New benches for KGV

The recent (2016) refurbishment and improvements to KGV also included a number of benches.

TWELVE of the island’s all-time best cricketers are to be honoured with specially designed concrete seating benches at the King George V Field, home of island cricket. The first raft of eight former players, some of whom have died, were announced at a Sports Commission ceremony at KGV last evening in the presence of the Bailiff, Sir Richard Collas, where it was also announced by Commission chairman Stuart Falla MBE that the Guernsey branch of Lord’s Taverners had made a very sizeable generous donation to the ongoing building of what will be called the Lord’s Taverners Pavilion.

The eight ‘greats’ announced all represented the island with great distinction and were chosen by a panel of three experts – former jurat and cricketer Alan Bisson, GCB statistician and historian John Mountford and Guernsey Press sports editor Rob Batiste.

They are, in alphabetical order, Ralph Anthony, Warren Barrett, Vernon Collenette, Pierre Le Cocq, John Martel, Ricky Mills, Robin Roussel and Mike Webber.

KGV benchesGeoff Martel (John Martel), Ralph Anthony, Phil Roussel (Robin Roussel), Pierre Le Cocq, Mike Webber

Gloria Mills (Ricki Mills), Kate Barrett (Warren Barrett)

All told, 30 concrete benches will be dotted around the ground perimeter and the final four honoured cricketers will be chosen soon as a result of public feedback. If you wish to nominate a former great of the game, then email your suggestion to GCB CEO Mark Latter at mark@guernseycricket.com or write to him at the GCB Office, KGV.

Tuesday 17th July 2018              Two of Guernsey’s finest from the recent past were honoured ahead of the present island squad providing the entertainment at the KGV on Tuesday evening. Star all-rounder, Jeremy Frith, and former island captain, Stuart Le Prevost, became the 9th and 10th “Guernsey Greats’ to have benches dedicated to them in front of the Lord’s Taverners Guernsey pavilion at the ground. It was fitting that the pair were inducted to the group together, having shared in so many crucial partnerships during inter-insular and ICC World Cricket League successes.

Frith Le Prevost benches 2018

Jeremy Frith and Stuart Le Prevost with their benches at KGV

In introducing the duo, Guernsey Cricket Board chief executive, Mark Latter, outlined Frith’s remarkable record with both bat and ball for the island, which included three WCL hundreds as well as several match-winning performances against the old enemy Jersey, before describing Le Prevost, who was the first Guernsey skipper to loft an ICC international trophy, as ‘a real leader of men’.