John Jameson MBE (Wills East, 1955-1959)

We are sorry to share the sad news that Old Tauntonian John Jameson MBE (Wills East, 1955-1959) passed away recently.

John enjoyed a distinguished cricketing career, serving as a key member of the Warwickshire County Cricket Club from 1960 to 1976. Renowned for his powerful stroke play, he made his mark as a top-order batsman and went on to represent England in four Test matches and three One Day Internationals between 1971 and 1975.

Following his retirement from professional cricket in in 1976, John returned to his old school as Cricket Coach, where he had been a legendary opening batsman during his years in the 1st XI. In his final season as Captain he had amassed 1031 runs, a record only beaten by Tom Abell (Goodland, 1996-2012) more than 50 years later.

During his years as coach (1977-1982) John presided over a cricket scene at Taunton which enjoyed much success and saw the progress of brilliant young players such as Nick Pringle (Goodland, 1980-1985) and Ricky Bartlett (Evans, 1978-1985). His contributions to cricket continued in many forms: as an umpire, coach at Sussex, and Assistant Secretary of the MCC.

John’s legacy reached international shores, particularly in Bangladesh, where he toured with MCC sides in 1978 and 1980. His larger-than-life presence endeared him to fans in Dhaka, and his later work as a coach helped in the early development of cricket in the area.

In recognition of his lifelong dedication to the sport, John was appointed an MBE in the 2010 New Year Honours.