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Keith Dyson
Falkland Web-Admin24 Jul 2024 - 08:40
A true Falkland CC legend
It is with great sadness that we record the death on 11th July of Keith "Dolly" Dyson, a true Falkland CC legend.
The funeral will be at 2pm on Friday 9th August at West Berkshire Crematorium.
Keith was a very talented youngster in many sports including swimming and football - he was good enough to attract interest from Manchester United- however Keith's greatest love was cricket and he first played for Falkland aged 15 in 1958. While just into his twenties he became club captain in 1965 and continued in the role for a record thirteen successive seasons up to 1977. He then took on the captaincy of the 2nd XI for eight seasons from 1981 to 1988. He finally retired from playing in 1992 having made 1008 appearances and scored 13770 runs, a truly remarkable total given that pitches in more than half of his career were generally not conducive to high scoring. Keith also took 115 wickets with his occasional right arm slow bowling, coming into the attack to break up a partnership and turn the course of a match. He was also an outstanding outfielder taking a total of 465 catches, another club record to his name that is unlikely to ever be beaten.
Keith was a believer in the traditions of the game and insisted on proper conduct on and off the field. Before limited overs cricket became the norm, he once declared an innings when he was undefeated on 99 because the scheduled tea interval had arrived and he did not want to deny his opponents their time. That selfless act robbed him of a maiden century which eluded him for the rest of his career.
Keith was a towering figure in the rise of Falkland from a small club on the fringe of Newbury to a regular contender for honours, first in the Hampshire League and then in the Three Counties League, which merged with Thames Valley League a few years later.
Along with his father George he played a large part in the building of the new pavilion in 1975 which replaced the original one which George had also helped build in the 1950s.
Keith always wanted to give something back to the game and was a leading light in the establishment of a junior section at Falkland, which provided a bedrock for future success on the field.
A further major contribution to the club's progress was as assistant groundsman after the millennium by which time Falkland had progressed through the Thames Valley League to membership of the new Home Counties Premier League, as well as regularly hosting Berkshire County matches, all of which demanded pitches of a high standard.
A true club man in every sense of the word.
The funeral will be at 2pm on Friday 9th August at West Berkshire Crematorium.
Keith was a very talented youngster in many sports including swimming and football - he was good enough to attract interest from Manchester United- however Keith's greatest love was cricket and he first played for Falkland aged 15 in 1958. While just into his twenties he became club captain in 1965 and continued in the role for a record thirteen successive seasons up to 1977. He then took on the captaincy of the 2nd XI for eight seasons from 1981 to 1988. He finally retired from playing in 1992 having made 1008 appearances and scored 13770 runs, a truly remarkable total given that pitches in more than half of his career were generally not conducive to high scoring. Keith also took 115 wickets with his occasional right arm slow bowling, coming into the attack to break up a partnership and turn the course of a match. He was also an outstanding outfielder taking a total of 465 catches, another club record to his name that is unlikely to ever be beaten.
Keith was a believer in the traditions of the game and insisted on proper conduct on and off the field. Before limited overs cricket became the norm, he once declared an innings when he was undefeated on 99 because the scheduled tea interval had arrived and he did not want to deny his opponents their time. That selfless act robbed him of a maiden century which eluded him for the rest of his career.
Keith was a towering figure in the rise of Falkland from a small club on the fringe of Newbury to a regular contender for honours, first in the Hampshire League and then in the Three Counties League, which merged with Thames Valley League a few years later.
Along with his father George he played a large part in the building of the new pavilion in 1975 which replaced the original one which George had also helped build in the 1950s.
Keith always wanted to give something back to the game and was a leading light in the establishment of a junior section at Falkland, which provided a bedrock for future success on the field.
A further major contribution to the club's progress was as assistant groundsman after the millennium by which time Falkland had progressed through the Thames Valley League to membership of the new Home Counties Premier League, as well as regularly hosting Berkshire County matches, all of which demanded pitches of a high standard.
A true club man in every sense of the word.
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