Northamptonshire CCC’s archives have received a boost thanks to the family of the late John Watson.
John, who died in June at the age of 85, was an avid collector of photographs and other cricket memorabilia – much of relating to Northamptonshire – over many years.
Now, his widow Shirley and son Matthew have forwarded a large amount of material to NCCC archivist Andrew Radd for the benefit of the club and its supporters.
John’s twin sporting passions were Northamptonshire cricket (he was a keen cricketer himself with Northampton Strollers CC) and Northampton Town Football Club. He wrote many articles for the NCCC yearbook and supplied photographs for various publications, including the club’s official history by Matthew Engel and Andrew Radd published in the 1990s.
Both NCCC and the Northamptonshire Cricket Supporters’ Club were represented at John’s funeral a few days before the delayed start of the current season.
The club wishes to express its sincere condolences to John’s family on their loss, but also its gratitude to them for entrusting his wonderful photographic collection to us.
Andrew Radd’s ongoing project on behalf of the club – ‘The A-Z of Northamptonshire first-class cricketers’ – was an undertaking in which John took a keen interest right to the end of his life, and his pictures will enhance it further.
Thank you, John.