HEREFORDSHIRE cricket has lost one of its most recognisable and colourful characters with the sudden death of Ted Rees at the age of 79.

Although an enthusiast for many other sports, Ted’s passion was the summer game and it formed a major part of his life as a player, administrator and watcher.

From the 1960s to the 1990s, one of the most coveted invitations to be had was one to play for the Ted Rees Xl, a travelling team of many talents which contested knock-out competitions around the county.

L e o m i n s t e r , Bromyard, Ross and, especially, Kington, saw this team, selected as much for its sociability as its cricketing ability, shrewdly managed by Ted and his great friend, the former Hereford Times sportswriter Laurie Teague, win far more often than they lost.

Ted’s love of knockout cricket developed out of his enthusiasm for the Hereford Evening League, of which he was a longstanding vice-chairman.

His early evening league cricket was played for Lamputt's Xl and he then played for Herefordians in both evening and weekend cricket, but it is fair to say that his style of batting was suited more to weekend – in those preleague friendly-match days – than limitedovers cricket.

He opened the innings and batted left-handed.

But Ted was actually right-handed by birth and this forced reversal restricted his ability to play a natural left-hander’s attacking shots.

He did, however, possess excellent judgement of where his stumps were and a usually impenetrable forward- defensive stroke, mostly administered with a broad grin back down the wicket towards the bowler.

In his mid-50s, he was persuaded out of a short-lived cricketing retirement to bring his beloved Gray Nicholls bat and his trademark red cap out to Wormelow.

There, alongside another life-long friend, Trevor Morgan, he helped to instil good cricketing practice and a love of the game – and its humour – in another generation of cricketers in the club’s second team.

An alumnus of Lucton School, Ted began his business career with Russell, Baldwin & Bright before moving on to the Norwich Union.

His success in life assurance and pensions eventually moved him to set up his own business, Rees and Co Insurance Brokers which survives to this day, although Ted himself withdrew many years ago.

He played table tennis for Herefordians and was an enthusiastic bridge player but, if cricket had any rival as his sporting passion, it was horse-racing where his high point probably came as part-owner of point-to-pointer Pride of Tulloh which won the Lady Dudley Cup.

The funeral service for Ted Rees, who leaves a son, Philip, daughterin- law Helen and grandchildren Jamie and Ellie, will be held at Holy Trinity Church in Hereford next Wednesday at 11.15am.