The funeral takes place next Monday (1 March) of ‘Mr Luckett’, Len Roberts, but of course is very much restricted due to the COVID-19 regulations.

However, donations in memory of Len can be made to the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust via the Funeral Directors:

FD Hall & Son Ltd
Tre Ober
Upton Cross
Liskeard PL14 5AX

or at the Cornwall Air Ambulance website.

‘Mr Luckett’ Len Roberts RIP

10th February 2021 Posted in Latest and League and People by Michael Weeks

By Michael Weeks (Cornwall Cricket League Secretary)

It is with great sadness to learn of the passing of Len Roberts today (10/2/21).

Without a doubt, he will go down as one of the great stalwarts of Cornish cricket.

Mention the words ‘Mr Luckett’ in East Cornwall and many would know instantly who you were referring to.

Hardly surprising when you consider Len’s association with the village  club which nestles a couple of miles or so northeast of Callington in the Tamar Valley

The ground is just around four hundred metres from the river and the Devon border.

The club was formed in 1894 and played locally until joining the Cornwall Cricket League in 1970.

2021 would have seen a remarkable diamond jubilee milestone for the popular club administrator.

60 Years as Club Secretary – remarkable!

A former player he took over as Luckett Cricket Club Secretary from his father Percy in 1961.

He looked after the pitch (head groundsman) for even longer!

The present Chapel Field ground, used since the late 1920s, annually received top marks in the years of County Division One cricket at the venue.

He was also the first team scorer for many years and immediately after home games, without fail, was on the phone reporting match details for the press.

My dealings with Len go back over 30 years.

In 1990 the countywide divisions were formed and as the Beacon club secretary and first-team scorer, I found myself travelling east into the unknown, to the other side of  Chiverton Cross!

All of a sudden St Columb, Looe, Launceston and Werrington appeared as destinations on our Saturday radar.

Also, there was Luckett and I can well remember when the fixture lists were published in early 1990 “Where’s Luckett” was the cry at Tolcarne Road.

We were to find out in August that year when I drove a self-hire minibus to the eastern outpost.

A lunch stop in Callington saw us discover the New Road cricket ground and an invite back that night.

The first of several ‘lively’ evenings at Callington CC’s HQ,  invariably followed by a  drive home over an always foggy Bodmin Moor in the early hours of a Sunday morning!

I well remember navigating around Kit Hill and down the valley to discover  Luckett.

The ground was immaculately prepared with the outfield like a billiard table.

“ My three hours every Thursday night with a  box mower” was Len’s explanation for the manicured sward.

He was always a joy to spend an afternoon in the scorebox with.

Even the early May game one year with a bitterly cold north wind blowing straight off Dartmoor  into the open box.

The coldest I’d ever been on a cricket ground for sure.

When I moved on from club cricket to helping with the Saturday night scores collation Len was ever reliable phoning in the results within minutes of a finish from the Chapel Field.

He would also represent his club at the League AGM each January at County Hall, usually with trusty colleague Al Skeet.

No small trip on  chilly January nights to Truro from the Tamar Valley.

Len would always annually climb those steps, into his eighties, clutching paperwork and cheques for cricket balls.

I know that League Secretary Michael Evans was very appreciative every year when Len hand wrote a letter of appreciation for the work Mike and myself carried out.

To go to the trouble of sending that personal thank you each year said a lot.

In 2016 Len was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Cornwall Groundskeepers Association, which he received at the Cornwall Cricket Centre at Truro.