Warwickshire sprung a surprise on a lifelong Bears fan and esteemed cricket writer by presenting him with a special signed shirt to mark his 80th birthday.
Terry Wright – a former Wisden Cricket Magazine reporter – was handed the “T Wright 80” Warwickshire shirt by captain Will Rhodes ahead of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Northamptonshire.
He first watched the Bears as a schoolboy in August 1953 (taking three buses from Bentley Heath to the ground) and has been a regular face at Edgbaston ever since both in the members’ lounges and press box.
“Edgbaston has been a special, welcoming place to me for 70 years,” said Terry, who still covers Bears games for the website Deep Extra Cover, “and I feel very privileged to also have been able to report on the Club I love.
“I started playing cricket at school aged nine and immediately fell in love with the sport and the camaraderie.
“I knew fairly early on I wasn’t quite in the same league as Dennis Amiss – though I did play on the sacred turf here a couple of times – but I made lifelong friends playing for many years at Hockley Heath Cricket Club.”
Terry, who’s from Hockley Heath but now lives in Bristol, added: “I still get a buzz coming to the ground now, all these years on, and to be presented with my own Bears shirt is amazing.”
The Club hatched a plan with Terry’s daughter Gemma, a former Junior Bear, to surprise him with a pitch-side presentation of the shirt which had been signed by the Warwickshire squad.
She added: “I just about managed to keep it a secret. There have been quite a few surprises for dad’s birthday and this was a perfect way to end the celebrations.
“It’s a lovely gesture by the Club and I can’t thank them enough for helping to make it a birthday to remember. I know dad was bowled over.”
Membership for 2024 is on sale now at our Early Bird prices, with a range of options available and can be viewed at edgbaston.com/memberships.
Full Club Membership includes entry to LV= Insurance County Championship, Metro Bank One Day Cup and Vitality Blast matches at Edgbaston plus benefits including four guest passes and first access to Major Match tickets at the best prices.
Junior Bears Membership for under 16s is only £10, while Blast & Hundred Membership offers access to all Vitality Blast and The Hundred matches in 2024, plus the usual Member benefits.
2024 Membership: Together, we are Bears
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