Shane was anyone’s for a pie and a pint!

The sad death of Shane warne brought back memories of his association with the imperial Cricket Club in Bristol. Shane arrived from St kilda CC, Melbourne, during the 1980s as a 17-year-old wishing to carry on playing cricket during the australian winter off season and to experience different playing conditions. imperial CC was a very good club with enormous facilities, which suited Shane. he was given a bedsitter on the top floor of the large edwardian pavilion with free meals and pocket money of £6 — provided he assisted the five groundsmen for a couple of hours each week. Shane couldn’t have been happier. he was called upon to play cricket every day of the week due to the number of local and visiting teams during July and august. if he wasn’t playing for imperial CC, he would eagerly ask to play for any other team, provided he was collected from the cricket club and returned there — with an added request that free food and refreshment was available. Of course, this was always granted. as long as Shane could get hold of a pie and a pint and free transport, he’d go anywhere. the groundsmen never got their weekly two hours from him, but the cricket clubs he played for received valuable compensation. he was popular with everyone he met. Funnily enough, at that time he excelled with the bat rather than the ball. a few years later, he was making history. happy memories of a smashing chap who never forgot one of his best friends at imperial who had an open invitation to holiday at Shane’s home in australia.

Roger Alderton, Spalding, Lincs.