Chris Coleman

A personal tribute by Paddy Murphy

Chris Coleman handed over the chairmanship of Cheltenham Cricket Society at the October 2024 AGM after an impressive spell in the post which he has held since 2005. It goes without saying that committee colleagues are pleased that Chris will remain at the table as vice-chairman and the proffering of his advice and ideas will continue to be available for the benefit of the committee and our society.

With the sad losses of Peter West and Nigel Cooke in a brief period of time, the impending move to a different Victory Club site and the 25 year anniversary celebrations of our Society to be managed, Chris had numerous issues to consider. It was a welcome bonus to have help from Tom Graveney, (President 2002-2015) with whom Chris worked very well. This was particularly evident in the pursuit of class guest speakers, highlighted by the successful securing of Sir Michael Parkinson for our 25 year anniversary in 2008.

Chris managed committee business and any changes in his typically calm and genial manner – one cannot remember a single “contretemps” during his tenure! He happily mastered the important pre-meeting messages and introductions on guest speaker evenings, when the audiences were no doubt itching to hear from the celebrity! He also oversaw significant changes to brochure production, mainly under the guidance of Malcolm Brown and Pat Rose and was at the helm during the creation of our marvellous website. Less widely known, further afield he took over a major role in what was then “The Council of Cricket Societies” and since 2016 known as “The Cricket Societies Association” where Chris and our new Chairman Ken Burney still maintain significant roles.

Later in his tenure, Chris had to contend with the sad demise of both Arthur Bailey and Malcolm Brown, who had been such key figures in the society since the 1980’s and that very difficult time when Covid struck. It is great credit to Chris and his leadership that Cheltenham Cricket Society came through that challenging time under his stewardship. Of course, he also did much to promote the summer festival special events and attracting stellar guests to join us.

So, there is no doubting the debt of gratitude that we owe Chris, shared by members past and present and committee colleagues down the years. We are indeed fortunate that his zeal, knowledge and captaincy over the years have been instrumental in keeping the society successful and moving forward. In so doing, bringing a source of great pride and pleasure for all who have joined Chris in his endeavours.

Paddy Murphy – October 2024

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