Family’s pride at memorial to town’s cricket club stalwart supporter of cricket club

The former miner served the club as a player, captain, secretary, chairman and fundraiser and an impressive black marble clock dedicated to his memory has been unveiled at the club.

Mr Sykes’s son, Robin, 35, said: “Featherstone Cricket Club was a massive part of my dad’s life. We were overwhelmed when we saw the clock.”

His son, a first-team cricketer at Featherstone said of his father: “He would have been so proud.”

His family and the club’s committee wanted to pay tribute to Mr Sykes who lost his 11-year battle against leukaemia last September at the age of 63.

The clock was unveiled by Mr Sykes’s widow Susan and his sister Alison Best at a recent memorial match which raised £1,000 for leukaemia research.

Mrs Sykes said: “Jack would have been over the moon, the clock is beautiful.”

Over 30 years ago Mr Sykes helped launch the club’s junior section and many still play for the club today.

John Newnham, cricket club secretary said the clock was a fitting tribute: “Jack was a smashing bloke who was known throughout cricket all over Yorkshire.”