In 1947, despite the ten-foot snow, Ron was playing cricket in the back streets of the East End of London. He said they played on bomb sites and unexploded bombs were lying hidden in the outfield! A good preparation for some rural Gloucestershire pitches! He moved to Sussex, played cricket at Bowley, and taught at a special school for maladjusted children called Farney Close where, as Chair of the Governors, he developed links with local clubs to reintegrate boys into society. He has since visited the school almost annually, amongst other things, to check the state of the cricket square!

Ron found his way to Gloucestershire and started playing for Eastington in 1967. He played in the Holloway Cup winning side in 1970; became captain and led the side to the Stroud League title in1972. Ron was an accurate, economical, medium paced bowler who could pin batsmen down, especially on damp pitches. His batting consisted mainly of stonewall defensive blocks punctuated with exhilarating drives; very useful attributes for a lower order batsman. He once used both for some considerable time when he and I, as the last pair, took Eastington to victory at local rivals Frocester. He reminded me of that match every time we met on that ground for years and years afterwards.

There wasn't much that could stop Ron playing cricket but one event at Stonehouse certainly did. Ron, having said that he needed the loo, had left us fielding with 10 men. Some considerable time passed before another fielder was sent to see if he was ok. Eventually, after some delay, both returned. Ron had been unable to escape from a cracked plastic toilet seat that clamped his skin every time he sought to rise; pain only subsiding when he sat down again. Eventually, and with some difficulty, using his spinning finger to good effect, Ron unscrewed the nuts that held the seat to the pan so he, seat still attached, could escape and prise open the crack.

Ron was one of the club’s main fundraisers, selling lottery tickets for many years to anyone who couldn’t run fast enough. With the rest of the committee and some of the players he hand built a cricket pavilion (still standing) at Stratford Court, Stroud where Eastington were playing at the time.  The Owen Harris Memorial Ground Charity (OHMGC) was formed to run and develop the community facility and Ron became a member (and later Chairman) of the charity, and the cricket club’s representative. Now an impressive solar powered community hall has changing and kitchen facilities.

Ron had always been a knowledgeable cricketer, of both tactics and laws. If you wanted to know what the umpire's decision should be for an obscure or unusual event, then Ron was the man to ask! A car accident towards the end of the century led Ron to reduce his playing so he took an umpiring course. Umpiring in the Stroud, County and West of England leagues he was twice voted GACUS umpire of the year. Back problems in his late 60’s meant retirement, but he became one of the first boundary umpire assessors, a job that he did until very recently.

Ron married the daughter of an Eastington player and his influence naturally led to his wife and daughter doing the teas and scoring; his sons, daughter and grandson playing for the club. In 2012, despite the back problem, his 73 years, 45 of them as an Eastington CC member, he was still no stranger to doing work on the square. We nominated him for a Gloucestershire Cricket Board/ NatWest OSCA, that's an outstanding service to cricket award. This was duly awarded, at Lords, in October 2012 in recognition of a lifetime of achievement in cricket. The awards celebrate the volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure the success and survival of the grass roots game, their selflessness and dedication, and the huge amount of time they give up for the good of others…Without people like Ron, cricket and cricket clubs simply would not survive.

Keith Dench

Remembering Ron Bomberg…