Ken Turner and George Tribe are the latest inductees to Northamptonshire County Cricket Club’s ‘Hall of Fame.’
The announcement was made at the club’s presentation evening last Friday following nominations made throughout the 2018 season by shareholders, members and supporters. Northamptonshire’s long-serving former Secretary and the great Australian all-rounder received comfortably more support than any of the other contenders.
They join the initial 12 inductees – George Thompson, Billy East, ‘Nobby’ Clark, Fred Bakewell, Dennis Brookes, Freddie Brown, Frank Tyson, Keith Andrew, Colin Milburn, David Steele, Bishan Bedi and Allan Lamb – selected by Matthew Engel and Andrew Radd earlier this year.
Ken Turner joined Northamptonshire CCC as Assistant Secretary in 1949 and replaced Lt Col. Coldwell as Secretary nine years later. He remained in post from 1958 until his retirement in 1985, and died in 1991.
A cricket visionary, his fundraising efforts and canny judgement enabled the club to develop the County Ground’s infrastructure (including the original indoor school which now bears his name) and recruit both talented youngsters and established cricketers to help make Northamptonshire serious contenders in the county game throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
He became one of the most highly-respected figures in the English game – never afraid to ruffle a few feathers when necessary, whether in the committee room at Wantage Road or in national deliberations at Lord’s.
George Tribe (1920-2009) was born in Melbourne and played three Ashes Tests for Australia against England in 1946-7 before coming to England to earn a living in the Lancashire League. He joined Northamptonshire in 1951, qualified for the Championship the following year and in eight full seasons with the County did the ‘double’ of 1,000 runs and 100 wickets seven times.
His left-arm wrist spin bamboozled batsmen around the circuit, and he claimed 1,021 wickets at 20.25 for the club including 175 in 1955 – a Northamptonshire record unlikely to be broken. His 8,141 runs for the County included six centuries and 39 fifties.
He retired – as did Dennis Brookes – at the end of the 1959 season but his performances clearly still resonate with NCCC supporters.
Further ‘Hall of Fame’ inductees will be announced over the coming years.