Peter David Yates
Peter was born on 11 March 1934 and died on 7 April 2011.
He was educated at Connaught House School, Bishop’s Lydiard, and, like his father, Radley College. Born in Wellington, he lived in and around it all his life. He worked for what is now Swallowfield in Wellington and Global Chemicals in Bampton, Devon. And no doubt other places too.
A lifelong bachelor, his interests were cricket, skittles and golf. People who had played with him in all those sports were at a very well attended funeral at Taunton Crematorium on 20 April 2011.
He played cricket for local clubs as well as Somerset Stragglers, where he was secretary for many years, the Sou’Westers and the Free Foresters. Although primarily a bowler, he and his father once opened the innings for the Old Boys of Radley against the College and put on a century partnership.
In recent years he was a trustee of the Somerset Cricket Museum, and for the last four years was the curator. His huge knowledge of Somerset cricket made him an invaluable source of information in mounting exhibitions and answering questions from the public and the media.
Peter had been a member of the Sou’Westers since 1960 and after he stopped playing was usually to be seen somewhere on a Sou’Wester tour, most often probably at Bridgetown. Richard Mole saw him most often at Taunton, where on match days he was usually to be found somewhere in the vicinity of the cricket museum which occupies the oldest building in Taunton. Christophers Carruthers and Dean also met up with him there in 2010 shortly before he had to go into hospital for investigation. Peter’s record for the Sou’Westers was 52 innings, 5 not out, 783 runs, 110 highest score, average 16.66, overs 1294, 17 maidens, 494 runs, 41 wickets, average 12.05. Above all, he was a genial man.
In a tribute that he himself would have treasured, the vicar of Milverton invited the many dozens of people at Taunton Crematorium to join with her in the traditional salute to a man leaving the field after a great innings. The round of applause as the curtains closed was long, heartfelt and richly deserved.