You may be interested to learn that:

Gordon Wilcock became a sales manager after leaving county cricket and eventually became UK Sales Director of an international business. He and his wife now dote on their three granddaughters- 32 years since he left New Road.

John Inchmore is Gordon Wilcock's Financial Advisor [IPA]!

Brian Brain played for Shrops. after he left Gloucs. in 1981; and then Old Hill until 1984. He is also an IPA now.

Sadly, Brian no longer attends New Road, after an incident in 1984 when members of the then Committee told him that he was no longer welcome on the premises! This relates to an article he co-wrote with Glenn Turner in The Cricketer in 1982...can anyone with contacts [rupert?] tell us what on earth caused so much apparent offence- and why so many of our 1970s Players no longer wish to be seen on our premises..whatever went on with the Committee?

My information is that Brainy has long been forgiven for any indiscretions he may have committed and he has,in fact,attended a number of WOPA days over the last few years.He actually appeared on a `get-together ` photo with the others you mentioned about five years ago.The last time I bumped into him he had an insurance brokers business in Malvern.

A lot of ill feeling probably stems from the public row at Malvern , at the end of the 1975 season , between Norman Gifford and the then Chair of the cricket committee , Dick Howorth . Yardley , Brain , Cass and Wilkinson were released. Ivan Johnson has already left but , according to David Lemmon's history of WCCC, Inchmore threatened to resign as well.

The reasons ? The need for better results , bring on young players and cost savings . So , nothing changes. PR would handle matters better today in order to avoid washing in public.

As it turned out the right decision was probably taken.

I seem to remember the "Express and Star" linking Surrey's Dudley Owen-Thomas with the captaincy....

As I remember it,Committeeman Dick Thomas-a Redditch solicitor-got most of the blame for `organising` the coup against Dick Howorth.It was alleged-although never proven -that Thomas was the authour of a round robin from the players claiming that Howorth was detached and autocratic as Chairman of Cricket.Certainly,Inchers was a leading figure in the campaign to remove Howorth (successful!)but backed down before he,too,got the chop! Whilst he spent another ten years at New Road and later became a committee member himself,he was never truly forgiven by Vocky and the `old brigade`.Those were the days!!!