With the excitement of new player arrivals at Barnards Green Cricket Club hitting social media channels, it would be easy to miss the shuffling of the pack ‘upstairs’ but overlooking these changes would be an injustice to the roles played by some of the people behind the scenes of the recent successes at the club.

Long-serving cricket Chairman, Andy Lamb, has stepped down from this role and into the role of Club President. Meanwhile, fellow long-standing club member, Stuart Wollaston, has completed his time in office as Club President and will be retiring to the coast.

Rewind some 40 plus years to 1982 – Michael Jackson’s Thriller was released, Argentina invaded the Falklands, Aston Villa won the European Cup and Stuart Wollaston, having taken on the role of Club Secretary at Barnards Green CC, found himself mowing the square…with a Flymo…and 3 extension cables! More perhaps than a fresh-faced volunteer secretary might have expected to take on but not enough to put Stuart Wollaston off! This started an association of being ‘in-office’ at on and off Barnards Green for 40 years.
A few years later, in 1988, recommended by a work friend, Andy Lamb, a fiercely competitive cricketer with vast experience of the ‘hard’ northern leagues, joined the club. With tales of his times playing with the likes of Geoff Lawson and against the likes of Joel Garner, Rohan Kanhai, Andy Croft and Andy Roberts at Heywood CC surfacing, the club’s members knew they had a proper cricket man joining their ‘good village setup’.
Back in 1984 or even 1988, it would not have been possible to predict the impact that these two men would have on a small club situated at the end of North End Lane. For younger readers, it was a lane back then and just a short distance down the lane you met expanses of green fields – Barnards Green was tucked away geographically and was certainly less than visible to the heavyweights of amateur cricket in the Midlands.
One thing that both Stuart and Andy are eager to point out is that the club is and always was a special place with special people: a welcoming club with great camaraderie and a club full of supportive people. Andy notes the unequivocal support he, his wife Krys and daughter Cathy felt after the tragic early death of his son, Alex, a much-loved young man who was the embodiment of the club’s spirit and ‘banter’, in 2003.
Having been a regular captain through the years - and one who could bring the biggest of egos back to down to earth* - Lamby was selected voted in bullied into the role of Chairman in 2004.**

*I recall one Sunday at Lye when Lamby won the toss and elected to bat and two young and talented players, who shall remain nameless, started to put their pads on. ‘What are you doing?’ Lamby asked. ‘Well, we are bound to be in the top 4.’ ‘Not now,’ Lamby responded – lesson learnt!
**In truth, there never were and still never are a huge number of willing candidates for roles such as Chairman (basically a full time job for a volunteer with minimal tangible reward and plenty of c**p to deal with) but Lamby was a popular appointment and few, if any, wouldn’t have been delighted when he was ‘sworn in’.
All the while, Stuart was still doing a wonderful job as club secretary, overseeing some significant changes, none more so than the building of a new pavilion – a necessary but perhaps not unanimously popular move.
Stuart moved into the prestigious position of Club President in 2017, succeeding the late Tony Creese – a legend of the club and a good friend of Stuart’s. He notes that Covid was a major part of his time as President but is proud that during this time, despite many other clubs and pubs suffering into extinction, the club were able to action a full refurbishment of the facilities and were also able to see a smooth transition between retiring and seemingly irreplaceable June Tandy and Michelle as Club Steward. Throughout the past 7 years, Stuart is proud that the club has developed it’s reputation in the community, not only as a Premier League cricket club but also off the field as a provider of high quality social facilities.
Stuart has been the epitome of an unsung hero for many years: forever in the background making sensible and thoughtful decisions and leading the club with great dignity and humility.
Andy’s time as Club Chairman has been well publicised in a previous article (Twenty Years in the Making) but it wasn’t always plain sailing and promotion celebrations.
Early in Andy’s tenure, the first XI had sunk to division 3 of the Worcester League and things were looking grim with a number of club legends slowly turning to retirement. Andy recalls one selection ‘meeting’ - in fact he was alone in the tearoom – where he was trying to make the 25 available players stretch over 3 teams! Even now, these same challenges strike from time to time. It only takes a player wedding or a stag do and all of a sudden some of the veterans are receiving Friday night calls! In those days, money was short – a completely different challenge to the challenges faced these days. Today, a debate might be taken over the level of investment in an overseas player, whether the club can afford more major development of the ground facilities or if technology for match day TV coverage fits the budget. In those days, Andy had £18 in the account and needed to pay for the balls!
Times have changed greatly: the club’s administrative structures have had to rise to the challenge of matching the rapidly improving level of cricket. With each promotion came new challenges: ground requirements and criteria for junior sections all meant the club needed to operate more efficiently. Being left with £18 just wouldn’t do these days. Andy and Stuart and their differing roles have been central to this and have stepped down with the club – cricket section and main club – in great shape to go from strength to strength.
Andy will continue to be a regular presence at North End Lane and will, undoubtedly, be heard barking out a few, ‘c’mon the Green’ (s) in 2024 and for many years to come.
Stuart, however, will be following from afar with keen interest. He will be enjoying some cricket by the sea, close to his Swanage home. Barnards Green’s loss is certainly a win for Swanage as the club has lost a superb administrator and an even better man.
A glance at the list of Club Presidents and Cricket Chairmen tells you that these roles have a rich history – positions held by people held in the highest regard by Barnards Green people and by the wider cricketing community. Considerable boots to fill indeed.
On June 23rd, there will be a Chairman’s XI vs a President’s XI match at North End Lane. A range of current club players and undoubtedly some familiar old faces will return – come and join us for what is likely to be a great spectacle.