Obituary: Monty Green – Langley Manor Cricket Club stalwart Monty Green

A WELL-KNOWN and beloved figure who spent more than 70 years connected with Langley Manor Cricket Club has passed away at his Ashurst home with his wife Valerie at his bedside.

Monty Green spent 73 of his 90 years at the club, having served as a player, captain, administrator, umpire and, for decades since, its groundsman.

Monty first appeared for Langley Manor in 1948, aged 16, with the archives showing that he scored five runs in five innings, with his highest score being four, averaging just one for the season.

He went on to play for the club for the next 32 years. During this time, he captained the first and second teams, and he still holds the record as a wicketkeeper for 15 stumpings in a season in 1956 and 31 catches in the 1971 season.

He started umpiring in 1956, retiring in 2011 after 19 senior finals, 27 colts cup finals for the New Forest leagues, and 30 years umpiring Langley Manor matches in the Hampshire League on Saturdays.

Monty joined the club committee as a volunteer groundsman in 1956 and was still helping brush and remark the wicket between innings until recent years.

At his side throughout was his wife Valerie, who was not only well-known for her superb teas but also for occasionally rolling the wicket.

Monty filled most roles on the committee during his long and devoted service, ultimately becoming president in 2008.

In 1989, along with other club members, Monty put in many hours to build what is there now – a beautiful tree-lined ground on the eastern fringes of the New Forest and a clubhouse which was opened in 1991.

He was then vital in the development of the junior section, and in 1991 he recruited Ken Webb to help. As a result, the club has never looked back and now has flourishing colts setup, with numerous members of the four adult men’s teams and women’s spending their formative years in the juniors set up.

Monty made lifelong friends at Langley Manor and beyond, and was held in great esteem by all at the club and elsewhere.

His legacy goes on with the foundations he laid in a field off Knellers Lane, where the club now resides.

Directors of the Hampshire Cricket Board paid tribute to Monty’s contribution to local cricket. Chairman John Wolfe said: “I knew Monty for nearly 60 years. He lived and breathed for his club. So many people have reason to be grateful to him.”