Farewell Graham - a legend and gentleman

Hudson, who passed away last week aged 70, will be remembered as one of the finest players to have played for the village club.

The Wall Heath-born left-hander plundered runs for fun in the days before big bats and T20.

Few modern day players will have matched his extraordinary hitting power during a 26-year career with Wombourne, where, ironically, he first started out as a bowler.

Off the field, Graham worked as a civil engineer estimator for the Highways Department at Wolverhampton Council.

He was a devoted family man and is survived by wife Moyra and sons Adam, aged 41, and Phil, 38.

And, while his family was his first love, cricket was without doubt his second.

Phil said: "We grew up watching dad play cricket for Wombourne, and mom did the teas. He was a real family man who loved his sport.

"The doctors gave him an hour to live a year ago. But he has always been a fighter and we enjoyed another 12 months as a family and added to our already cherished memories.

"We have been clearing a few things out and looking through some old newspaper articles.

"Dad kept a lot cuttings from his playing days. Looking back through them, you realise he was quite some player.

"He actually started as a bowler but I remember him telling me he lost his action so he opted for batting.

"He kept a tally of his achievements and scored more than 18,000 runs for Wombourne and was renowned for hitting sixes. He was like Kevin Pietersen but without the ego!

"When he finished playing he took myself and Adam to Himley because Wombourne didn't have a youth section at the time.

"He helped with the coaching and was eventually talked into playing again. Adam and I got to play a few games with him, which was nice."

Graham joined Wombourne in 1959, aged 14, and was in for the first team by 15.

His stats make for impressive reading – a thousand runs in a season seven times, top of the Wombourne averages seven times and a total of 18,321 runs (highest score 143 not out against West Bromwich Dartmouth in 1977) for the club that included 15 centuries and 117 fifties.

Just for good measure, he bagged 564 wickets (best of 9-29 against Wellington in 1964) with his left-arm spin, leading the bowling averages four times.

But Graham's finest moment came when he was named MCCC Cricketer of the Year in 1975 after hitting 1,585 runs with 53 sixes and 180 fours.

What makes his achievements even more remarkable is the fact that he was partially paralysed in his right arm, not being able to turn his arm over, straighten it or lift it above shoulder height.

Current Wombourne chairman Andy Handley led the tributes to a man who was both feared and respected on the field.

Handley said: "He was a Wombourne legend. He was a smashing bloke. I played a few times with Graham, back in the day.

"He was hard-hitting left-hander and once he got in, you were in trouble. He was an extremely destructive player.

"Quite a few of the players he played against, especially the bowlers, will remember Graham.

"The first-team at that time was a very successful tight-knit side and Graham was very much a part of that.

"It's very sad news and the thoughts of everyone at the club are with Graham's family."

Former players Malcolm Ashfield and Brian Clifford both have fond memories of their old team-mate.

That came during a time when Wombourne tasted glory in the Staffs Clubs League and forged a reputation as one of the strongest club sides in the area.

Ashfield said: "I played with Graham for a number of years. He was a prolific run scorer. He was very gregarious and good company. He loved most sports but cricket was his forte.

"A few of us met at the club the other day and we were remembering Graham and looking through some of the old photographs and score-books.

"There were a lot of good memories and he is going to be sadly missed."

Clifford, a former Express & Star sports editor who used to put Graham's deeds into print, added: "He was a very good player, very stylish and a regular in the Staffs Clubs representative side.

"I enjoyed playing with him, he was a nice bloke and completely dedicated to his kids. Wombourne was a great place to play cricket.

"We had a strong side and we all stuck round and had a drink after a game. Graham used to enjoy that."

It was Himley where Graham finally called stumps on his playing days, after reluctantly agreeing to dig his whites out.

Himley chairman Gordon Lewis said: "I knew Graham well, he was a top man and a top cricketer.

"I played against him at the back end of his career and he was a really fine player.

"He brought his two sons, Phil and Adam, to play at Himley. He used to watch them and he was very proud of them.

"He helped out with the coaching and our second-team skipper David Webb kept badgering him to play. He eventually gave in and went and scored a ton for the seconds.

"I can't speak highly enough of him. He was one of life's gentlemen."

Meanwhile, Graham's funeral is at Gornal Crematorium on Friday February 19 at 2.50pm, with the wake at Himley Cricket Club.