Two members of the Welsh cricketing community – David Wyndham Lewis and Derek Picken – have been recognized in the King’s Birthday Honours List (writes Andrew Hignell).
David Wyndham Lewis was a member of Glamorgan’s squad which won the County Championship in 1969 – the year of the King’s Investiture as Prince of Wales in Caernarvon. Born in Cardiff and educated at Llandaff Cathedral School and Wycliffe College, David had an outstanding record as a leg-spinner in club cricket and appeared in a dozen games for the Welsh county between 1960 and 1969.
His father was music empresario Wyndham Lewis, who also owned a series of theatres and is reputed to have been the man who discovered Shirley Bassey, the well-known singer who was born and raised in Butetown. After a short spell in South Africa during the 1970s, David followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a concert organiser and amongst other events was responsible for setting up the World Choir Concerts at the National Stadium, Young Voices and later the Welsh Proms in St. David’s Hall.
Indeed, it is for his musical activities that David – who also served on the committee of Glamorgan County Cricket Club and for a while was Chairman of Cricket – has been awarded the OBE. To find out more about David's life and cricketing career, please visit https://glamorgancricketarchives.com/david-lewis/
Derek Picken, the Chair, of Rogerstone Welfare Cricket Club has also received a British Empire Medal. A long-standing player, official and coach with Rogerstone Welfare CC, Derek has been associated with the Newport-based club for over seventy years.
Despite being well into his eighties, Derek is still involved coaching the junior section of the Club, besides ensuring that the history and achievements of the Club have been preserved and recorded. Derek has also recently been involved with the Sporting Memories organization, and has linked up with the Museum of Welsh Cricket based at the Sophia Gardens ground. It is for services to cricket in south-east Wales that Derek has been awarded the BEM.
“I’m very emotional to receive this honour and it is very pleasing to receive this recognition, “ said Derek. I’ve been involved with Rogerstone Welfare since 1952 and I really enjoy it to this day. It keeps me active – I can just about handle coaching the Dynamos children at my age of 86 – and it keeps me mentally active as well. I’m going to keep going for as long as I’m able to!”