All about people for retiring chairman

LONGSERVING Otago Country Cricket chairman Malcolm Jones has retired from the board.

The 70yearold served 17 years — 16 of them as chairman — on the board before standing down at the annual meeting this week.

His involvement with Otago Country stretches all the way back to 1981 when he was asked to fill in as a scorer for a Hawke Cup game.

He was immediately hooked. And despite moving from Poolburn to Mosgiel in the late 1990s, he continued to go into bat for the association.

Jones never begrudged the fourhour return trip to attend the various committee meetings in Alexandra, and he never missed an opportunity to advocate for more elite cricket to be played at his beloved Molyneux Park.

Fittingly, he was presented with a panoramic of the venue at the annual meeting as a thank you for his outstanding service to the association.

Otago Country Cricket district manager Adrian Morgan said Jones’ contribution had been incomparable.

‘‘Jonesy has been the heart and soul of Otago Country Cricket for a long period,’’ he said.

‘‘He has just dedicated so much of his time to progressing the association. He’s been lobbying council, he has interacted with Otago and New Zealand Cricket and is always pushing the case for Otago Country Cricket.

‘‘It is something that would be pretty hard to compare or measure up to, I think.

‘‘It will be very difficult for us to ever fill his boots.’’

Jones said he had loved his time with the association, but he had ‘‘ticked over another zero in my age’’and it was ‘‘time to go’’.

He will miss the people the most.

‘‘From that very first day I went and scored a Hawke Cup game . . . I just couldn’t get over the friendly nature of the people that were involved,’’ he said.

‘‘I was welcomed into the fold with open arms and I’ve just made so many lifetime friends.

‘‘Central Otago people are something special.

‘‘I’m not gone from cricket. I’ve still got a bit of life kicking around in there yet.’’

Longserving board member Lindsay Breen will take over as chairman.

Former Black Cap Shayne O’Connor, Jim Barrie and Roger Pennell were made life members, while Barrie Becker received the award posthumously.

His son, Greg Becker, accepted the award on behalf of the Becker family.