Special game to mark Lapworth stalwart Tim Fell's 50th season
A GROUP of the current longest-serving players from across the Herald patch are teaming up to play in a special game to celebrate Lapworth stalwart Tim Fell’s 50th season at the club.
Fell joined the village team at the age of 19 for the 1973 campaign and during his stint at Lapworth he has seen lots of ups and downs, as well as plenty of funny moments on the pitch – far too many to include in the Herald he says.
The now 68-year-old, who turns 69 in August, is still going strong and showing no signs of slowing down any time soon, declaring: “I’d like to continue playing into my 80s if I can.”
To celebrate his 50th season at the Melson Memorial Ground, Fell has organised a special match between a Lapworth XI and a team made up of the current longest-serving cricketers from clubs that used to play in the defunct Tapster Pennant League, including Claverdon, Rowington, Tanworth-in-Arden, Norton Lindsey & Wolverton and Lapworth.
Fell has also made the exception of drafting in his 39-year-old son Dan, who plays for Norton Lindsey & Wolverton’s first team in Cotswold Hills League Division One, onto his team of local legends because “we’re all getting on a bit now and we need someone in the field who can chase the ball and has a good arm”.
Looking ahead to this Sunday’s game (1.30pm start), Fell told the Herald: “Anyone who used to play in the Tapster Pennant League is more than welcome to attend and I’m really looking forward to seeing some old faces again.
“When I first started playing in the league I was only 19 and some of the players were in the 40s. They’d be in their 90s now if they’re still alive and it’d be great to see them.
“I’m really looking forward to Sunday. There will be a free bar for my team and then the Lapworth boys can have one on the slate from me as well.
“There will also be a free cricket tea and then hopefully there will be a barbecue afterwards, again that will be free.”
“It’s going to cost me a fortune but it’s a one-off, I don’t suppose I’ll be doing it again,” he joked.
Fell admits plenty of exercise has led to him playing for so long. While he has made a couple of appearances for Warwickshire’s over-60s team and one outing as an under-age player for the over-70s side, the Lapworth resident also plays table tennis at a high standard.
He plays for Henley in the Stratford Table Tennis League and also turns out regularly in the Redditch and Birmingham leagues as well. On top of that, he also has five to six cycle sessions at the David Lloyd club in Shirley each week.
“I do quite a lot of exercise,” said Fell. “I’d like to think that I can continue playing cricket until I’m at least 80, so hopefully I’ve got another 11 or 12 seasons in me.”
Tim Fell’s team: Steve Berry, Andy Dewar, John Maundrell, Stuart Richardson, Dan Fell, (all from Norton Lindsey & Wolverton), Steve Jay, Bill Sly, Graham Sly (all from Rowington), Neil Wright (Tanworth-in-Arden) and Greg Williams (Lapworth).
