Portsmouth-born former Hampshire cricketer Barry Reed passes away

Barry Reed, a rght-handed batter who scored almost 6,000 runs for the county between 1958 and 1972, was 86.

Earlier this year, Barry made an emotional visit to Hampshire’s Utlita Bowl.

A resident of Horndean-based Care UK’s Pear Tree Court, Barry Reed was given a meet-and-greet with current players and a tour of the stadium.

The visit was part of the care home’s Wishing Tree Initiative, which encourages residents to put wishes forward, allowing them to reconnect with a past hobby or try something completely new.

Barry was an opening batsman who attended Winchester College, making the first of 123 first class outings for Hampshire against Cambridge University in 1958 at Portsmouth’s United Services ground.

A combination of serious injury and business interests then took him away from the first-class game until 1964, when he began playing for Hampshire 2nds.

In late August 1965, he came into the Hampshire side as they sought a partner for Roy Marshall to replace Jimmy Gray.

There were three half-centuries in the four matches on his return and from 1966-1970, until the arrival of West Indian legend Gordon Greenidge, he opened regularly alongside South African great Barry Richards.

Barry passed 1,000 first class runs in a season in 1966, 1967 and 1968, but only made two first-class centuries.

Fittingly, his sole County Championship hundred was made in Portsmouth, a second innings 104 against Glamorgan in 1967.

His second first class ton was 138 against Oxford University at The Parks in April 1970.

In all, Barry scored 4,962 first class runs at 24.32

He also scored two one-day hundreds, the first coming against Bedfordshire in a Gillette Cup tie at Bedford in May 1968 when Roy Marshall (140) and Barry (112) put on 227 for the first wicket.

His second, in the same tournament in May 1970 against Buckinghamshire at Chesham, was a Hampshire best 143.

While his last Championship game for Hampshire took place in 1970, he carried on playing one-day games for another two seasons.

In 1969, on his 40-over debut in the newly-created John Player Sunday League, he top scored with 45 against Glamorgan at St Helens in Swansea.

He finished with 900 Gillette Cup and Sunday League runs at 36.00.

After calling time on his professional career, Barry coached Hampshire’s Colts and under-19 sides.

He also carried on playing grassroots cricket for Old Wykehamists, a team consisting of former Winchester College students.

Reed played in four The Cricketer Cup finals, finishing on the winning side twice, in a OW career spanning 20 years in the tournament – 1968 to 1988.The other eight Portsmouth-born players to make their Hampshire first class debut since 1945 are Jack Campbell, Richard Hindley, Lawrie Prittipaul, Alan Waldron, Mike Barnard, Richard McIlwaine, David Rock and Jon Ayling.

Alf Pink, who played once in 1885, was the first of 12 Portsmouth-born players to appear in first-class cricket for the county in pre-war action.

Ernest Read, Alfred Wood, Charles Brutton, Edward Lineham, Patrick Hall, Jack Newman, Charles McGibbon, John (JP) Parker, Stephen Fry, Neil McCorkell and John Blake.

Newman is the most well-known of that list, taking 1,946 first class wickets for the county - only two bowlers have ever taken more - in a career spanning 1906-1930.

Fry, meanwhile, was the son of the legendary CB Fry, who played for England at both football and cricket and also jointly held the world long jump record.

*Barry Reed's funeral is to be held on Wednesday July 31 at High Cross Church, Froxfield at 11am with the wake at The Trooper Inn, Froxfield.