Alan Rayment, Hampshire’s oldest surviving county cricketer, passed away this morning after a short illness.
Aged 92 years, he had been admitted to Lymington hospital on Monday with fluid on his lungs and was his usual positive self, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to beat the problem.
He joined Hampshire in 1948 (having impressed Arthur Holt in a Second XI match for Middlesex - he ran the Coach out with a direct hit !) at a salary of £5 per week, made his county debut on 7 May 1949, and played (for Hampshire) in 198 first-class matches over ten seasons, scoring 6,333 runs at 20.36, with four centuries, 23 half-centuries - and 19 wickets.
He completed 1,000 runs in a season on two occasions, in 1952 and 1956 and he was a member of the side that finished third in 1955 and runners-up in 1958 – both best performances by Hampshire at that time.
As a batsman, he was enterprising at the crease, and when fielding superbly in the covers, quick on his feet; helped no doubt because with his wife he ran a dancing school in Southampton. They often performed together.
After retiring in 1958, he coached at Lord’s and occasionally captained Hampshire’s side in the new 2nd XI competition. He led a fascinating and varied life after that and on his death in Lymington, on 27 October 2020, he was Hampshire’s ‘senior pro’ – the longest-serving of all their former professional players. In later life he wrote and published a fascinating social and historical account of his early life called Punchy Through the Covers, 1928-1949.
Alan’s life was not always straight-forward but he ‘danced’ through much of it with a twinkle in his eye and a smile of gratitude for the many opportunities it presented. In 2018 he was entertained to a surprise 90th party by his friends in the Dorset Cricket Society and he was always engaging and entertaining at the reunions of former players, or when watching Hampshire. He frequently watched Lymington play at the Sports Ground.
The picture above was taken on the occasion of Alan’s 90th birthday lunch, a memory of happier times.
Aged 92 years, he had been admitted to Lymington hospital on Monday with fluid on his lungs and was his usual positive self, but unfortunately he wasn’t able to beat the problem.
He joined Hampshire in 1948 (having impressed Arthur Holt in a Second XI match for Middlesex - he ran the Coach out with a direct hit !) at a salary of £5 per week, made his county debut on 7 May 1949, and played (for Hampshire) in 198 first-class matches over ten seasons, scoring 6,333 runs at 20.36, with four centuries, 23 half-centuries - and 19 wickets.
He completed 1,000 runs in a season on two occasions, in 1952 and 1956 and he was a member of the side that finished third in 1955 and runners-up in 1958 – both best performances by Hampshire at that time.
As a batsman, he was enterprising at the crease, and when fielding superbly in the covers, quick on his feet; helped no doubt because with his wife he ran a dancing school in Southampton. They often performed together.
After retiring in 1958, he coached at Lord’s and occasionally captained Hampshire’s side in the new 2nd XI competition. He led a fascinating and varied life after that and on his death in Lymington, on 27 October 2020, he was Hampshire’s ‘senior pro’ – the longest-serving of all their former professional players. In later life he wrote and published a fascinating social and historical account of his early life called Punchy Through the Covers, 1928-1949.
Alan’s life was not always straight-forward but he ‘danced’ through much of it with a twinkle in his eye and a smile of gratitude for the many opportunities it presented. In 2018 he was entertained to a surprise 90th party by his friends in the Dorset Cricket Society and he was always engaging and entertaining at the reunions of former players, or when watching Hampshire. He frequently watched Lymington play at the Sports Ground.
The picture above was taken on the occasion of Alan’s 90th birthday lunch, a memory of happier times.
