Lives in Cricket No 15 - Michael Falcon

Chapter Eight Life After Big-Time Cricket Following his forty years as a player, there was now a brief hiatus in Falcon’s involvement with Norfolk C.C.C. To mark his services to Norfolk cricket there was, in 1947, a presentation to him in front of the Lakenham pavilion of a portrait of himself painted by Oswald Birley, 62 contributions to which were made by no fewer than 240 subscribers. This portrait is still owned by Michael Falcon’s son. After a couple of years rest, Michael Falcon was appointed chairman of Norfolk C.C.C. in 1950 and continued in this role until 1969 when he stood down, only to be elected as president for the next three years. Committee records for this period have not survived and so his loyal spadework has gone unrecorded, save from the odd glimpse in the Eastern Daily Press sports columns. To mark his services to the club, the committee opened a subscription list for a presentation which he chose to take in the form of two large wooden benches, suitably inscribed, which were installed in front of the pavilion at Lakenham. When the club moved to Manor Park, Horsford, in 2001 the benches were left behind, in error. The landlord proved to be somewhat reluctant to let the benches go and it was only after a threat of legal action that the benches were released and installed on the new ground. Michael Falcon continued his involvement with the Norwich Union, started before the death of his father, 108 Michael Falcon at the Norwich Union’s 150th anniversary dinner in 1958. 62 Birley was a leading portrait painter of this period, well-known for his paintings of the royal family and war-time leaders. He painted several well-regarded portraits of his friend Sir Winston Churchill, and gave him lessons. Eight years older than Falcon, he had also attended Harrow School and Cambridge University. He was knighted in 1949.