From the Chairman
Welcome…
I am delighted to have been asked by Joe to chair his Testimonial Committee as I, like many other followers of Worcestershire CCC I’m sure, am keen to demonstrate my appreciation of his efforts for the club over the last decade or so.
In an era of franchise cricket, frequent inter-county player movement and growing instability in our game, players like Joe ‘The Bison’ Leach are becoming an endangered species.
The ability to decapitate the opposition’s top order or to turn a game that seems lost with your batting: both these skills are as much a matter of heart as physical skill and they will inevitably attract the respect of a cricketer’s colleagues. But Joe, by all accounts, is also highly regarded at New Road for his willingness to help others and for a presence that he brings to the dressing-room. Put simply, he was a leader before he was made captain and he has remained influential now that Brett D’Oliveira has succeeded him. And if that means reminding young cricketers of their professional responsibilities, so be it. But when their figures are X-rated or when they can’t spell “bat”, Joe will be there for them, too.