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Peter Wynne-Thomas was guest of honour at a dinner at the Savoy hosted by the well-known broadcaster Brian Johnston (nicknamed ‘Johnners’). Enjoying his practical jokes Johnners asked Peter ‘Do you mind saying grace in Latin?’ After Peter had mumbled ‘Benedictus, Benedicat, per Jesum Christum Dominum Nostrum Amen’ Johnners said “Your Latin accent isn’t very good these days!”. Johnners had rightly surmised that because of his Lancing education Peter would be able to say grace in Latin.
Peter Wynne-Thomas, who died on 15 July 2021 aged 86, was the finest cricket historian, archivist and statistician of his day. He was born on 30 July 1934 in Manchester. When his father was called up to fight in World War II, Peter and his sister were sent away to school. From the ages of six to ten Peter attended school in Oswestry, Shropshire then Belmont School in Hassocks before arriving at Lancing in September 1947. Peter enjoyed his five years at Lancing and when he visited the school a few years ago, he spoke warmly of his time there to his wife Edith. He played cricket for the Lower Field Club (the 3rd XI) but was, by his own admission, not a great cricketer describing himself as ‘disgustingly keen but useless’. In the 2014 Lancing Club Magazine there is a picture of the Lower Field Club from 1952, Peter is standing fourth from the left. Nearly 70 years later he could name all his teammates in the photo. Peter was a strong runner finishing 13th in the Five Mile run in 1951 and 18th the following year. The Lancing School Magazine mentions his distinctions in History and Mathematics, subjects invaluable in his later career. He remembered distracting his Geography teacher and former First Class cricketer, Sam Jagger, persuading him to talk about cricket for most of the lesson. A contemporary was JK Hall who played cricket for Surrey in the 1950s.
Peter’s family moved to Attenborough in Nottingham before he went to Lancing and Peter followed cricket and especially Nottinghamshire cricket from a young age, particularly admiring Bill Voce and Joe Hardstaff. In July 1948 he saw Donald Bradman playing for the Australians at the County Ground, Derby and in August 1949 he attended his first match at Trent Bridge when Notts played the visiting New Zealanders and Hardstaff scored 123 not out.
After leaving Lancing in 1952, Peter moved to London and studied architecture at the University of London and Regent’s Street Poly living at the YMCA for seven years (‘until they chucked me out’). He went to his job interviews with his drawings of Lancing College and the Chapel and worked as an architect before deciding it was not for him. In the 1960s Peter started research on a book on Nottinghamshire cricketers because ‘I wondered who the people were behind the statistics’. The book won the prestigious Cricket Society Book of the Year in 1971. He moved back to Nottingham and his cricket writing career had begun and gradually took over from his career in architecture.
Peter founded the Trent Bridge Library in 1978 when Nottinghamshire were left a collection of 8,000 cricket books. Named the Wynne-Thomas Library in 2015 and with 17,000 books it is the second biggest cricket library in the world.
Peter was very keen on drawing all his life and was a talented watercolourist and cartoonist. He was a gifted speaker. Until the last month of his life he was never ill and never in hospital. By his own admission he was not technologically gifted, he did not have a mobile phone and never sent an email. He preferred his old battered typewriter. He loved the film ‘Casablanca’.
Mike Atherton, the former England cricket captain and the Times chief cricket correspondent, described Peter as ‘a tremendously kindly soul: upright, slim, a bushy white moustache, immaculately dressed and time for anyone with a query.’ He was modest, self-deprecating with a dry sense of humour. Peter helped Sir John Major with his book on cricket ‘More Than a Game’ and Peter’s wife Edith was very touched to receive a handwritten note from Sir John when Peter died.
In 2019 Peter was proud and honoured to be awarded the British Empire Medal for ‘services to cricket and the community of Nottinghamshire’ and thoroughly enjoyed attending a Garden Party at Buckingham Place with his wife.
Peter was a member of The Cricket Society for 70 years, joining whilst he was still at Lancing and attending meetings in London with his Lancing friend Johnny Hawker (Second’s 1947-1951). Peter was a founding member and leading light in the Association of Cricket Statisticians (ACS) from its formation in 1973, serving as Secretary for over 30 years. He was twice named the ACS Statistician of the Year. He was a Life Member of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and President in 2016 and 2017. He won praise for the epic ‘Who’s Who of Cricketers’ published in 1984 co-written with Philip Bailey and Philip Thorn. His history of cricket ‘From the Weald to the World’ published in 1989 is one of the best histories of the game both for the avid follower and the general reader.
Peter will be fondly remembered within the world of cricket and he will be greatly missed by his wife Edith, daughter Beccy and his wider family.
Nick Tudball Head’s 1975-1980