There are some people that you come across in life  that you realise, later, you were very fortunate to know. Len Beel, or Sir Len, (as i would like to call him) was certainly one.

Having moved to the westcountry as an impressionable  (naive) 9 year old, i was introduced to the Trowbridge Cricket Club by my Primary School Headmaster, Hugh Solomon. It wasn’t long before i was representing the club at various youth levels and struck up a friendship with Mike Beel (son of). 

My first real introduction to Sir Len, was watching the first team play at the County Ground. Despite his imposing frame (which some may have found intimidating), Len would always talk to the younger cricketers about the game; testing their knowledge and understanding in order to make sure they were a student of the game, as well as a player. 

I remember my first game playing for Len (away at Hinton Charterhouse). I was just 11 years old and contributed very little. However, i did totally misjudge the flight of a well struck shot from a burly lower-middle order batsman, and somehow reached up with my right hand (whilst falling backwards), pulling off a one hand catch which would not have been misplaced in a circus tent! This moment of outrageous fortune cemented me into the ‘this lad can play a bit’ category for Len; a club i was very proud to be part of. 

As my cricket and friendship developed over the years, so did my opportunities to chat to Len about life and (more specifically) sport. As a fan of cricket and football, i would regularly conduct interviews with Len , asking him about his time as a professional footballer and cricketer. The stories were varied, some celebratory, some self-deprecating; but always engaging, funny, educational and honest. 

I was truly honoured to be Mike’s best man (a favour i was proud to reciprocate later in life). This allowed me the opportunity to travel to Australia and spend time with both Mike and Paula’s family. One memory i will forever hold dear will be when we all sat by the pool at Paula’s brothers house on Chrismtas Day. I chatted to Sir Len for hours about sport, life and what makes this whole journey worth while. As alway, engaging, funny, educational and honest! What else could it have been. 

I will miss our ‘hours by the pool’ Sir Len. Just make sure that when my time comes, rhere is a cold beer and you’ve prepared your answers to my questions. Its gonna be a long chat! 

Thank you

Croggie