Ronnie Aird
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Ronald Aird | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Paddington, London, England | 4 May 1902||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 16 August 1986 Yapton, Sussex, England | (aged 84)||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling | Right-arm medium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1920–1938 | Hampshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1923 | Cambridge University | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1927–1939 | Marylebone Cricket Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 22 September 2009 |
Ronald Aird
Early life and cricket career
The son of Malcolm Rucker Aird, who was the son of Sir John Aird, he was born at Paddington in May 1902. He was educated at Eton College, where he played for the college cricket team in the Eton v Winchester matches. He was also active in rackets at Eton, reaching the pairs final at Queen's Club twice.[1] During his final two years at Eton in 1920 and 1921, Aird trialled for Hampshire, making his debut in first-class cricket against Warwickshire at Portsmouth.[2] From Eton, he matriculated to Clare College, Cambridge.[3] Despite featuring for Hampshire regularly in the 1922 County Championship, it was not until 1923 that he played first-class cricket for Cambridge University Cricket Club, having not been in the running for selection in 1922. He gained a blue in 1923, a season in which he made 12 appearances for the university, largely due to his performance against Yorkshire, when he scored 64 against a strong bowling line-up containing George Macaulay, Wilfred Rhodes, Emmott Robinson and Abe Waddington.[1]
For Hampshire, it took him time to acclimatise to the level of first-class cricket, but he soon became a regular member of the Hampshire side. In 1924, he played his only full season of
Aird began his association with the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) when he was appointed assistant secretary in 1926, with William Findlay succeeding Francis Lacey as MCC secretary in the same year.[1] He also played first-class cricket for the MCC from 1927 to 1939, making fifteen appearances and scoring 520 runs at an average of exactly 26.[2][6] His administrative duties with the MCC had the effect of greatly reducing his appearances for Hampshire, so much so that after the 1926 season he never made more than seven appearances for the county in a given season.[4] Aird maintained his role as assistant secretary in 1936, when Findlay was succeeded as secretary by Rowan Rait Kerr.[1] In addition to playing first-class cricket for Hampshire and the MCC, Aird also played for the Gentlemen in the Gentlemen v Players fixture of 1925.[2]
War service and cricket administration
Aird served in the
Following the war, he continued to assist Rait-Kerr, until he succeeded him as MCC secretary in 1952.[1] A year into the post, he gave permission for the BBC to broadcast live coverage of the deciding Test of the 1953 Ashes Series, due to 'enormous public interest' as England sought to win back The Ashes for the first time in 19 years.[11] The remainder of his secretaryship was summarised by Wisden as one absent of any startling reforms or innovations.[1] He retired in 1962, being succeeded as secretary by Billy Griffith. Although known as a man who was imperturbable, he gained admiration from his peers during his presidency of the MCC in 1968, when he chaired the heated special general meeting over relations with South Africa in light of the D'Oliveira affair, which led to the cancellation of England's tour of South Africa.[3] He praised D'Oliveria for the great dignity that he had maintained throughout the affair.[12] He was elected a trustee of the MCC in 1971, a position he held until his appointment as a life vice-president in 1983.[1] In addition to his administrative roles within the MCC over a sixty-year period, Aird was also an administrator in county cricket; he served as president of Hampshire County Cricket Club between 1971 and 1983, being succeeded by Cecil Paris.[13] He was also involved with I Zingari for over fifty years, as secretary and treasurer, helping raise the club from the low esteem with which it had fallen to in the 1920s, to a club whose membership again became popular.[1]
Outside of cricket, Aird competed at Lord's in real tennis, winning the silver racket six times between 1933 and 1949, though he never won the gold racket, being defeated twice by Baron Aberdare and four times by W. D. Macpherson.[1] In retirement, he moved to the Sussex village of Yapton, where he was resident at West Down House. His move there bought him close to nearby Arundel, with Aird becoming associated with the Friends of Arundel Castle Cricket Ground, to whom he provided much wisdom and experience.[1] In his latter years, Aird struggled with illness and died at Yapton in August 1986, aged 84.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Wisden – Obituaries in 1986". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d "First-Class Matches played by Ronnie Aird". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ a b Martin-Jenkins, Christopher (1996). World Cricketers: A Biographical Dictionary. Oxford University Press. p. 152.
- ^ a b "First-Class Batting and Fielding in Each Season by Ronnie Aird". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ Ronnie Aird. Hampshire Telegraph. 31 July 1931. p. 22
- ^ a b "First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Ronnie Aird". CricketArchive. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ "No. 34714". The London Gazette. 20 October 1939. p. 7102.
- ^ "No. 35799". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 October 1939. p. 5141.
- ^ "No. 39200". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 April 1951. p. 2062.
- ^ "No. 39626". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 September 1952. p. 4422.
- ISBN 978-1-80399-134-4.
- ISBN 9781529378504.
- ^ "1983". www.hampshirecrickethistory.wordpress.com. Retrieved 19 January 2023.