MICK COCKCROFT

As you will know, if you have seen the league's Facebook page, or read this week's Weekly Update (below) Mick Cockcroft sadly passed away on Monday this week. Mick had been in poor health for the past year or so but had rarely missed a match, and so his passing comes as something of a surprise to us all.

While Mick has played for Princeville for the last 3 or 4 years, he was really always an Eastbrook man and only joined Princeville when the last Eastbrook team folded soon after the pandemic. He also played in the South Bradford League, latterly for Gt Horton Conservatives, but I believe that before that he had played for Chapel Green. He represented Eastbrook in the Pudsey League, in year's past, and even had a spell as Pudsey League Secretary some years ago, despite not being a car driver and having to rely on public transport.

His name first appeared on the league's handicap list in 1971 when at a league committee meeting on 3rd November he was a late addition to Eastbrook's list of registered players and given a handicap of 90. He made his first appearance the following Tuesday, in a second team match at home to Gr Horton Cricket Club, and lost 150-137 to N McMann in a heavy defeat for Eastbrook. The scorecard for this fixture is on our Facebook page alongside his final appearance on 16 September 2025. He immediately became a regular in the Eastbook team and over the years his handicap came down and down until in 2006/07 he reached Owe 10. It was only for a single season however and for a long period either side of that he was a steady Rec 10 and a difficult player to beat on his night. Since Eastbrook disbanded, age and poor health have take their toll and this season he was up to rec 40.

Highlights of his career in the Bradford Sunday School League include winning the highest break prize in 2014/15 with a break of 92 (against Gt Horton's Brian Royston) and winning the Individual Snooker competition in 1975/76. He never won the Individual Billiards trophy but with his friend Chris Jarvis he twice recently lifted the Billiards Pairs trophy in 2022/23 and 2023/24. He was also a finalist in 2010/11, playing with Keith Whitham off combined handicap of rec 30, but they had the misfortune in the final to come up against surprise paring Peter Turner and Don Hardcastle, who's combined handicap of rec 270 proved just too much in a 400 up game!!

R.I.P. Mick - an Honorary Life Vice President and league stalwart