Cricket great’s memorial agreed
SPORTING legend Sir Everton Weekes is to have a permanent memorial in the middle of Bacup where he played Lancashire League cricket for seven seasons.
Rossendale council has agreed to commemorate the famed West Indian batsman, who died on July 1, aged 95.
The move is the idea of its Conservative group leader, Coun Peter Steen, who wants to name the town’s proposed new Market Square after Sir Everton, who played for Bacup Cricket Club between 1949 and 1958.
He passed 1,000 runs in each season and his 1,518 runs scored in 1951 is still the club record. He also scored 25 centuries.
Coun Steen’s motion at the recent full council meeting suggested the naming of the town’s proposed new market square after him ‘in recognition of the services of Sir Everton Weekes to Bacup
Cricket Club and pioneering work in race relations’.
This was amended to creating ‘a lasting memorial to Sir Everton in Bacup town centre as part of the exciting plans for Bacup Market’, in case the scheme fails to go ahead.
Following the meeting, Coun Steen said: “I am a little disappointed the original motion did not go through, but I’m happy that the council is committed to a proper memorial to Sir Everton in Bacup. He was a great cricketer, a great man and a great ambassador for race relations and the town. He took a bit of Bacup back to the Caribbean and he brought a touch of the Caribbean to Bacup.
“If the market square goes ahead as planned, I shall press for it to be named The Sir Everton Weekes Square.”
Bacup Cricket Club’s chairman Neal Wilkinson said they would be “absolutely delighted” if the memorial goes ahead.
He said: “Sir Everton’s name is very much etched not only into the history of Bacup Cricket Club, but into the town itself.
“I think it’s fair to say that he was loved by the people of the town and loved them in return.”
Council deputy leader Jackie Oakes said: “I’m happy to say there was a unanimous decision by council members that we should recognise the significant contribution made by Sir Everton Weekes.
“The naming of the new market square is one option, but as we haven’t yet secured the funding for this project we can’t make a final decision. We have agreed in principle that a lasting memorial will be created in Bacup town centre, we’re just not able to confirm what that might be just yet.”
Bacup Cricket Club was due to send a floral tribute to Thursday’s funeral in Barbados.