Peter Wynne-Thomas Explained

Peter Wynne-Thomas
Honorific Suffix:BEM
Birth Date:30 July 1934
Birth Place:Manchester, England
Alma Mater:University of London
Occupation:Cricket archivist and statistician
Office:may be used as an alternative when the label is better rendered as "Office" (e.g. public office or appointments) -->

Peter Wynne-Thomas BEM (30 July 1934 – 15 July 2021) was an English cricket writer, historian[1] and statistician who was for many years the archivist and librarian of Nottinghamshire CCC.[2] [3] The library at Nottinghamshire's Trent Bridge cricket ground is named The Wynne-Thomas Library in his honour.[4] He was one of the Nottinghamshire general committee members, and in 2016 he was elected President of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club.[5]

Life

Peter Wynne-Thomas was born on 30 July 1934 in Manchester to Daniel Wynne-Thomas, an architect, and Melrose (née Booth), a solicitor, and was educated at Belmont School and Lancing College in West Sussex.[6]

He was trained as an architectural consultant at the University of London but, from what began as a hobby, he specialised in cricket statistics and research. He wrote cricket books, some intended for those with a beginner's or casual interest in the sport.[7] Examples are the Hamlyn A-Z of Cricket Records, which is a selection of statistical information; and A History of Cricket: From the Weald to the World which presents an account of cricket's history. His Nottinghamshire Cricketers 1821–1914 won The Cricket Society Book of the Year Award in 1971.

During the 1960s, Wynne-Thomas worked with Rowland Bowen on The Cricket Quarterly.[8] In 1973, he was involved in the foundation of the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians (ACS). He was the original treasurer until 1974 and then secretary until he retired in 2006.[9]

Wynne-Thomas managed the Sport-in-Print bookshop (opposite the Trent Bridge Inn by Trent Bridge Cricket Ground in Nottingham) from December 1987. The ACS purchased the premises in 1993 as its headquarters. Wynne-Thomas combined his shop and ACS roles until March 2006, when he retired and the shop was sold, the ACS relocating to Cardiff.

He was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2019 New Year's Honours List for his services to cricket.[10] He married twice: in 1975 to Margaret Barnett with whom he had a daughter, and in 2000 to Edith North. He died on 15 July 2021, aged 86, of bowel cancer.

Works

Publications by Wynne-Thomas include the following :[11]

Co-authored with Peter Arnold

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. News: BBC SPORT - Cricket - Story of Cricket Part I: England. Bbc.co.uk. 7 January 2004 . 21 August 2015.
  2. Web site: Peter Wynne-Thomas: A Tribute . Nottinghamshire CCC . 8 May 2024 . 11 August 2021.
  3. Francis, Tony. "Facts and figures are food and drink; Far Pavilions This week's Test venue is home to statistics wizard Wynne-Thomas." Daily Telegraph [London, England], 11 Aug. 2003. Gale OneFile: News. Accessed 11 Aug. 2021.
  4. Web site: The Trent Bridge Library renamed to honour Peter Wynne-Thomas. Trentbridge.co.uk. 25 August 2015.
  5. Web site: NCCC News : The 2016 Annual General Meeting. Trentbridge.co.uk. 17 July 2021.
  6. Web site: Peter Wynne-Thomas obituary . . 11 August 2021 . https://archive.today/20210806225328/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/peter-wynne-thomas-obituary-5r35rw7x2 . 6 August 2021 . 6 August 2021 . live.
  7. Web site: Amazon.com: Peter Wynne-Thomas: Books. Amazon.com. 21 August 2015.
  8. [Richard Streeton]
  9. Web site: ACS office holders. https://web.archive.org/web/20081015195724/http://acscricket.com/About/Previous_officers.html. dead. 15 October 2008. 17 July 2021.
  10. Web site: British Empire Medal Peter Wynne-Thomas . London Gazette . 11 August 2021 . 29 December 2018.
  11. Web site: Amazon.com: wynne-thomas cricket: Books. Amazon.com. 21 August 2015.