Where are they now - Jim Cumbes - 30 Oct 2008

Jim Cumbes is the Chief Executive of Lancashire County Cricket Club

"I have fond memories of my first steps into pro football when I went to Runcorn as a part-time pro for the princely sum of 30s a week (£1.50p!). Believe it or not I still search for your results every week, as I do with all the clubs I played for, and I even came across a guy last year who watched me play at Canal St all those years ago. Ah those were the days!! Incidentally I also bumped into Jock Cunningham in Altrincham a couple of times some time back, but haven’t seen him since. Eddie Moss occasionally used to come to Old Trafford as he was the uncle of one of our former players I believe. Best wishes for the rest of the season"

We thank Jim for his kind words and also the biography he has sent us, which we are sure Linnets fans will find of interest:

When I left Runcorn, I joined Tranmere Rovers as a professional and went on to play over 200 games for them in the Third and Fourth Divisions. In 1969 I was transferred to West Bromich Albion Football Club who were then a First Division (Premier League) Club and for a time was the second most expensive goalkeeper in the country at the princely sum of £35,000! This limited my appearances for Surrey in the 1970 season to just eight weeks between the football and cricket seasons. As a result of this I left Surrey at the end of the 1970 season and joined Lancashire once again in 1971 as a non-contracted player. In November 1971 I dropped two divisions to the Third Division crossing the city of Birmingham to join Aston Villa, who then had great ambitions of regaining their former glories in the First Division. This heralded a change of cricket club once more, and I joined Worcestershire where I was able to combine cricket and football more comfortably, being fully based in the Midlands. My career at Aston Villa then went on until the end of the 1976 season and in that time Villa gained promotion into the Second Division, eventually into the First winning the League Cup Final at Wembley on the way in 1975. Over at Worcestershire, success was achieved when they won the County Championship in 1974 which was consolation for defeat in the Benson and Hedges Cup Final the year before at Lords. In doing so, I became the only sportsman to win a League Cup Winners Medal in football and a Championship Medal in cricket - both within a seven month spell! I also have another unique record in that I appeared in a cricket cup final at Lords (1973) as well as a cup final at Wembley. Not content with being a professional sportsman in two sports, I also hosted a radio show on local radio for a five-year spell. This was on Sunday mornings acting as a D.J. and chat show host. Retirement from full-time professional football came at the end of the 1976 season, after making over 500 league and cup appearances, and appearing at 88 of the (then) 92 football league grounds. A six month spell in America with Portland Timbers in Oregon followed before complete retirement from the game, although my professional cricket career continued with Worcestershire until the end of the 1981 season. A change of cricket clubs came again in 1982 when I joined Warwickshire as a non-contracted player but was also appointed their Commercial Manager. Retirement from first class cricket came at the end of the 1982 season, when it became clear one job in cricket was enough! I remained in the role of Commercial Manager at Warwickshire until September 1987 when I was appointed Marketing Manager at Lancashire County Cricket Club. In 1994 the role was widened to that of Sales & Marketing Manager and when Chief Executive, John Bower left the Club at the end of August 1997 I was appointed his successor on 1st October. In my current position, I am responsible to the General Committee of the Club and oversee the Management Team comprising of the Head Groundsman, Sales & Marketing Manager, Financial Controller, Stadium Manager, Catering and Lodge General Manager and Cricket Manager.


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