introduction of Suffolk league cricket at Southwold in the early 1970s was perfect for him. Something to compete for. As a Club we did well. In the inaugural year of the league(1973) we reached the final (losing to Eye) and winning the Suffolk Haig Village Cup.

We had a period of many good seasons - with Ken continuing to perform well both in the Suffolk league and National Village Cup.

He sometimes swung the ball so much that he developed bowling right arm round to straighten the ball to ensure the batsman played the ball (miss lbw – get bat on it caught by any of 3 short legs!)

During this time I became Club captain in 1978. Ken wasn’t the easiest guy to skipper (had his own plans! especially off his own bowling) but he was so supportive and encouraged to me in my early days and that remained the case right through to recent seasons. He was a quiet man so if he spoke I listened.

Now nice Mr Barbrook did have an edge to his game!

Probably the thing that frustrated him most was if he couldn’t get the ball to swing. One match at Ransomes he was challenged by the umpire for ball tampering. Ken had “accidently” dropped the ball before bowling and while picking it up was asked if he had “roughed the ball up” while it was grounded. A red faced Ken politely rebuffed the umpires challenge and bowled the next ball.

I can remember one game (at home) . We weren’t batting particularly well. I was next in and putting pads on. He was just out. Turned to me in the changing room– finger pointing AND DON’T YOU THROW YOURS AWAY LIKE THE REST OF THEM. That’s the most nervous I have felt going into bat!

On another occasion we did upset him. Our annual dinner had finished rather late! We were due to play an indoor match the next morning. Ken wasn’t amused that when he turned up we were still in the Kings Head at 11 am next morning for 1pm start in Leiston!

Finally one question we never got the answer to was how did he manage to shine the ball. Theories was it brylcreem in the hair? Was it lipsil on the trousers? Or just in his DNA. If the ball started to look tired the shout would always be “give it to Ken”.

As a Club (and a Community) we have lost a good man and a good friend. His cricketing legacy is our Club still thrives and is in good hands including his sons (David and Matt) and grandsons. My last cricket memory of Ken was last season seeing him supporting the Under11s/13s league finals day. There he was encouraging and cajoling Finley, Harry and the team – just how I remembered him 50 years earlier.

An outstanding cricketer and an outstanding man!!!