Derek joined the club in the late fifties as a teenager with aspirations to be the next Fred Trueman, and when he first arrived at the club, he didn’t have any cricket boots, but luckily my Dad (Norman Harris) took him under his wing and made sure he found a suitable pair of boots for him, so he was literally up and running! Norman was Captain of the Saturday 2nd XI and Derek soon fitted into the squad as opening bowler and No.11 batsman (a position he continued to fill throughout his cricket career!) He was very proud that he had only ever owned one cricket bat during his whole career (one careful owner, and very low mileage….).

Most of us remember Derek best from when he graduated to Sunday cricket as captain of the Strollers and also the Sunday 2nd XI - he was very good at encouraging the younger players, not just at playing the game, but also how to behave on the cricket field.

When Addiscombe Hockey Club was established in 1983, Derek was one of the founder members, and he played in the Herons team with distinction, flair and commitment until the mid-noughties, when he finally hung up his boots.

He also fulfilled many official roles at Addiscombe, including Chairman of the Sandilands Club at the time when the changing room block was built in the 1990s.

Our thoughts are with Theresa, Jo and Martin at this desperately sad time