Pete Babbage – Simply One of Cheshire’s Finest

Pete Babbage's affection for Cheshire CCC was infectious.

The outpouring of sadness and affection since Pete’s passing last month has touched every part of our Club. He was admired by everyone – committee members new and old, players past and present, and his many friends and colleagues throughout the game around the country.

And, inevitably, the stories have flowed.

Those familiar matchday mannerisms live on in all our memories. How could we ever forget the snarl, the grunt, the roll of the eyes?

Or the not-quite-so-discreet illicit puff of a pipe after dinner at some far-flung hotel on the NCCA circuit.

The giggles as he – again, not especially discreetly – turned down the offer of a late-night cuppa in favour of a wee Drambuie.

“Just a small one then…”

Then there were the joyous exclamations as a Cheshire batsman crashed one into the boundary fence.

“Bloody good shot!”

And, at the other end of the emotional scale, the loud snort as another Cheshire batsman lost all three stumps attempting an inglorious swipe.

“For ****’s sake. What the hell was that?”

We all have our own Pete stories at Cheshire. Most are probably a little tamer than those his dear friend at Bramhall CC, Richard Cragg, will be chuckling over when reminiscing about the playing glory days.

For me, the sight of Peter attempting to extricate himself from a deckchair at Sidmouth while we were playing Devon takes some beating.

“I got in ithe damn thing and I’ll get out of it!”

It vies for top spot with Pete disappearing into a bush late one evening to relieve himself, only to discover afterwards that a pair of new – and, he insisted, “perfectly decent” – shoes bore the tell-tale signs of an unfortunate scatter-gun approach.

Then there was the comical moment when Peter tried to lower the Cheshire flag from the pole at Wormsley, only succeeding in giving the groundsman an extra day's work to untangle the carnage left behind. It was a masterpiece of 'inelligance' as he danced around on the spot cursing and swearing. 

And if Peter ever mentioned the size of the hotel bedroom that he and his lovely Di could barely squeeze into on one Oxfordshire trip… well, perhaps we’ll leave that particular story there.

Pete and Bails

As a Cheshire double act, Pete and ‘Bails’ – David Bailey – were formidable.

Fun, honest, thoughtful and fiercely committed. And, boy, did they care about Cheshire CCC.

Conflicting views occasionally kept discussions lively, but the mutual admiration always shone through. Whatever the debate, whatever the disagreement, things were always “sorted for the best”.

Pete was a mainstay of the Cheshire CCC Committee for many years. His warmth, humour, selflessness and dedication were outstanding.

On a personal level, I certainly wouldn’t have become so involved or remained so enthused about all things Cheshire without Pete’s support and his constant drive and his absolute belief in getting our county on the map. We've been incredibly fortunate to have been alongside him at Cheshire. 

Originally helping out 'when he could', Pete eventually brought to the County the skills, experience and enthusiasm that had served his beloved Bramhall CC so well for so many years.

He'd been Chairman at Bramhall – as well as seemingly just about everything else – following an illustrious playing career with the club.

Then, as Cheshire’s Head of Cricket, he discovered that the demands of getting our best XI onto the field could be more than a little taxing.

But somehow, Pete got there. Even if it took 30 phone calls. “It’s not going well, but don’t worry. We’ll have a half-decent side out.”

And we invariably did.

The perennial club-versus-county dilemma frustrated him enormously. Ultimately, though, Pete understood it. He didn’t like it, but he accepted it and simply got on with the job.

“Me? What have I done?”

When he stepped down as Head of Cricket and was due to succeed David as President of Cheshire CCC, he couldn’t have been prouder.

Yet his wonderfully unassuming nature meant he continued to question whether he really deserved the honour.

“Me? What have I done?”

Lots, Peter. An awful lot.

For me – once I’ve managed to rid my mind of that deckchair image – perhaps the greatest compliment we can pay Pete is reflected in the warmth and affection shown by those who played for him.

They knew he was never afraid of the difficult conversations. They didn’t always agree with him and, no doubt, occasionally told him so.

But they knew exactly where they stood. They knew he cared.

And they knew that, underneath the whiskers, the grunts and the occasional expletive, everything Pete did came from wanting the very best for Cheshire CCC and the people within it.

I was so lucky to have one final giggle with Pete shortly before he closed his innings. So many stories, so many memories.

And so much for Cheshire CCC to be grateful for.

We’re already missing the sight of those famous whiskers making their way from the car park towards the pavilion, Pete invariably carrying various pieces of kit and equipment. I’ve  never known anybody to possess such a seemingly never-ending supply of Cheshire ties!

But we’ll raise a glass to him.

We’ll enjoy a cricket tea or two.

We’ll watch a Cheshire batsman crash one to the boundary and perhaps hear, somewhere in the back of our minds:

“Bloody good shot!”

And we’ll smile.

I think Pete would like that.

Thank you, Peter – for everything.

And may you settle yourself into a decent deckchair up there.

Just make sure you can get out of it.

Jim Law
Chair, Cheshire CCC