It’s 98 not out for cricket fan Mary.
For decades and decades Mary Penistan has loyally supported Earl Stonham Cricket Club, near Stowmarket.
From 1954 right up to today she has been keeping score, sometimes in an official capacity, sometimes just for fun.
And on Saturday the team, which she is a vice-president of, marked her 98th birthday.
Her daughter, Frankie Wicks, 67, from the village, said: “She has been a cricket fan all her life, she grew up near Halesworth in Rumburgh and her father was a keen cricketer. She was an only child but could not play cricket because she was a girl but she kept score. She still really enjoys village cricket, with the local personalities, rather than test cricket.
“It’s a very friendly family club, it has a nice atmosphere. The chairman and president’s match is held once a year and she always goes to that.”
The family has a strong connection with the club with three generations playing for them. Mary’s late husband Dick, Mrs Wicks’ husband, David, 67 and grandsons Ben and James have all played for the club over the years.
Now as Mary nears her centenary year she watches matches from the comfort and warmth of a car. During the Second World War she worked as a nurse and then as a farmer’s wife when she and her Dick moved to Earl Stonham in the 1940s.
Mrs Wicks added: “She just loves cricket and local cricket, she’s not interested in football or other sports but she does like tennis. Village cricket has always been part of her life.”
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