By Charles Randall

1 January 2014

The award of an MBE to John Pickup, chairman of the Minor Counties Cricket Association, in the New Year's Honours List recognised his massive contribution to recreational cricket and proved to be neatly timed, as his county Cheshire won the 2013 championship.

Pickup, 76, gave service as honorary secretary of Cheshire for 24 years before becoming the county board chairman and, a lawyer by profession, he was appointed an ECB board director at the ECB's formation in 1997.

David Collier, the ECB chief executive, paid tribute to Pickup's lifetime of work for cricket. "He has been a great champion, in particular, of our recreational game, and his knowledge and expertise in this area remain invaluable," he said.

The minor counties four-day final, a Cheshire victory over Cambridgeshire by 129 runs at Wisbech, was set up by Rick Moore's 175 not out that took Cheshire to 372-9 off their 90 overs. Cambridgeshire patched up a disastrous second day with a stand of 76 by their last two batsmen, captain Paul McMahon and Sam Rippington, trailing by 76 on first innings, but they never looked like halting the champions.

Moore, of Oulton Park CC, captained Leeds-Bradford Universities in 2012, and Tommy Hardman, the Lancashire Academy player and much loved Leeds student, had already been named as his successor when he died of sudden heart failure at the age of 21 in November that year.