Gerald Parsons RIP
The death has been announced of former Cornwall County Cricket Club Captain Gerald Parsons, at the age of 89.
He passed away peacefully at West Heanton Residential Home, Beaworthy, Devon with his daughter Susanne by his side on 5th February 2023.
The funeral service will be held at St. John the Baptist Church, Stowford (between Lifton and Lewdown) on Wednesday 22nd February at 2 pm. Family flowers only, donations if desired to St. John the Baptist Church, Stowford & West Heanton Activities.
Gerald Rex Parsons was born at Portgate, Lewdown on 26th January 1934.
Cricket was his life and he played for the Tavistock, Wadebridge, Callington and Liskeard clubs.
When Wadebridge were winning their Senior 1 East titles in 1960’s and early 1970’s, Gerald and Wadebridge’s Yorkshire professional Bill Murphy formed a prolific opening partnership, invariably finishing at or near the top of the League batting averages.
Gerald made his Minor Counties Championship debut for Devon (3 caps) in 1962, against Cornwall at Wadebridge. He also played against Berkshire and Dorset that season.
He made his Cornwall Minor Counties debut in 1966 as did other future county stalwarts in that year, Chris Chaplin and Mike Trenwith. His first game was against Somerset seconds, also at Wadebridge, on 13th July 1966. In a memorable debut, opening the batting with Colin Taylor, he made 99. Future first-class players Roy Palmer and Graham Burgess opened the Somerset bowling. Roger Hosen took his 200th wicket for Cornwall in that match.
Gerald went on to make 58 Championship appearances over eight seasons before his final game in 1973. An opening batsman he scored 2,273 runs. He hit a century and 14 fifties. He also took 17 wickets with his off breaks and held 51 catches.
His century (109) was against Somerset seconds in a seven-wicket victory at Falmouth in 1969. In doing so he passed 1,000 runs for the county. Malcolm Dunstan made his Cornwall debut and future Somerset captain Brian Rose opened the batting for the cider county.
In 1970 Gerald was appointed the 14th Captain of the County Club, succeeding Robin Harvey. He held the post for three years and was in charge for 30 games before Brian Laity took over in 1973.
His first game as captain was in April 1970 against Glamorgan - Cornwall’s first appearance in the Gillette Cup. After a successful 1969 season, Cornwall had qualified for the first-class competition for the first time, as one of the top five Minor Counties.
Due to rain at Truro, the game wasn’t completed until the third morning. After being reduced to 98 for 5 Glamorgan recovered to 171 for 7 in their 60 overs, helped by some dropped chances. Future BBC commentator Peter Walker made a valuable 51 not out. Glamorgan skipper, and future England captain, Tony Lewis made 16.
Cornwall collapsed from 82 for 3 to 99 all out with the man of the match Walker taking 5-21.
Gerald opened the batting with his long-term county opening partner Eric Willcock, the current County Club President.
The rest of the team that day was Chris Chaplin, Brian Laity, Malcolm Dunstan, Keith Davis, Peter Barnicoat, Peter Kendall, John Hurrell, Brian Read and keeper Jesse Lawry.
Gerald’s daughter Susanne reflected:
“Dad had a picture in his room framed of himself and Eric walking out to bat.”
"One of his favourite stories was about a match where Brian Read was bowling and my dad was in the slips."
"On the second ball of the second over, it was a very fast ball, my dad put out his hand and caught the ball."
"He put it in his pocket."
"It was so quick, no one saw."
"The umpire gave the batsman out and dad walked over to Brian and just handed him the ball."
"The spectators went crazy!"
“ I know that Falmouth was dad's favourite ground!”
“The old days will never be repeated.”
“The team and atmosphere were amazing.”
“They were a first-class team but also made some wonderful memories and lifelong friends.”
After stepping down from the captaincy Gerald played twice in the 1973 season, bowing out in August at Penzance against, ironically, Devon.
He went on to captain Devon's title winning Over 50s in the 1980’s & 1990’s.
On hearing of the news of Gerald’s passing Eric Willcock said
“ Gerald was a very good right-handed opening batsman, who could play every shot in the book.”
“He was a little nervous about really quick bowling – who wouldn’t be ?”
“He was a real character and was likened at the time to Geoff Boycott.”
“His cricket memorabilia was displayed in his pub and family home – The Fox & Grapes at Lifton.”
In 2021 Gerald attended the Cornwall Over 60's game against Devon at Hatherleiigh.
Trevor Lee and Chris Dennis caught up with him.
Devon Cricket Tribute by Conrad Sutcliffe:
ONE of only a handful of cricketers to play Minor Counties cricket for Cornwall and Devon has died at the age of 89.
Gerald Parsons, an early order batsman, appeared three times for Devon in 1962 without scoring more than 20 in any of his five innings.
Parsons did not play for Devon again – a travesty according to his Tavistock team-mate Jack Davey – and made his debut for Cornwall during the 1966 season.
Devon’s loss was definitely Cornwall’s gain. Parsons marked his debut for the Duchy with 99 against Somerset 2nd XI at Wadebridge. It was the first of 58 appearances for Cornwall that yielded 14 fifties, a century against Somerset 2nd XI and a grand total of 2,273 runs.
Davey, who was a youngster in the Tavistock side Parsons played for in the early 1960s, said he never understood why Devon turned their back on him.
“Tavistock had a very good wicket in those days and Gerald made the best of it,” said Davey, who graduated from Tavistock and Devon to a 15-year career with Gloucestershire.
“He was a fine batsman with a good range of shots and once he got in he was hard to get out.
“Gerald batted sensibly, but if he was bowled rubbish it went to the boundary straight away.
“And he was a great catcher, especially in the slips. Why he did not play more for Devon I don’t know, but I imagine he did not fit in with the public schoolboy and public teacher set already in the team.”
Cornwall thought highly enough of Parsons to appoint him captain in 1970. He led the team in 30 games before handing over to Brian Laity in 1973. Ironically, his final game for Cornwall was against Devon at Penzance in the same season.
Eric Willcock, the former Plymouth batsman, was a long-time opening partner of Parsons in the Cornwall team.
Willcock re-iterated Davey’s comments about Parsons when he said: “Gerald was a very good right-handed opening batsman, who could play every shot in the book.”
Willcock added: “He was a little nervous about really quick bowling – who wouldn’t be ? – and was likened at the time to Geoff Boycott.”
Gerald Rex Parsons was born at Portgate, Lewdown on the Devon side of the Tamar on January 26, 1934. He was educated at Okehampton Secondary Modern where he first encountered cricket contemporary Mike Wreford.
Wreford, who would have been 13 or 14 at the time, opened the bowling for Okehampton Grammar School in a match against their rivals from the secondary modern school in the town in the late 1940s. It was the start of a great sporting friendship.
“Gerald was the number three batsman for the secondary modern and it was the first time we had met,” said Wreford, who will be 90 in March.
“For the next 30 years I bowled against him, firstly for Lewdown then Tavistock when he moved on to play at a better level.
“In those days players did not move around as they do now and you became friendly with those you played against. I certainly developed a real friendship with Gerald.
“There was nothing flash about him as a batsman. He was very good defensively and a solid accumulator of runs.”
Cricket was Parsons life and during a long career he played for the Tavistock, Wadebridge, Callington and Liskeard.
When Wadebridge won their Senior One East titles in 1960s and early 1970s, Gerald and Yorkshire professional Bill Murphy formed a prolific opening partnership, invariably finishing at or near the top of the league’s batting averages.
Parsons came back to Devon in the 1980s to play for and captain the Devon over-50s’ team. He was a member of the side that became national champions in 1988 when they defeated Lancashire in the county final.
Parsons died at West Heanton Residential Home, Beaworthy, Devon with his daughter Susanne by his side on February 5. His wife, Grace, pre-deceased him.
The funeral service will be held at St John the Baptist Church, Stowford (between Lifton and Lewdown) on February 22 at 2 pm
