JF steps down from Board role after 11 years
John Foster has stepped down from his role as Cricket Shropshire’s Performance Director – but he’s not done with the game in the county just yet.
John has been a constant figure in Shropshire cricket since he moved to the county in 1979 joining Shrewsbury Cricket Club and making his debut for the County side the following year.
He was Shropshire CCC skipper for seven years, a committee member for many years, has led both the County Over 50s & 60s sides and has been a Board director since 2014 including a stint as vice-chair.
But with another milestone birthday looming, he decided to step down from the Board at the recent annual meeting, although he is still playing regularly for Shropshire Over 60s and is Chair of Shropshire Seniors Cricket.
He said: “Things have changed out of all proportion in the last 11 years and I have really enjoyed being part of that change.
“Cricket Shropshire has a great team of people to move the organisation forward to broaden the cricket horizons within the county and provide genuine support to clubs, schools and players alike.”
Cricket Shropshire Lead Officer Steve Reese said: “John has been a fantastic ambassador for the game in the county and we are indebted to him for his loyal and dedicated service to cricket in Shropshire both on and off the field.
“In my four years as Lead Officer, JF’s experience and knowledge has been invaluable.
“His readiness to check and challenge always ensured we knew if anything had to be taken to the Board. It needed to be accurate and adding value to the game not just for the sake of doing things.”
He made his Shropshire debut in a game in 1980 against a Nottinghamshire side featuring the likes of Richard Hadlee, Clive Rice and Derek Randall.
Looking back on his long affiliation with cricket in Shropshire, he said: “Highlights include becoming national Club champions with Shrewsbury’s victory at Lord’s in 1983.
“Then there was receiving my county cap in 1984 and being part of the Shropshire side which beat Yorkshire at St Georges in the Nat West Trophy that year.”
He also enjoyed watching from the side lines as his sons Ed and Rob have come through the ranks at Shrewsbury and go on to follow in their father’s footsteps to skipper Shropshire.
“I enjoyed watching Ed and Rob winning the National Club Championship with Shrewsbury in 2011 and the MCCA one day competition at Durham in 2010.
“Then there was watching them both help Shrewsbury dominate the Birmingham League Premier Division for a number of years.”
During his time involved in the game in Shropshire, he was also Chair of the Shropshire Association of Cricket Coaches for five years and worked with the England Women’s team in the late 1980s/early 1990s.
In the late 1980s he was part of the League Cricket Conference representative side which took on international touring sides including Australia, India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
He has also captained England’s Over 60s from 2016-19 which included two tours of Australia and four wins in the ‘Grey Ashes’.