Mike Newcombe, our friend and Crescent team mate sadly passed away last week after a short illness. It was one day after the club’s 121st season ended, and his beloved Sussex CCC won promotion back to the First Division of The County Championship. There have been many moving tributes paid to Mike from those who played against him during his days at Lindfield CC, and those who knew him through his work with The Sussex Cricket League and his umpiring. It’s important though that we at The Crescent sing our own praises to him not only as an opponent but more particularly as a member of our own club during the latter portion of his playing days.

I first came across Mike on August Bank Holiday Monday 1979 in my first season with The Crescent when we were soundly thrashed by Lindfield as we generally were in those days. In the next 35 years we would often chat post-match over a beer, mostly about cricket and past matches and past players from our clubs. After many years of gentle persuasion Mike played a match for The Crescent in 2017 at Streat & Westmeston CC, unfurling a couple of memorable cover drives. He was then persuaded shortly after to join the annual Crescent tour to the Herefordshire borders which he told me he loved.

Mike then joined the club and turned out regularly on a Sunday and was soon resplendent in his new Crescent kit with his cap pull tightly over his head to fend off our coastal breezes. Mike loved a bit of cricket kit. Over the next few years, he was a mainstay of Crescent Sunday afternoons and much to his amazement he became a ‘cult hero’ to our younger players who referred to him as ‘Daddy Newks’. This term of affection reflected his cricket knowledge, his strong opinions and his encouragement especially to the younger players. Our younger cohort have been particularly moved by his passing as they found him interesting and amusing company with his strong views and straight talking. He also supported them in their cricketing ambitions, including arranging for Jake Brooks and Max Kidman to test themselves in Lindfield’s League teams as well as with The Crescent on the Sunday.

Mike was still a fine bowler when he joined The Crescent and took pride in giving away as few runs as possible in his extremely accurate bowling spells. When ‘Newks’ was in the middle of one of his very parsimonious bowling spells I benefitted hugely when I was bowling at the opposite end. With few runs on offer from ‘Newks’ batsmen took huge risks against my bowling, and I took a number of wickets. Mike was also a very handy fielder. I particularly remember a diving catch that he took off my bowling at Hambledon. We also shared a few batting partnerships and whilst we were not that speedy between the wickets our collective determination dug us out of a couple of tight situations.

Mike was a stickler for the rules, and he found my rather laissez-faire methods rather tricky to deal with, especially during the COVID years. However, we usually found a way of compromising, though it was usually me that did the compromising!
Mike had a real eye for detail, and it was always he that I turned to for proofreading our annual Crescent fixture card. I think he rather enjoyed being a pedant. In the past couple of years, we saw less of Mike as he gave his all to his umpiring and was very soon being given some high- status games. I’m pretty sure that Mike enjoyed his time with The Crescent with new team- mates, new venues, new opponents and new teas to sample. Mike very much enjoyed a traditional cricket tea, though few would compare with his wife Lin’s when she provided full tables of food, beautifully presented.

We at the Crescent are all devasted at his passing and our matches against Lindfield on The Green will never be the same again. We hope to find some appropriate way in the future to mark the fixture between our two clubs for “The Newks”.

Rest in Peace Mike. We will miss your skills but more especially your company both off and on the cricket field.

Simon Wood
Fixture Secretary
Brighton & Hove Crescent CC

Mike played 82 matches for the Crescent, scoring 1114 runs with a high score of 61* and taking 65 wickets with 66 maidens. He also swept both the batting and bowling trophies in 2018. The link below is to a collection of our favourite photos of Mike from his time at the Crescent.
https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/brightonandhovecrescent/photos/mike-newcombe-1117980.html