TRIBUTE TO BARRIE BRIGGS - A GREAT BRIGG SPORTSMAN

Many people in Brigg and the surrounding district have been shocked and saddened to hear of the death of Barrie Briggs, aged 73.

As well as being one of the nicest people you could wish to meet and a devoted family man, he was a very well-known sportsman  and a long-serving member of the permanent workforce at  Brigg Sugar Factory.

Barrie's many friends are being asked to meet at 11am on Thursday, March 6 at St John's Church, Brigg, for the funeral service. 

We enjoyed Barrie's company for many, many years  - on and off the sportsfield - and below are a few sporting reflections. 

Brigg Blog is inviting those who knew Barrie to share their memories by posting  comments here. Or, if you prefer, email scoopfisher@aol.com 

Barrie Briggs was a great captain of Brigg Town Cricket Club - probably the best in 40 years.

He took charge of team matters when the club was at a low ebb in the 1980s and soon transformed it into a trophy-winning line-up.

Fittingly, when Brigg Town needed to win their final match of the season against South Kelsey to secure the Humberside Alliance championship, Barrie scored the winning run - having dropped himself down the order in case the team suffered a touch of the jitters with the finishing post in sight.

It was a low-scoring and rain-affected match at the old Brigg Sugar Factory ground, but he saw his side through to the title by the narrow margin of two wickets.

He enjoyed huge respect for the way in which he ran the team and how he approached the game - always sporting, always encouraging Brigg players and  their opponents.

He loved to win but only if it was achieved in the right way.

This was typified by a home game against Haxey when a Town bowler appealed for handled the ball against a visiting batsman - a very, very rare mode of dismissal.

The umpire had no option but to give the batsman out, as he had clearly handled the ball when he shouldn't have.

But Barrie, as captain, was having none of it. The umpire was asked whether the appeal could be withdrawn, and it was - upholding the spirit of the game.

Many youngsters who came through the Brigg Town ranks while Barrie was skipper later moved on to play top-grade cricket for teams like Appleby-Frodingham, Normanby Park Works and Normanby Park.

Barrie knew how to manage the team to get the best out of his players and was highly skilled in placing the fielders and making effective bowling changes.

A renowned and reliable batsman who contributed to the team winning the Lincolnshire League division three championship for the first time in 1979, he was also a useful off-spin bowler.

In one match, with the opposition needing only half-a-dozen runs to win, Barrie brought himself on to bowl and took five quick wickets to secure what had seemed a very unlikely win.

Off the field he enjoyed meeting up with football and cricket players - past and present - for Sunday night sports discussions over a pint or two at Brigg Servicemen's Club.

Barrie spent a good many of his working years at Brigg Sugar Factory and played sport for company's cricket team on the Scawby Road ground before joining Brigg Town.

Above all, Barrie Briggs will be remembered in Brigg - and much further afield - as a generous man, liked by everyone he met. He was a true sportsman.


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