Northamptonshire County Cricket Club is sad to announce the death of the club’s former chairman, Simon Schanschieff, aged 81 after a long illness.
Simon joined the club’s General Committee back in 1970 and served as chairman between 2000, when he succeeded Lynn Wilson, and 2007. In that time, he was also a member of various national committees of TCCB and ECB, chairing the committee awarding Test matches.
He followed proudly in the footsteps of his father Brian whose long involvement with Northamptonshire encompassed 17 years as Honorary Treasurer (1954-1971) followed by terms as chairman (1971-74) and president (1974-77).
Brian died in September 2000, a few months after Simon became chairman, and Simon’s son Guy also served on the board of directors. The committee room at the County Ground was named the Schanschieff Room to recognise the family’s remarkable contribution to the club over six decades.
Simon played cricket as a pupil at Oakham School in the 1950s and also at Northampton Saints CC. He represented Northamptonshire at hockey.
In addition to his cricketing activities, Simon played a huge role in public life in the county – chairing the Area Health Authority for 21 years, and later the Daventry Primary Care Trust. He was awarded the OBE in 1995 for services to healthcare.
He also served as a magistrate in Northamptonshire from 1971 to 2008 and at the time of his retirement was the longest-serving magistrate in the county. Among his charitable interests were fundraising for Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton and for the preservation of Peterborough Cathedral.
“Everyone at the County Ground will be saddened by Simon’s passing,” commented current chairman Gavin Warren.
“He was chairman when I first joined the committee and it was obvious how much he loved Northamptonshire County Cricket Club; all stakeholders have a lot to thank Simon for. Our sincerest condolences and thoughts go to Simon’s family.”