A well-known Dereham cricket legend is celebrating after reaching a landmark birthday.
Barry Battelley, who turns 90-years-old on March 30, has represented both the town and the county in the sport.
He played more than 100 games for Norfolk County Cricket Club and was recognised as a standout left hand spinner.
Barry comes from a prestigious local cricket family, with his brother Ian scoring around 40,000 runs and 1,000 wickets.
He said: "Me and my brothers used to play down the side of the house. We used to play down the driveway.
"We were all still in school, but we all played cricket in Dereham at the time. We were taught how to play in a correct manner and how to bowl.
"The town and cricket are both really special to me. You come up against some great crews and it's been a privilege to represent the county".
Barry, who has been married to his wife Elizabeth for 54 years, has also played 1,000 games of football for Dereham and Norfolk.
He said: "I played for a midweek team. I had a trial for Arsenal when I was about 16, but back then, they weren't the same as they perhaps are now.
"Our team, we played at places like The Valley and Stamford Bridge. We were at grounds all over London.
"I got on well with a lot of people and it's nice to have had the opportunity to play both sports for the county".
His recent contributions to cricket have come as a founding member and president of the Black Sheep Cricket Club.
Barry has been instrumental in the club's charitable efforts, saying: "We've raised around £100,000 for Children in Need over the years".
"We do it for children who need treatment", he said, "We sponsored one young lad years ago and we do things similar to that".
The club has been going since 1989 and was named after sponsorship that was received from the Black Sheep Woollen Company at Aylsham.
Share