World cricket legend Mike Procter to speak at next DSCT luncheon

Mike Procter (left) is held aloft by Jack Davey after Gloucestershire’s 1973 Gillette Cup final win at Lord’s. David Shepherd has captain Tony Brown on his shoulder

CRICKET legend Mike Procter has been lined-up as the next special guest at a David Shepherd Cricket Trust luncheon.

Procter, who played for Gloucestershire in the 1960s and 1970s, was rated as one of the best cricketers in the world and has the stats to prove it.

Mike Procter on the microphone on a previous visit to England, drumming up support for is charity

In First Class cricket the South African-born all-rounder took more than 1,400 wickets and scored nearly 22,000 runs.

Procter’s record in limited overs cricket was equally impressive: 6,600-plus runs and 344 wickets.

South Africa’s apartheid policies meant they were banned from international competition for most of Procter’s career. He played in 10 Tests, scoring 226 runs and taking 41 wickets.

It was with Gloucestershire that Procter made is name, both as a player and captain. He was a member of the side that won the 1973 Gillette Cup final at Lord’s and skippered the county to Benson & Hedges glory over Kent in 1977,

David Shepherd, the charity’s inspiration, was a team-mate at Gloucestershire, as was seam bowler Jack Davey.

Davey, now a trustee of the DSCT, shared a dressing room with Procter for more than a decade. That long-standing link enabled the Trust to team up with Procter for a joint fund-raising event.

“Mike has his own charity over in Durban – the Mike Procter Foundation – which does a huge amount of work with disadvantaged youngsters,” said Davey.

“Almost every year Mike comes over this country to see old friends and raise money for his charity.

“The luncheon will be a joint venture that will benefit both our charities.”

Cricket author and publisher Stephen Chalke will be quizzing Procter about his career and life after professional cricket during a question-and-answer session after lunch.

The lunch venue is the functions suite at Exeter Racecourse on the A38. The date for diaries is July 6

Tickets, priced at £40 each for a two-course lunch and coffee, will go on sale shortly.

Further details on the David Shepherd Cricket Trust website.

The Trust remembers the former Devon and Gloucestershire cricketer David Shepherd, who went on to have a celebrated career as a First Class and Test Match umpire,

The charity aims to invest around £20,000 a year in Devon in projects that encourage youth cricket for all age groups and abilities.