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News item updated :- 29/1/12

Ron Jones, ex Barnton CC President, Cheshire Cricket League President & Life President of the Cheshire Cricket League Umpires Association It is with great sadness that we have to inform you of the death of Ron Jones, who passed away today (29th January) following a short illness. Ron's funeral will take place at Little Leigh Baptist Chapel, Ash House Lane CW8 4RG on Friday 10th at 10am and afterwards at Walton Crematorium. One of Ron’s long standing ambitions was to umpire a Meller Braggins Cheshire League match in his 80th year. Being still fit and alert The Association had absolutely no problem in agreeing to this request. To complete his umpiring journey he also wished to umpire a League match with his long standing friend Roy Twiggs. The pair were appointed to a League game at Cholmondeley but unfortunately Roy was taken ill and in any event the weather intervened. However Ron was given a rousing send off in his last League match at Ashley Cricket Club. David Ronald Jones was very much a man of Cheshire. His whole life both living and working took place in Mid Cheshire and it followed that his cricket took the same route. He played for many years as a batsman at Arley Cricket Club and in fact was delighted to find during a visit a couple of years ago, that a photograph of Arley Cricket team, including himself, still hung in the pavilion. When he retired from playing he decided it was only right to put something back into the game and he turned his attention to the umpiring side. At that time there was a crying need in the Cheshire Leagues for independent umpires and in 1982 he helped form the Cheshire Cricket League Umpires Association becoming its first Chairman. The addition of Meller Braggins to the title came a few years later when they became The League's main sponsors. He steered and built The Association for many years until handing over to the current Chairman, myself, when he felt it was ready for a change. It will be appreciated that since inception The Association has had only 2 Chairmen and, personally, I am still finding Ron a very difficult act to follow. During this time his own reputation as a leading amateur umpire was established and he stood in many local top class matches including those involved with Lancashire 2nd X1s at Old Trafford. Initially once the Meller Braggins Umpires Association had been formed there was no question of sitting on his laurels and, along with Ken Merrill he set about running courses in Cheshire to improve standards of umpiring including giving practical advice to new and up and coming umpires. Once Ken Merrill retired from the scene, Brian Ludlow took over the training with Ron and a number of members of the current panel remember these training sessions. I myself came into the picture some 20 years ago and was guided by Ron initially through the then written examination and in fact he made sure I went a step further and personally took me to Old Trafford to complete the oral. I recall it being an absolutely filthy dark night, pouring with rain, and Ron’s gentle threat that if I did not pass I could walk back home. The evening did go my way and I’m pleased to say I returned without getting wet. After many years the technology of training presentations became too complicated and he decided to hand over the reins of Senior Training Officer to Ian Bishop. After an illustrious career in both umpiring and training he then became President of The Cheshire Cricket League itself for 10 years up to 2010, President of the newly formed Cheshire Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association and Life President of The Meller Braggins Umpires Association. The unique achievement of being President of the 3 organisations simultaneously still stands and will probably do so for some time. Although a couple of the presidencies went by the board of his own volition, he did maintain the Presidency of the Meller Braggins Umpires and continued to show a keen interest in its progress. Stories about Ron are legion but I always remember clearly a couple. It was fairly well known that he always carried a bag of sweets in his pocket when umpiring and, on one occasion, having turned down numerous appeals from one bowler, at the end of an over Ron stood in front of him, took out his bag of sweets, and offered him one with the now famous words 'don’t say I don’t give you anything'. The other comment, not really a story, came from Tony Barnes who always enjoyed standing with Ron and proclaimed on one occasion, 'I love it ……it’s like standing with the Archbishop of Canterbury'. Always a great family man looking on his wife Margaret, his sons and his grandchildren with immense pride, a second love, I think I can say, was cricket. This is a very sad occasion for all of his colleagues and friends and we are going to miss his wisdom and sense of humour. I don’t know how we are going to replace him. Dave Lawson Chairman Meller Braggins Cheshire Cricket League Umpires Association.

News item updated :- 26/1/12
Indoor Cricket Nets 2012
The dates for pre-season Cricket Nets for both Senior and Junior players have been announced. Click here for details

News item updated :- 4/5/10
Spirit of the Game
Barnton CC would like to make it clear that they fully support the MCC's 'Spirit of Cricket' as embodied in the Preamble to the Laws of Cricket, and Barnton teams will endeavour to play within those precepts at all times!

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