Surrey County Cricket Club is saddened to announce the death of John Edrich, one of the Club’s finest ever servants.
Edrich died of natural causes on December 23rd, at his house in north Scotland.
The flag over the Micky Stewart Members’ Pavilion at the Kia Oval will fly at half mast this Christmas to mark his passing.
Last year Surrey fans all over the world voted for Edrich to open the batting alongside Sir Jack Hobbs in the Club’s ‘Greatest XI’, selected to mark the 175th Anniversary of Surrey CCC.
He will be permanently remembered at the Kia Oval by the John Edrich Gates, the main vehicle entrance to the ground at the Pavilion End, which he officially opened in 2015.
To read a full obituary, written by Surrey historian Richard Spiller, please click here.
Paying tribute this morning Surrey CCC Chairman, Richard Thompson, said: “John Edrich was truly one of the greatest players to ever play for our Club and his passing is an incredibly sad moment for us all.
“From watching his brave and charismatic batting to sitting alongside him in our Committee Room and learning about the game, to have been able to call John a friend was a high honour.
“On behalf of everyone at the Club, I would like to offer our condolences to all of John’s friends, family and fans across the world – both inside and outside the game.”
Tom Harrison, Chief Executive of the ECB, added: “With John’s passing, we’ve lost a prolific and fearless batsman – one of the select few who have scored more than 5,000 runs for England.
“His duels with some of the world’s best fast bowlers were legendary, and it’s a testament to his ability that his 310 not out against New Zealand in 1965 remains the fifth highest Test score by an English batsman. He will be sadly missed, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
