Former Worcestershire CCC batsman – and professional footballer – Ted Hemsley, will be the guest speaker at the second of Worcestershire Cricket Society’s winter cricket evenings in the Hick Pavilion next Tuesday (November 13), starting at 7.30pm.
Hemsley and fellow Worcestershire player Phil Neale, who was later to become captain, combined playing the two codes in the 1970s while another member of that County side, Paul Pridgeon, played a high standard of non league football with Kidderminster Harriers.
It was Hemsley who was on the Worcestershire staff for two decades from 1962 until he hung up his spikes in 1982.
He made his first class debut in 1963 and, although he did not feature in the 1964 and 1965 County Championship winning sides, he became a regular member of the team in 1967 – the year he scored his maiden first class hundred versus Oxford University in The Parks.
Hemsley helped Worcestershire lift another County Championship title in 1974 and three years later hit his career best score of 176 not out versus Lancashire at New Road – ironically on a pitch which was reported by the umpires after the first day as unfit for first class cricket.
He enjoyed his best season in terms of runs for Worcestershire in 1978 with an aggregate of 1,168 included three centuries.
Hemsley ended his cricket career after a benefit year in 1982 having scored 9,740 first class and 4023 List A runs in addition to 70 first class and 73 List A wickets with his medium pacers.
All through his cricket career, he combined playing professional football, initially for Shrewsbury Town (1961-68) and then Sheffield United (1968-77).
Hemsley made 235 league appearances for the Shrews, and then helped Sheffield United to gain promotion to the old First Division in 1970-71.He went onto make 247 league appearances for Sheffield United before ending his football career with two seasons at Doncaster Rovers.
He will be recalling his lengthy career in both codes next Tuesday. A reminder that members must produce membership cards to gain admittance and the guest fee for non members is £5.
