Tributes paid to 'best of the best' Hartshead Moor chairman Tony Dickinson

Mr Dickinson, pictured, died on January 19 and was described ‘as the best of the best’ by club player Martin Ellis.

Having been a regular at Highmoor Lane for a number of years, Mr Dickinson took over as chairman of the Bradford League outfit in 2021 and brought stability back to the club in the post-pandemic era.

Influential in regard to player recruitment, Mr Dickinson helped rebuild the playing side of the club, with former Yorkshire CCC head coach and title-winning captain Andrew Gale and ex-Headingley colleague and Ashes winner Tim Bresnan having both turned out for Moor over the past two seasons.

The club went on to lift the Bradford League Division Two title in 2023.

Paying tribute, Mr Ellis - Mr Dickinson’s close friend - said: “Tony was so passionate and always wore his heart on his sleeve. He was the best of the best.

“He brought a stability to the club and gave us a direction again.

“First of all, it was to make sure we were all enjoying our cricket and bringing the junior players through to the second team.

“He was a driving force in bringing women’s cricket to the club and was always at junior matches and training and always looking out for the next first team player in the making

“Tony was a huge character. He did everything and he wouldn’t ask anyone to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself.

“He led by example and people followed. He’d drive over from his work or Lindley (where Mr Dickinson lived) to put the covers on when it was raining. Not because we didn’t do it, but he just went: ‘I’ll do that.’

“It was little things like that he did week in, week out. He’d do so much in the background and then on a match day when not scoring, umpiring, taking the drinks out or running the bar, he would do a few laps and just enjoy the club and its people.”

He is survived by his wife Kat, brother Neil, sister Hannah and father Peter.

Born in Leeds - Mr Dickinson and his family moved over to the Cleckheaton area when he was a child.

The family home was in Halifax Road in Hightown. He played cricket at second-team level when he was younger.

Mr Dickinson was also a passionate rugby union fan, after injuries stopped him playing, and managed and coached local Saturday and Sunday teams for over a decade.

In recent years, Mr Dickinson - who ran his own car import and export business - lived in Lindley with his wife and their two dogs, Caspian and Pippa.