Oldest ex-Torquay cricketer Dick Barr dies at grand old age of 100
By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE
TORQUAY CC’S oldest former player has died at the ripe old age of 100.
Dick Barr was an engineer whose speciality was gas turbine blades and jet engines. As a young graduate during wartime he worked on the development of the first viable jet engines with Sir Frank Whittle.
When the war ended in 1945 the 25-year-old Lancastrian set up his own company to manufacture gas turbines. That company was Centrax, which moved from Middlesex to Devon in 1954 and operates from a factory on the outskirts of Newton Abbot.
Barr had played cricket for Ashford in Middlesex prior to the move to Devon and resumed his career with Torquay during the 1954 season. The Recreation Ground club was a natural choice as former Ashford team-mates Roy Smith and Bill Hart were already playing there.
Barr featured in the Torquay 1stXI for most of the 1950s and played on in the 2ndXI into the early 1960s.
Barr was a seam bowler who could bat a bit too, although by the time he joined Torquay he was starting to slow down in all departments!
David Post, a fast-bowler who made his Saturday 1stXI debut for Torquay in 1959, said it was hard to forget playing with Dick Barr for a number of reasons.
“My debut was against Sidmouth and the three new boys in the team – Roger Matthews, Ron Wilson and myself – travelled up together,” said Post.
“When we got there we thought we had gone to the wrong game as the away dressing room had all these old men in it. We thought it was the second team!
“David Haines, the first-team captain, led us out and we soon found out the ‘old men’ were all non-benders and us young-uns had to do all bowling and chasing.
“We bowled them out for 66, but batted dreadfully and were all out ourselves for something like 40.”
On another away trip it wasn’t the result that Post remembered but the journey to the ground.
“It was Exeter away – don’t ask me the result – and what I do remember is travelling to the game in Dickie’s Rolls Royce,” said Post.
Dick Barr was married twice. Second wife Suzanne survives him along with sons Robert, Richard, Andrew and Christopher.
