The funeral took place on Thursday of one of the greatest of all Derbyshire cricketers, Derek Morgan, who died on 4 November, aged 88.
Derek stands third on the list of all-time run-scorers for Derbyshire, fifth on the all-time wicket-taking list, and top of the list of outfield catches. He also captained Derbyshire between 1965 and 1969 and was the Club President from 2011 to 2013.
The Main Chapel at Markeaton Crematorium was full to capacity with Derbyshire formally represented by Vice President, David Griffin, with a host of former players, officials and Members also present.
A warm tribute to Derek’s extensive and successful cricketing career was made and the closing music, very much in tune with one of Derek’s lifelong passions was, “Gone Fishin'” by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong.
On the playing side, Bob Taylor, Harold Rhodes, Edwin Smith, Colin Tunnicliffe, Harry Cartwright, Tony Borrington, David Milner, Peter Eyre, John Eyre, Brian Jackson, Alan Hill and Bob Swindell were there to pay their respects to a man, who in some cases, had been their team mate and captain in the 1950s and 1960s.
Also present were two other Vice Presidents, John Cater and John D Brown, plus long-standing Members Tony Pope and David Paling.
Following the service there was a reception held at The 3aaa County Ground where a slideshow displayed images of Derek’s family and cricketing life, and a Book of Remembrance was made available for those present to place an entry.
