AN 83-YEAR-OLD from the Welsh border was very emotional when it was revealed he had been made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Bill Higginson has devoted much of his life to cricket, and was recognised in the list for his services to disability cricket. He worked at the charity British Association for Cricketers with Disabilities from 1998 until 2019.
Mr Higginson, who now lives in Presteigne on the Herefordshire-Powys border was shocked when he found out the news.
“My wife had been carrying the secret for ages, because the guy who set it all in motion did so about two years ago,” he said.
“The guy had to get to my wife to get the background and get the facts right. It wasn’t until May this year we get a special letter from the cabinet office to say you’ve been nominated.
“We wrote back and said yes and that was May. We then had to wait until much, much later and we couldn’t say anything until October 9.
“When the letter actually comes it’s quite emotional but nevertheless very exciting. The wonderful thing is it’s for services to disability cricket, a reward if you like to the volunteers who keep people with disabilities playing throughout the summer.”
When Mr Higginson first moved to Powys he became the cricket development officer for the county and Ceredigion, a post which he held for five years.
He then formed the Powys Association of Cricket Coaches and is currently the chairman of the British Association for Cricketers with Disabilities.
A former middle-order batsmen, Mr Higginson played for Middlesex from 1957 to 1961, but before that was ground staff at Lord’s in 1953.
