Former Pompey and Hampshire cricketer Mike Barnard, a past BBC Radio Solent commentator, has passed away at the age of 85.
Born in 1933, the former Portsmouth Grammar Schoolboy was an all-round sportsman and represented both his home town and county in the sports he loved – football and cricket.
He made his Hampshire debut as a 19-year-old right-handed batsman in 1952 and went on to make 285 appearances, between 1952 and 1966, totalling 9,629 runs for the Club with a first-class best of 128*.
Barnard was an important part of the 1961 County Championship winning side - he struck his second career Championship century against Warwickshire, before adding half-centuries against Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire shortly after in the closing weeks of the season to help Hampshire claim their first title.
He was also an effective occasional medium-pace bowler - picking up 16 wickets at an average of 35.18 - as well as an excellent slip fielder, finishing his career with 312 catches.
Hampshire Chief Executive Rod Bransgrove reflected: “Mike Barnard was an immense character and remains an indelible part of Hampshire Cricket history.
“His playing record will be documented elsewhere but as an individual he embodied all the qualities we aspire to; courage, positivity, commitment, compassion and fun.
“Despite awful injuries sustained in a road traffic accident in Germany in the 60’s, Barney never complained and retained his positive and cheerful demeanour at all times.
“He was a regular at ex-players reunions and always enjoyed the camaraderie of his peers and teammates. He will be greatly missed by us all.
‘My thoughts, and those of everyone associated with Hampshire Cricket, are with all Mike’s family and friends at this difficult time but none more so than Emma, John and Robert, whose love and dedication to their father was an example to us all.”
Creative inside forward
As a footballer, Barnard made his Pompey debut in a 1-1 draw against Tottenham in 1953. That led to a six-season association with the Fratton Park outfit, racking up 123 appearances and 26 goals for the club.
The creative inside forward, whose football and cricket commitments often overlapped – he would miss pre-season training with the Blues and be absent for the close Hampshire’s season – departed Pompey at the end of the 1958-59 season, having played regularly in the same team as Jimmy Dickinson, Ray Crawford, Derek Dougan, and Peter Harris.
He signed for Southern League Chelmsford, but the aim was to concentrate on his cricket – a career he extended until his retirement in 1966. Three years later, a serious coach crash robbed him of much mobility.
He later worked at the School of Navigation in Warsash, was a regular cricket commentator alongside John Hughes with BBC Radio Solent, and for the Southampton Hospitals.
He also took up bowls, worked on drug testing with the sports council, organised the reunions of Pompey’s footballers and Hampshire’s cricketers, and bore his injuries with incredible fortitude and cheerfulness.
South Coast Panel umpire Ian Bagshaw, a working colleague of Mike’s at Warsash, added: “As much as the cricket and football world will miss him, there are thousands of professional mariners around the world who will also mourn his loss.
Renowned all-round sportsman
‘Students gave him 100 per cent support in all that he arranged for them whether cricket, football or rugby. He put in a prodigious amount of work on their behalf and they were grateful. With the short periods that they had in college, without Mike, our Sports Officer, there would have been no sporting activity as they would not have had the time to arrange anything and they would have been back at sea before being able to benefit.’
In a moving tribute, his son John (capped by England Schools and played Southern League cricket for Old Tauntonians), Mike was described as a ‘truly great example of humanity’. He was a renowned all-round sportsman, perhaps even the last of those who made significant appearances in the top echelons of professional cricket and football.
‘He was also a truly great example of humanity to everyone who knew him. Mike was involved in a major RTA nearly 50 years ago which left him horribly and permanently injured. Most people would have been left with mental scars to match their physical injuries. In Mike’s case he used his athleticism and will do attitude not only to fight his way back to his feet but to achieve so much as a husband, father, teacher and sports commentator.
‘He never bemoaned his misfortune or muttered a word of his constant pain. Instead he adopted a permanently positive attitude and searched for the best in every situation. It wasn’t until later in life that his children realised that he lived his life by the Rudyard Kipling poem “IF”. As a family, the Barnards will all miss him very much, as will his many friends and admirers.
‘He never gave up and even at the end he thought he could still play for the draw!
‘Mike Barnard was not just a man but a giant of a man, and someone who today’s overpaid “superstar” sportsmen could learn a lot from.’
Born in 1933, the former Portsmouth Grammar Schoolboy was an all-round sportsman and represented both his home town and county in the sports he loved – football and cricket.
He made his Hampshire debut as a 19-year-old right-handed batsman in 1952 and went on to make 285 appearances, between 1952 and 1966, totalling 9,629 runs for the Club with a first-class best of 128*.
Barnard was an important part of the 1961 County Championship winning side - he struck his second career Championship century against Warwickshire, before adding half-centuries against Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire shortly after in the closing weeks of the season to help Hampshire claim their first title.
He was also an effective occasional medium-pace bowler - picking up 16 wickets at an average of 35.18 - as well as an excellent slip fielder, finishing his career with 312 catches.
Hampshire Chief Executive Rod Bransgrove reflected: “Mike Barnard was an immense character and remains an indelible part of Hampshire Cricket history.
“His playing record will be documented elsewhere but as an individual he embodied all the qualities we aspire to; courage, positivity, commitment, compassion and fun.
“Despite awful injuries sustained in a road traffic accident in Germany in the 60’s, Barney never complained and retained his positive and cheerful demeanour at all times.
“He was a regular at ex-players reunions and always enjoyed the camaraderie of his peers and teammates. He will be greatly missed by us all.
‘My thoughts, and those of everyone associated with Hampshire Cricket, are with all Mike’s family and friends at this difficult time but none more so than Emma, John and Robert, whose love and dedication to their father was an example to us all.”
Creative inside forward
As a footballer, Barnard made his Pompey debut in a 1-1 draw against Tottenham in 1953. That led to a six-season association with the Fratton Park outfit, racking up 123 appearances and 26 goals for the club.
The creative inside forward, whose football and cricket commitments often overlapped – he would miss pre-season training with the Blues and be absent for the close Hampshire’s season – departed Pompey at the end of the 1958-59 season, having played regularly in the same team as Jimmy Dickinson, Ray Crawford, Derek Dougan, and Peter Harris.
He signed for Southern League Chelmsford, but the aim was to concentrate on his cricket – a career he extended until his retirement in 1966. Three years later, a serious coach crash robbed him of much mobility.
He later worked at the School of Navigation in Warsash, was a regular cricket commentator alongside John Hughes with BBC Radio Solent, and for the Southampton Hospitals.
He also took up bowls, worked on drug testing with the sports council, organised the reunions of Pompey’s footballers and Hampshire’s cricketers, and bore his injuries with incredible fortitude and cheerfulness.
South Coast Panel umpire Ian Bagshaw, a working colleague of Mike’s at Warsash, added: “As much as the cricket and football world will miss him, there are thousands of professional mariners around the world who will also mourn his loss.
Renowned all-round sportsman
‘Students gave him 100 per cent support in all that he arranged for them whether cricket, football or rugby. He put in a prodigious amount of work on their behalf and they were grateful. With the short periods that they had in college, without Mike, our Sports Officer, there would have been no sporting activity as they would not have had the time to arrange anything and they would have been back at sea before being able to benefit.’
In a moving tribute, his son John (capped by England Schools and played Southern League cricket for Old Tauntonians), Mike was described as a ‘truly great example of humanity’. He was a renowned all-round sportsman, perhaps even the last of those who made significant appearances in the top echelons of professional cricket and football.
‘He was also a truly great example of humanity to everyone who knew him. Mike was involved in a major RTA nearly 50 years ago which left him horribly and permanently injured. Most people would have been left with mental scars to match their physical injuries. In Mike’s case he used his athleticism and will do attitude not only to fight his way back to his feet but to achieve so much as a husband, father, teacher and sports commentator.
‘He never bemoaned his misfortune or muttered a word of his constant pain. Instead he adopted a permanently positive attitude and searched for the best in every situation. It wasn’t until later in life that his children realised that he lived his life by the Rudyard Kipling poem “IF”. As a family, the Barnards will all miss him very much, as will his many friends and admirers.
‘He never gave up and even at the end he thought he could still play for the draw!
‘Mike Barnard was not just a man but a giant of a man, and someone who today’s overpaid “superstar” sportsmen could learn a lot from.’
