By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

FORMER team-mates and rival players have been remembering Bideford cricketer Matt Allin following his death at the age of 46.

Matt, who was a prolific run scorer and former captain of the Westward Ho! club, suffered a severe stroke nine years ago. Until recently he lived at the Burdon Grange specialist nursing home at Highhampton. He died in hospital in Exeter, where he was being treated for aspirated pneumonia.

Team-mates and opponents have been paying generous tributes to Matt, who left a lasting impression on almost everyone who played with or against him.

Ian Hayter, who captained Matt in Bideford teams, said: “He was an opening batsman and fearless keeper, who hated getting out and hated losing.

“Matt scored runs against all opposition and on all types of wickets. He very rarely averaged less than 40 in a season and you'd rather he was on your team than play against him. 

“He was a larger-than-life character, both on and off the field.”

Kevin Fishleigh, a former team-mate of Matt’s and the current Bideford chairman, recalled a highly competitive player with a passion for winning cricket matches.

“Matt’s commitment to winning was second to none,” said Fishleigh. “He was a 110-per cent player, the type every club needs, and his knowledge of cricket seemed endless.

“It would be fair to say he was the strongest player at Bideford CC for a long time.”

James Ford, who captained Matt and was skippered by him as well, said the chance to play with Allin was his motivation for joining Bideford from Westleigh.

“I knew opening the batting with him was going to be an experience I couldn't turn down,” said Ford, whose own son Jack has recently acceded to the Bideford captaincy.

“I can honestly say I loved every minute of his craziness and our chats between overs about nothing to do with cricket. Matt was such a talented keeper-batsman. RIP partner.”

Among the many tributes paid to Matt was one from Steve Moore, the former Braunton and Barnstaple & Pilton captain, who is still wheeling away in his sixth decade.

 “Matt was a very talented cricketer, a quick-scoring batsman, a good wicketkeeper, especially standing up, and very competitive at times!” said Moore.

“As an opposing player he could be annoying. His is a sad loss.”

Matt Westaway, who captained North Devon, remembered running into Matt Allin while he was an up-and-coming seam bowler with Barnstaple & Pilton.

“Batting or keeping he was a flamboyant player, known for twirling his bat in the air above his head,” said Westaway.

“Matt was a fantastic player who scored a lot of runs. I never enjoyed bowling at him!”

Apart from a brief spell with North Devon CC in 2000, Matt was a Bideford player through and through. He captained the 1st XI in 2004 and 2005.

Allin made his Bideford debut as a 14-year-old in 1993 and played on to the end of the 2014 season. His final game for the club was a 2nd XI fixture against Bradninch.

League records – both for the Tolchards DCL and the Bright Motors NDL – are not totally complete during the time frame Matt played in. What can be verified is that in 473 recorded games for Bideford he scored 16,459 runs, made 27 centuries and 103 scores of 50 or more and averaged 40.54.

Matt became Bideford’s all-time leading run scorer during the 2010 season when he passed the career-total of 12,545 made by Andy Davies between 1958-2004. James Ford (22,000+) has since set a new record. 

Tony Allin, Matt’s father, said his older son was basically a shy person who expressed himself through sport, not just on the cricket pitch, but in goal for Clovelly FC or as a playing member of the Clovelly Golf Society.

His love of sport took him to South Africa aged 16 to improve his game working with ex-Test start Daryll Cullinan. Later he spent a UK winter in New Zealand playing for Levin CC.

Matt was educated at Woolsery Primary School then Bideford College. He was talent spotted by Devon while at college and went through the county youth ranks to under-19 level.

Allin appeared twice for the full Devon side in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Cup. The second of those was against the professionals of Lancashire CCC early in the 2003 season.

Matt went to work on his father’s farm after leaving college. When dad retired, he worked as an agricultural telehandler driver.

Matt’s parents – Tony and wife Bev – have had to deal with more than their fair share of heartache as younger son Tom, a former professional cricketer with Warwickshire, died in 2016 aged just 28.

Tom died following a fall from the A39 Torridge Bridge. A coroner’s inquest found that he had died of suicide.

Tony, who was a professional cricketer with Glamorgan in the 1970s, said he had been fortunate to play cricket with his sons.

“It was my privilege to play with both of them; two fine, young men who were taken too soon,” said Tony.

Coping with the death of a child is one of the hardest things for a parent to cope with. Getting through it twice is beyond the imagination of most people.

Tony said three things have helped him and his wife deal with their tragedies.

“Faith, friends and family,” said Tony. “I would not say we are massively devout, but we go to the Methodist chapel and that is an important part of the healing process for us.”

Matt Allin is survived by his parents and sisters Kate and Jacqueline. His funeral will take place on Tuesday, December 17 at All Hallows Parish Church, Woolsery (1pm).

[ O ] Bideford archivist Paul Argyle has compiled a statistical record of Matt Allin's performances, which will appear on this website shortly