Roger Dean
It is with great sadness that we advise that Roger passed away in the early hours of Monday 23 December. Roger had been diagnosed as having motor neurone disease last August, the same illness that took John Cawston away from us earlier this year. As with John, this awful disease caused him to rapidly deteriorate in his last weeks.
Roger was probably the Club’s greatest ever servant. Following his father Cliff’s example, Roger devoted much of his life to Northampton Exiles CC. He contributed far more than any other individual to a Club which enters its 128th year in 2025.
Roger began playing for the Club in 1957 and played continually until injury forced
his retirement in 1991. He was a medium pace inswing bowler and late middle-
order batsman. He captained the 2nd XI from 1969-71 before captaining the 1st XI
from 1973-76. His best season was in 1975 when he took 60 wickets.
Roger’s phenomenal contribution to the Club, though, was the huge amount
of work he undertook behind the scenes.
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Roger was Club Chairman from 1979- 2014.
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Continuing on from his father, from the mid 1980s, when the Club took over responsibility for the squares, Roger became heavily involved in the
maintenance of the ground, spending many hours watering, mowing, marking and rolling the wickets
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Roger was the organiser of the Club’s annual tour to Folkestone for over 20 years
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Roger was a lead member of the joint management committee (NEASO) of Exiles and Southgate Olympic AFC, with whom we share the ground and clubhouse for some 30 years
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Roger chaired the Club’s Centenary Committee where he was able to persuade his friend, the legendary Bill Frindall of Test Match Special fame, to be the guest dinner speaker. He also helped organise the Club’s celebration of its 75th and 125th anniversaries.
Roger epitomised everything that can be special about club cricket – the selfless team first attitude when playing, the devotion of so much time to essential unpaid work behind the scenes for the benefit of others and the building of so many friendships both within the Club and across the club cricket world. Roger has been the rock at the foundation of the Club for decades, a role model full of wisdom and kindness with undiminished enthusiasm for the game. He was a truly special man who we will miss enormously.
I have copied below a wonderful tribute from Arthur Cornish, Southgate Olympic’s Chairman for many of the years while Roger was Exiles’ Chairman.
We will advise of funeral arrangements once known.
David Taylor
24 December 2024
“It’s so sad to hear this news about a truly amazing person and loyal clubman to his beloved Northampton Exiles and a major partner and friend to Southgate Olympic. His services to club and to cricket generally were truly remarkable and require suitable recognition in due course.
I will always remember him sitting on a grass cutter, slowly moving up and down on the cricket square, happy in doing what he loved best, in the summer sunshine and of course moaning to me on occasions about litter and water bottles on the outfield.
A true gentleman in a gentleman's sport.
God bless you Roger and thank you”.
Arthur Cornish