Alan Wiseman Tribute to Rod Tappin / Funeral Details

After one former Stoke Chairman Chris Gudgeon penned some words about Rod Tappin on Monday, (http://www.stokecc.co.uk/2014/05/26/chris-gudgeon-leads-tributes-to-rod-tappin/), we have now received this tribute from another, Alan Wiseman, who writes:

I knew Rod well and played with him frequently – he was of the first generation after, so to speak, mine.

Rod was a very fine cricketer as his bowling and fielding statistics indicate although I am surprised at his low, (10+), batting average. He was a very strong right handed batsman, playing mainly off his front foot with a thundering cover drive. He was also a fast-medium bowler who got a lot of bounce from his height, (he was quite tall.) But I remember him particularly as a prehensile fielder, either close to the wicket or, (classically), in the covers, with a throw like a rocket, invariably on the full from the boundary.

Now I get a bit mixed up about his ancestry. In the 1940s, mainstays of the Club were the two local Tappin men – Jim and Horace, (both long dead.) Rod was the son of, (I think), Horace, who was married to Agnes, who became a tea lady for many, many years. (*)

Horace died very young. I never knew him although, in my early days, I played quite a bit with his brother-in-law Jim who, later, became Agnes’ second husband. Rod was more or less brought up on the Stoke ground.

He left Stoke quite young when he moved from the area and subsequently played for a very strong team, Eversley CC, and the Club met him occasionally on tour. Rod must have, in his best days, been close to Minor County selection.

In my Chairman days when I used to bring a team down to play Stoke, Rod was always one of the first, (and best), players I chose and he was invariably glad to return to Stoke for a match.

Although it must be 10 to 15 years since I last saw him, I recall him as a first-class cricketer and a credit to the team. I estimate that he could hardly be more than 60 when he died and greatly regret news of his passing.

* Agnes and Rod were awarded the Vice Presidents’ Shield in 1971 and 1980 respectively (http://www.stokecc.co.uk/honours-board/)

FUNERAL
A reminder that Rod’s funeral will be on Friday 6th June at the Bournemouth crematorium at 1pm. If people are interested in making donations or sending flowers, the funeral directors are Colin Hayley and Tapper : (01425) 629000.