Lives in Cricket No 15 - Michael Falcon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stephen Musk was born in Norwich in 1961 and, twelve years later, his father suggested that he might like to cycle the four miles to the Norfolk County Ground at Lakenham and watch some Minor Counties cricket. He was hooked instantly and has rarely missed a home day’s play since. Educated at the Norwich School and at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, he was awarded a doctorate in cell biology in 1987 and a career in scientific research beckoned. Finding London uncongenial, he secured a post at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich. Unfortunately, Stephen has always suffered from mental ill-health, with his condition varying from the merely distressing to the downright disabling. In 1995 a particularly severe episode led to his retirement and for several years he was relatively inactive and reclusive. Then an article in The Cricket Statistician on the Minor Counties Championship scores project, which mentioned that there was no-one covering Norfolk, awakened his interest. He called Tony Webb that very night and was duly welcomed as the Norfolk representative, just in time to contribute to the inaugural 1895 book. Stephen became interested in Norfolk cricket beyond the remit of the project and finds research in the Norwich library to be a welcome distraction from the everyday agonies that come with mental illness. Having decided to write about Michael Falcon for the Lives In Cricket series, he became so engrossed in his subject that he attained a level of mental health better than he has ever experienced before. Undoubtedly the highlight of Stephen’s life was on 12 August 1978, when he was ‘plucked’ from the crowd at Lakenham to serve as substitute fielder for Norfolk in the home match against deadly rivals Suffolk. Although he had always been an appalling fielder, fortune smiled that day and he managed to transcend his normal ineptitude, despite the murky light and drenching rain. He even received a favourable mention in the next day’s newspaper.