A Late Farewell to a Friend – Vale Simon Massey

As you get older your body frequently reminds you that you are not as young as you once were. It can be frustrating, but one can live with it, as one has happy memories of what you did when you didn’t need ointments, vitamins, heat packs or had to watch your diet.

Yet when one hears of that a contemporary of yours has left the world that can give you a major jolt.

Just over a week ago I was talking cricket with someone and laughing about a guy I played with and against, and what a character he was, and how much he loved the game. The person I was talking to said what he is he up to now? So I pulled my phone out and googled him. The first thing that came up was a headline from 2012 which read “Cricket star Massey dies at age of 50.”

I was shocked. I still am shocked. I have felt bad that I had not stayed in touch, but I am not sure that we ever had that kind of friendship. I do know that if we ever met up it would have been as if we had only seen each other last week. Sadly I now know that we will never meet again, and that has preyed on my mind.

There is not much I can do to honour Simon, but I can look back on my memories of him.

I believe that the first time I met Simon Massey was in 1982. I had gone down to Northlands Road in Southampton for a Cricket trial with Hampshire. I had not done too well with the bat first up, clean bowled second ball by Steve “Piggy” Malone; and I did not even get a bat on either ball I faced! Luckily I did better when I went out to bat a second time and bowled Ok. Simon was a contracted player at the time, although those not in the first team did not earn a great deal or play as much as players today. I forget how or why we ended up talking, I imagine that he took the micky out of me, and I said something back.

I was fortunate to be asked back down for nets and met Simon again.

The next time we met would have been in 1984 when we both ended up at trials for Surrey at the Oval. He had been released by Hampshire or was about to be. We played a match on the Oval with Micky Stewart and Geoff Arnold patrolling the boundary watching and shouting advice or comments as they walked round and round. Neither of us were offered a contract, so we adjourned to the bar. We were the last to leave, and they pretty much had to throw us out!

He told me about his time playing in Victoria and I am sure it was for the Mount Waverley club. Not only that, he had managed to end up on the TV dating game show “Perfect Match.” On this he was the one who chose the girl. Having been told to hype up how their weekend away had gone Massey as usual went over the top, much to the annoyance of the girl’s now boyfriend in the front row, which he found even funnier. I saw the videotape of the show, and it was pure Simon.

He loved Australia and he loved the cricket commentary and had tapes and tapes of games he had recorded during his time playing in Victoria. In fact he was one of the people that encouraged me to head over to Australia.

The next time we met was when both of us were playing for minor county sides. I was bowling for Wiltshire under 23’s at a game against Berkshire Under 23’s at Reading. In those days not everyone wore a helmet, but this batsman kept chirping at me after each ball. At the end of the over when they had taken a single the batsman says “hey Ashley you don’t remember me do you?”

I knew the voice but could not see his face. I said, “yes I do” and walked down to fine leg wracking my brain trying to place that voice. The next over he was on strike again. As they went for a single he was running down the wicket at me shouting “you have no idea who I am do you?” By then I had remembered I said “shut up Massey.” He stopped dead in his tracks and said “Shit, you do remember.” I then turned to him and asked how he was playing under 23’s as I knew he was older than that. He laughed and simply said “shhh.” In the bar after the game he revealed that he had changed his date of birth, and no one had picked it up.

The date of birth would be an issue again when he invited me to his birthday party, I think he was living in Fleet at the time. I turned up as you do with a gift and a card, but wrote his actual age in the card. After opening it he looked at me and said, “sorry but that can’t go on public display.” It was a great night and I stayed over before heading back to Swindon the next day. Little did I know that would be the last time I saw him

I then moved to Australia, and have only been back briefly in the past 30 plus years. I never saw Simon again, but I never forgot him, how could you? Whenever I hear “Perfect Match” mentioned, or Mount Waverley Cricket Club I always think of him. Whenever I watch a Test match at the Oval I always think back to that day. What a great day it was being able to play on such an historic ground, and then to sit in the bar until closing time. Surely that was any cricket fans lifelong dream lived in one day.

Yet one of the things that made that day special was the man I shared it with.

Simon, I am sorry we never stayed in touch, but thanks for the memories and great times I spent with you. I know you left us nearly ten years ago now, but I have only just found out and I still can’t believe it. I am so happy that you managed to work in the sport you loved so passionately, and hope that you are now sitting there with all the greats of the past pumping them for information.

Rest in Peace my friend, but rest assured you will always live in my memories.