Cricketers honour friend in memorial match

Cricketers braved the weather to pay tribute to a friend and teammate who tragically died earlier this month.

Piers Hampton, 43, died on July 11 after an 18-month battle with cancer.

Born in Hawaii but every bit the Yorkshireman, Piers was a stalwart member of the Black Stuff cricket team as well as representing the Optimists Club in the Belgian League and Luxembourg in international competitions.

A pugnacious opening batsman in the mould of his hero Geoffrey Boycott, he was well known for his rearguard batting actions, even in certain losing causes.

In what was a fitting tribute to the keen cricketer his team, The Black Stuff, took to the green against Luxembourg's only mixed team The Maidens and Knights at the Walferdange cricket grounds on Wednesday.

In the spirit of Piers' affinity with both clubs, the Maidens and Black Stuff mixed up their teams, one led by Maidens Chair Sue Ellingworth, the other by Vice-chair Pat Heath.

In an adapted form of the game, with ten penalty runs deducted for wickets lost, Pat's team scored well at first, but frivolous running and some accurate bowling contributed to the loss of seven costly wickets. Late-order boundary hitting from golfer Steve Eastwood pushed the team up to 144, reduced to a defendable 74.

Sue's XI had a fixed game plan. Protecting wickets with a determination of which Piers would have been proud. They concentrated on safe but steady accumulation of runs.

There were occasional deviations from the strategy, captain Sue in particular pulling out the long handle to club away loose bowling, and catches were dropped. In the end, these proved costly, as Sue's team made it through the 20 overs for the loss of only 3 wickets, winning with a score of 92.

The game was followed by a barbecue after the game, and the proceeds from the event will be donated to Piers' chosen charity, Diabetes UK. Any friends wishing to contribute in his memory may do so by clicking on the link below.