Hampshire Cricket remembers Bernard Harrison

Hampshire Cricket is saddened to hear the news that Bernard Harrison passed away at the weekend aged 71 years old. Bernie had a first-class career between 1957 - 1962, playing 14 matches for Hampshire. An opening batsman he played alongside Roy Marshall and Jimmy Gray one of the strongest batting partnerships in the club's history. He contributed to the team lead by Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie that won Hampshire's first County Championship in 1961.

Hampshire Cricket is saddened to hear the news that Bernard Harrison passed away at the weekend aged 71 years old. Bernie had a first-class career between 1957 - 1962, playing 14 matches for Hampshire. An opening batsman he played alongside Roy Marshall and Jimmy Gray one of the strongest batting partnerships in the club's history. He contributed to the team lead by Colin Ingleby-Mackenzie that won Hampshire's first County Championship in 1961.

Born on September 28th 1934 in St Johns, Worcester, Bernie studied in Hampshire as a young man at Peter Symonds College in Winchester. He was a keen all round sportsman and excelled from an early age in both cricket and football. During his period of National Service he represented the army in both sports. A strong right-hand batsman he achieved his top score of 110 versus Oxford University played at Portsmouth in the Championship winning year of 1961. In addition to his success at Hampshire he also played football for Southampton, Crystal Palace and Exeter City.

Bernie was a stalwart of Basingstoke and North Hants Cricket Club and an enthusiastic Cricket Coach. He devoted much of his time to developing the interests and aspirations of the young in society, both in the context of his profession as a Teacher and through his Cricket Coaching activities.

The funeral of Bernard Harrison will take place on Friday March 31st at 12 o’ clock, at Basingstoke Crematorium.

Hampshire Chairman Rod Bransgrove paid tribute to Bernie in the following announcement:
“The loss of Bernard Harrison is another huge sadness for the sporting fraternity in Hampshire and beyond. He was a member of that very elite group of sportsmen who played both cricket and soccer at the very highest domestic level. His record as a professional footballer for Southampton, Crystal Palace and Exeter is well documented as was his first class cricket career; he would surely have played far more first class cricket were it not for the strength of the Hampshire CCC's batting line up at the time.  A stalwart for Basingstoke and North Hants Cricket Club, Bernie represented the Club across an amazing 5 decades. He was also a high achiever at badminton in his younger days and an excellent golfer. He will be fondly remembered by the hundreds of young people who he coached at Basingstoke and at Farleigh School in Andover where he was also a superb teacher of mathematics. Bernie was one of the very first people I met when I moved to Hampshire in the early 1980's and he became a very close friend to both myself and my entire family.  I will always remember him as the man who dispelled the theory that a Jack-of-all-trades could be a master of none; he was indeed a master of many skills and a supremely affable character.  He will be profoundly missed.”

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