Local cricket has been deeply saddened by the sudden death of Bernie Thomason, the former Old Tauntonians and Southampton Touring Club all-rounder, aged 75 years.
His farewells will take place at Southampton Crematorium on Thursday 6 February at 12.30pm.
Nicknamed the 'sandy haired seamer', Bernie was a prominent member of the OTs side that dominated Southern League cricket in its embryo years, the club lifting the title on three separate occasions in the early Seventies.
He was a very economical seam bowler, a tad quicker than medium-pace, alongside being a potentially destructive and hard hitting lower-order batsman, who enjoyed facing spin bowlers.
Such was his reputation, he and Southampton Touring Club team-mate Colin Wilson were selected by the Club Cricket Conference for their 1974 tour to Australia - the first Hampshire club cricketers to be capped by the London-based organisation.
When he was fit, Bernie played regularly for the Southern League's representative sides which frequently did well in the prestigious CCC competition.
A prominent Southampton insurance broker in his working days, Bernie was an old boy of Richard Tauntons Grammar School and a regular attender at OTs & Romsey home matches. He had been looking forward to the start of the new season in April.
His farewells will take place at Southampton Crematorium on Thursday 6 February at 12.30pm.
Nicknamed the 'sandy haired seamer', Bernie was a prominent member of the OTs side that dominated Southern League cricket in its embryo years, the club lifting the title on three separate occasions in the early Seventies.
He was a very economical seam bowler, a tad quicker than medium-pace, alongside being a potentially destructive and hard hitting lower-order batsman, who enjoyed facing spin bowlers.
Such was his reputation, he and Southampton Touring Club team-mate Colin Wilson were selected by the Club Cricket Conference for their 1974 tour to Australia - the first Hampshire club cricketers to be capped by the London-based organisation.
When he was fit, Bernie played regularly for the Southern League's representative sides which frequently did well in the prestigious CCC competition.
A prominent Southampton insurance broker in his working days, Bernie was an old boy of Richard Tauntons Grammar School and a regular attender at OTs & Romsey home matches. He had been looking forward to the start of the new season in April.
