Former West Indies batsman Seymour Nurse died on Monday after a long illness. Nurse, 85, played 29 Tests between 1960 and 1969. He also played for 3 seasons at Ramsbottom Cricket Club & Maurice Haslam shares his memories of the great man.
Seymour Nurse 10 Nov 1933 -06 May 2019
I am deeply saddened by the news of the passing of West Indies, Barbados & former Ramsbottom professional Seymour MacDonald Nurse, at the age of 85. You would have found it very hard not to like this man as he was a fun loving gentleman & cricketer of the highest calibre.
Widely regarded as one of the best batsman in the world during the 1960s, Nurse played 29 Test matches from which he scored 2523 runs at an average of 47.60. He managed six Test hundreds and 10 fifties, with a highest score of 258 versus New Zealand in Christchurch in 1969. Of his six hundreds, two were doubles and another a score of 168. Nurse was among an elite list of West Indian batsmen who made over 500 runs in a Test series on two occasions. He made his Test debut against England in Jamaica in 1960 and was named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year in 1967.
Seymour was professional at Ramsbottom for three seasons, 1961,1962 & 1964 scoring a total of 2644 league runs, highest score of 129* & an average of 45.53 with 6 tons & 14 half centuries. He was an elegant right handed batsman, who just oozed class, thought of by many a good judge, to be possibly the finest Ramsbottom professional batsman ever. He also bowled ‘little off spinners’ taking 130 wickets at 14.85 with a best of 7-62.
He also showed us his very able footballing skills on players trips to the Fylde coast of which he loved every minute.
Lovely kind man with the broadest of smiles who loved life & gave pleasure to millions. R.I.P. Seymour.
Maurice Haslam