Swansea University Cricket club committee and some of its alumni have arranged a charity match in memory of late cricketer Jeremy ‘Jez’ Suter. The game will be a university XI between the current members and past members – also known as The Old Boys – and was taking place on Sunday 3rd May.
The event was introduced last year and was organised by that year’s club captain and Jeremy himself. Jeremy Suter, or ‘Jez’ as he was known to all of his friends, studied geography at Swansea and followed it with a PGCE at Oxford before becoming a teacher at his boyhood school of Beaconsfield.
He passed away last October from a brain haemorrhage caused by an undiagnosed brain tumour.
The idea behind the game originally was to have an event where former Swansea cricketers could come back for a weekend to meet up again with others who had left or younger members who were still at the university.
This year the cricket club aim to continue the tradition set up by Jez and will play the match as a charity event in his honour.
The money raised will be donated to two charities that Jez and his family supported in his home county of Buckinghamshire; food bank charity ‘Food For the Hungry’ and a cricket in the community charity the ‘Buck Youth Cricket Trust’. Both charities received donations from Jez’s funeral.
“The best possible outcome for the day would be for as many people to come along and have a good day whilst raising money for very deserving charities and remembering someone who did more for the cricket club than anyone else,” said third year cricketer Chris Millett.
The club will also be running a BBQ and refreshments.
The match will give the club the opportunity to ensure the longevity of Jez’s memory in the same way that Jez insured the longevity of the club. During his time as president of the cricket club, Jez helped to preserve the club when it was facing financial difficulty and has been described by current members as ‘the best batsmen the club had ever had’.
Plenty of players and fans are getting behind the idea and have expressed their support for the match.
“His affectionate and kind hearted nature was truly inspiring and is why so many people gravitated towards him,” said Alex Elliot.
“Personally, this means a great deal: the idea of old boys vs current students resonated with me from the moment it was brought about. The idea that university doesn’t have to simply end once you leave is fantastic, to catch up with old friends and help the new students out is a great idea and good fun.”
“Last year it was great to see everyone and be able to spend time catching up with people who have left in past years. This year that feeling will be much greater as we will be one man short who everyone would love to be there this time,” said Chris Millett.
“It’s the first game since the passing of former club captain Jez Suter, a fixture in which he played a part in last year, captaining the old boys side. Jez was a great club captain, friend and team mate. The renaming of the trophy in his honour doesn’t really make up for the massive effect Jez had on the club, but will make sure his legacy remains,” said Euan Tippings.
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