Presentation made to Atkins family

August 24, 2021

A SPECIAL presentation has been made to the family of former Suffolk Chairman Norman Atkins, who passed away in March last year.

A framed montage of photographs of Norman from his time as Suffolk chairman was made on the first day of the National Counties Cricket Association Championship match against Staffordshire at Copdock.

Norman’s widow Maureen, daughter Sandra, her husband Richard and their son Alexander were invited to join the players for lunch in the pavilion. Son Andrew was unable to attend as he lives in America.

The presentation was due to have been at Suffolk’s final home match of the season in 2019, but Norman was not well enough to attend and subsequently underwent a triple heart bypass operation.

Norman, who was 81, passed away suddenly on March 16th 2020 after a short illness just before the country went into lockdown due to Covid-19, delaying the presentation until this summer.

Toby Pound, the Suffolk CCA Secretary, praised Norman’s unstinting service to cricket in the county – 25 years as chairman of Suffolk CCC, 30 years as chairman of the Two Counties Championship and 50 years as secretary of St Margaret’s CC.

Sandra, speaking on behalf of the family, said Norman would have said it was his honour and privilege to have served Suffolk Cricket, and that he would have been immensely proud to have received such recognition.

Sandra said: “We saw the joy and pleasure he got from every single match; we lived through the blind optimism in believing that every match could be turned around even when we were nine wickets down.

“I know one of the proudest days of his life was Suffolk winning in 2007 at Lord’s. It was right up there, just above England winning the World Cup and just below his beloved Ipswich Town winning the FA Cup in 1978. Sorry mum, I really believe that his wedding day and the births of his children come fourth, fifth and sixth!”

The montage of photographs featured Suffolk’s 2005 Minor Counties Championship winning and 2007 MCCA KO Trophy winning sides plus the four captains – Phil Caley, Justin Bishop, Tom Huggins and Adam Mansfield – who held the position during Norman’s chairmanship.

Suffolk CCA President Tony Warrington is pictured above presenting the framed photograph to Sandra watched by Toby Pound, Maureen, Richard and Alexander.

 

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