Bruce Moss

FORMER Bradford League president and chemist Bruce Moss has died aged 83 after a long illness.

Mr Moss, who lived at Apperley Bridge, was league president for 10 years between 1980 and 1990 and was made a life member in 1989.

Apart from his involvement with the Bradford League, he will be remembered by cricket followers for his work to restore Bradford's Park Avenue cricket ground after the old Bradford Cricket Club left the famous venue in 1986 and the handsome pavilion was demolished.

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Mr Moss formed the Friends of Park Avenue, including former Yorkshire players Bob Appleyard and Brian Close, with the aim of bringing first class cricket back to Bradford.

Through his leadership and that of Bob Appleyard, Yorkshire were persuaded to set up an academy at Park Avenue – future England bowler Darren Gough was an early trainee – and resumed first class championship cricket there with a match against Surrey in 1992.

They continued playing championship and county second team cricket at Park Avenue until 1996 when they decided to abandon all outgrounds except Scarborough and concentrate first class cricket at Headingley.

Mr Moss was elected vice president of Yorkshire at the county's annual meeting in 1990 because of his "major contribution in helping to set up an academy of cricket at Park Avenue".

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In 1992, he was awarded the Bradford League Sir Leonard Hutton Trophy for services to cricket.

Away from cricket, his other sporting love was rally driving and he won more than 200 prizes in his younger days.

He was an original member of the old Riley Motor Club based at Leeds, a member of the MG Car Club, a life member of Bradford Racing Drivers' Club and a steward of the RAC. He was also a collector of car number plates.

A qualified chemist and optician, Mr Moss opened his first chemists' shop at Bowling Old Lane in 1948 and eventually ran six shops around Bradford.

He leaves a son and twin daughters.