Twenty-One Years of the ACS

Dennis Lambert co-opted and finally Brian Croudy was elected to the committee at the 1975 AGM.It meant the the Magnificent Seven, chiefly responsible for establishing the ACS as an on-going concern, were heavily involved together for the first time. They were either on the committee, or like Lambert and Thorn, were beavering away behind the scenes. Lambert(bom 1934), a reticent, congenial soul, was a far less volatile figure than Brooke, his co-founder. Lambert never found it easy to slot his ACS interests into a demanding, /tf-" \ professional career, which, in the early years, necessitated moving house around the country more than ^ oncc. It has been to his credit that he has managed as much research as he wholesaler in Knutsford - Lambert invariably provided much needed commonsense and financial acumen to those meetings he could attend.He re-joined the committee in 1976 and three years later was the obvious choice to succeed Brooke as chairman when the position fell vacant. Lambert gave up office in 1981, however, without too many regrets at a period when the ACS was passing through a sad time of internal strife. Lambert's studious nature - a favourite relaxation is 19th century history - was hardly suited to hassle in an activity that he considered a hobby. Lambert's specialities arc overseas cricket and Leicestershire and he wrote the county's history for the series published by Helm.Thorn(born 1937),an insurance consultant,was another to find research more pleasurable than committee work. He had become fascinated by the challenge to track down the births, deaths and other biographical details of cricketers long before the ACS was formed.Thorn's expertise in this sphere has resulted in his contribution to the ACS being as distinguished as any made and there has hardly been a booklet which has failed to benefit from his remarkable talent. To illustrate Thorn's Hair he told an early ACS meeting that more than 60 per cent of cricketers' deaths had gone unrecorded in Wisden and he has since found most of the missing details. He was the man saddled with the arduous task of tracing the 2,000 or so players for the Hamlyn's Who's Who, who had not appeared for a county. Most of the elusive, remaining gaps were filled for the revised edition in 1993 and he is prouder of this work against the clock to fulfil a tight deadline than any other he has done.Another extraordinary feat was to compile Barbados Cricketers (1865-1990) for the ACS without leaving his Lincolnshire home. Little was known about half of the 324 players