TRIBUTES have been paid to Bob Cunnell, who has passed away at the age of 80.

Bob was Suffolk’s most successful Minor Counties captain, leading the county to Championship wins in both 1977 and 1979.  He passed away on January 12th after developing pneumonia.  Bob had been suffering from advanced stages of Parkinson’s disease in Orwell Nursing home.

Bob, who was born in Ipswich on July 16th 1942 and attended Northgate Grammar School, played club cricket for Ipswich side Browns, Saxmundham and Copdock.  He was also a widely-respected cricket coach.

He was the first cricket coach of former Suffolk batter and current Suffolk CCC Chairman Andrew Squire, who said: “Bob or RE, as he was also known, was not only Suffolk’s most successful ever captain, but he was a fine cricketer too.  Yes, he had some excellent players at his disposal as a captain, but because he was prepared to lose in order to win a game, Suffolk pulled off some remarkable victories under his leadership.

Bob will be fondly remembered by all who knew him in cricketing circles and our condolences go out to his family at this sad time.”

Suffolk CCC President Tony Warrington, who played both Suffolk’s Championship-winning sides, said: “Bob was a very good captain both tactically and in managing his team.

In two-day cricket you have to be prepared to lose in order to win which means you need to take risks and Bob was a risk taker. He would rarely set the opposition more than four runs an over to chase in their second innings to keep them interested and more often than not Suffolk would win.”

Bob made his Suffolk debut in 1960 versus Lincolnshire and went on to play 167 matches in the Minor Counties Championship.

Only fellow former captains Phil Caley (220) and Simon Clements (184) together with the county’s all-time leading wicket-taker Cyril Perkins (181) have made more Minor Counties appearances for Suffolk.

He also captained Suffolk in their Gillette Cup tie away to Sussex in 1979 when they came close to causing a major upset, losing by just two wickets.

Bob taught at Chantry High School in Ipswich for 39 years and received a BT Teacher award for Lifetime Achievement upon his retirement in 2002.  He is survived by his wife Jennie, sister Wendy, son Nick and daughter Sophie and grand-daughter Julia Ann.

Bob’s funeral will be held at Seven Hills Crematorium on Thursday, February 16th at 11.15am. Donations in support of Parkinson’s UK can be made via

http://robertcunnell.muchloved.com

(My thanks go to Nick Garnham for much of the content of this post.)