Mark Smith, The News Local recreational cricket has said farewell to Portsmouth & Southsea legend Mark Smith, a prolific top order batsman, who scored almost 50,000 runs for the club in 33 seasons.
An accountant by profession and typically meticulous with his cricket statistics, Mr Smith died suddenly last month, aged 62 years, leaving club members in shock.
A true gentleman on and off the field, Mark was equally dedicated to preparing pitches at St James’s Park as he was to scoring hundreds of runs on them at weekends.
Alongside his brother Simon, Mark began his cricket career as a colt at Waterlooville before switching to Cowplain, where he spent 12 seasons, chalking up his maiden century in 1979.
He joined Portsmouth Enterprise in 1981 and, after the club became Portsmouth & Southsea, played a lead role in its eventual elevation to the Southern Premier League.
His best years were arguably between 1990 and 2002, with top three finishes seven times in the Hampshire League batting charts, topping the averages in 1993, 1996 and again in 2000.
1996 was Mark’s most prolific year, seeing him score a phenomenal 2,755 runs, with six centuries and an average of 114.79.
He captained Portsmouth & Southsea across two separate spells and was equally proficient behind the stumps, claiming close on 1,250 catches, 417 of them stumpings.
Mark retired in 2014 with career statistics of 49,137 runs, a highest score of 148 not out among his 39 hundreds. He made fifty or more 306 times.
Reflecting on Mark Smith’s career, P & S chairman and long time batting partner Sean Kanavan said: “He featured hugely in my learning of the game as, for a number of years, he was my only batting partner.
“Occasionally we would walk out together, usually I’d join him at the crease but you could bet your house he’d still be there when I left it !
“He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered. A true gentleman and a club legend.”
An accountant by profession and typically meticulous with his cricket statistics, Mr Smith died suddenly last month, aged 62 years, leaving club members in shock.
A true gentleman on and off the field, Mark was equally dedicated to preparing pitches at St James’s Park as he was to scoring hundreds of runs on them at weekends.
Alongside his brother Simon, Mark began his cricket career as a colt at Waterlooville before switching to Cowplain, where he spent 12 seasons, chalking up his maiden century in 1979.
He joined Portsmouth Enterprise in 1981 and, after the club became Portsmouth & Southsea, played a lead role in its eventual elevation to the Southern Premier League.
His best years were arguably between 1990 and 2002, with top three finishes seven times in the Hampshire League batting charts, topping the averages in 1993, 1996 and again in 2000.
1996 was Mark’s most prolific year, seeing him score a phenomenal 2,755 runs, with six centuries and an average of 114.79.
He captained Portsmouth & Southsea across two separate spells and was equally proficient behind the stumps, claiming close on 1,250 catches, 417 of them stumpings.
Mark retired in 2014 with career statistics of 49,137 runs, a highest score of 148 not out among his 39 hundreds. He made fifty or more 306 times.
Reflecting on Mark Smith’s career, P & S chairman and long time batting partner Sean Kanavan said: “He featured hugely in my learning of the game as, for a number of years, he was my only batting partner.
“Occasionally we would walk out together, usually I’d join him at the crease but you could bet your house he’d still be there when I left it !
“He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered. A true gentleman and a club legend.”
