Cricket legend honoured with new church doors

The career of a famous cricketer has been commemorated with a set of cricket-themed church doors.

The doors, which have cricket bats for handles, have been installed in honor of Somerset cricket legend Harold Gimblett at St George church in the village of Bicknoller, where he was born.

Harold played for England in the 1930s and is Somerset's leading run scorer to this day, with more than 21,000 runs.

Harold's grandson Richard Gimblett attended the opening ceremony and said: "I heard a lot of his achievements when I was young. He died when I was 10 but I still got to play cricket with him in the garden."

Richard has said he is still a Somerset fan, despite now living in Surrey.

"To come here today, to hear the things said about my grandfather, I'm a very proud man today," he added.

The doors were opened by another cricketing legend, Marcus Trescothick.

He described Harold as "part of the legend of the club", adding: "It gives younger players something to aspire to.

"Long may that continue and we carry on the history of the club."

Richard Walsh, trustee from Somerset County Cricket museum, attended the opening and said Gimblett was a "local lad, playing cricket locally".

"He went out there with a borrowed cricket bat and became a national hero overnight," Walsh added.

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