Norfolk cricket great Tracey Moore, who took 474 wickets for the county during a glittering career, has died at the age of 76.
A prodigy of England great and fellow man of Norfolk Bill Edrich, Mr Moore played Minor Counties Cricket for nearly 20 years after making his debut as a teenager in 1959.
His right arm, fast medium bowling was a key weapon for his home county throughout that period, with an impressive tally of wickets leaving him second in the all-time list, with only pre-war star Michael Falcon above him on 688. His average was 25.28 while he scored 1,582 runs for Norfolk at an average of 12.65.
The former Stalham Second School pupil also showed he could be a threat against first class opposition in 1969 when he took 6-48 in a Gillette Cup defeat against Yorkshire at Lakenham - including the wicket of Geoff Boycott. His best figures were 8-71 against Hertfordshire in 1967 while he took five wickets or more on 17 occasions.
'Tracey was a larger than life character who loved life to the full,' said former Norfolk colleague and county president Ted Wright. 'He always gave it 100 per cent on the cricket field and 100 per cent off it as well.
'Bill Edrich, who was another bon viveur, took him under his wing when he was a young man and I know he learnt a lot from him.
'Tracey was a great friend, always good company, and was also a wonderful cricketer. His key was his good line and length, which often forced batsmen into errors, while he was also a strong man who could hit the pitch hard. There certainly weren't too many free balls when you faced Tracey.
'He was also a useful batsman and I know one of his proudest moments was when he scored 50 not out against Hertfordshire in 1975. He was also very proud to be the first non-public schoolboy to be chosen as captain of Norfolk in 1976.'
He was also a long-time stalwart for his home village club of Ingham, playing for them for over 40 years,
Away from cricket he worked as a sales representative, most recently for Waveney Fork Trucks.
Mr Moore, who died after a battle with cancer, was husband to Caroline and father to Ricky, Cameron, Simon, Laura, Richard and Gemma.
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