One of Cumbria’s best known senior cricketers, Ken White, has died at the age of 82.
Ken was a Cockermouth club legend having scored over 25,000 runs for the club over the course of his Sandair’s career which covered six decades.
A leg spinner in his early days, Ken later turned to off-spin and backing up his performances with the bat he took over 800 wickets.
He had made his first team debut in 1957 as a 15-year-old and ended his cricketing career when he was 60.
Ken later said that he was criticised by a spectator for not being able to stop a boundary and knew it was time to retire.
But the all-round sportsman he was, Ken rejected golf to take up bowls and at the Harris Park club in Cockermouth he went on to win 16 Championships in the next 20 years.
Ken was also a talented footballer in his younger days playing at Workington Reds. He made the first team on one occasion for a pre-season game at Barrow.
He clocked up numerous appearances for the Reds Reserves in the North Regional League playing on one famous occasion at Roker Park in front of 13,000 fans. Sunderland had included several notable first-teamers, hence the big crowd.
Reds lost heavily but just a few weeks later in the return at Borough Park the Reds Reserves won 2-1!
In later years, when returning to watch Reds play he could point to the spot on the pitch where he once nutmegged the former Golden Boy of British football Albert Quixall when he had moved in the later stages of his career to Oldham Athletic and was in the reserves.
Ken was actually born in Gilsland, over the border in Northumberland, while his dad was serving in the Royal Navy but the family soon returned to Cockermouth.
He was educated at Cockermouth Grammar School and when he left went to join the National Coal Board.
But a dramatic career change saw him attend teacher training at Charlotte Mason College, which sparked a 34-year career in the teaching profession.
He taught at St Patrick’s, Workington; Seaton Juniors; Harrington Juniors and Ashfield Juniors, Workington where he retired as deputy head.
Dozens of youngsters at those schools will have been encouraged at the start of sporting careers by the enthusiasm of Mr White.
In later years Ken was well known around the various boundaries in the Cumbria League, commenting on the action in the middle and stopping to talk to various members of the watching crowd as he prowled the ropes.
He also followed closely the career of his son Gareth and although his fiercest critic he was also extremely proud of what he also has achieved in the game.
Indeed. the Whites have a unique record as Ken, brother Ashley and Gareth have all represented Cumberland in Minor Counties Championship cricket. Gareth is also now the second leading run-maker in Cockermouth history.
Ken leaves son Gareth, daughter Becky and six grand-children, several of whom are showing sporting prowess.
The funeral is being held at Cockermouth’s Lorton Street Church on Tuesday, November 5 at 12.30pm, followed by burial at Cockermouth Cemetery, Lorton Road.
Last year, Cumbria Crack’s John Walsh spoke to Ken and Raymond Denham as Cockermouth Cricket Club celebrated its 200th anniversary. Listen to the chat below:
