Club players and officials paid tribute to the club president, who had been a member of the Westhill club for 61 years. During that time he served as player, captain, committee member, chairman and, latterly president.
‘Jenks’ had been a Portsmouth schoolboy footballer and went on to be on Aston Villa’s books in his native Birmingham before the Second World War intervened.
After the war, when he served in the Army Rifle Brigade, he had a trial for Southend but played non-league football for Hampshire, Havant, Newport and Ryde before breaking a leg in a Boxing Day charity game.
It didn’t stop him playing cricket though and he scored more than 10,000 runs for Havant Rovers in between working for the Inland Revenue on the mainland.
He chose Shanklin as his Island club and he was quickly made captain, playing alongside fellow greats of the Island game such as Bob Welch and Bill Palmer.
He scored more than 13,000 runs for Shanklin and always relished the encounters with big rivals Ventnor. Bill was made president of the club in 1996 and continued in the role until his death. He was also captain of the IW county side at the age of 50. Alan Marriott, Editor, IOW County Press.