Long Sutton Cricket Club holds tribute match raising £500 for the Stroke Association in honour of Paul Deans

A tribute match, memorial bench and trophy have been named in honour of a popular cricketer who died following a stroke.

Paul Deans, known as Deano, died at the beginning of the year and was a committed and popular member of Long Sutton Cricket Club.

A charity match in his name against Boston took place over May bank holiday, raising £500 for the Stroke Association, and a memorial bench has been installed at the club.

His daughter Kelly McCann said: “Dad called Long Sutton home. He played there for years since he was a child. He absolutely loved playing cricket, being out on the field, and he played all over the place.”

Mr Deans, a 62-year-old grandfather of four, had suffered a stroke a few years ago but managed to survive it and regained his health.

Kelly said: “He was committed to the sport. My nan used to joke that he would be out mowing the pitch but he had never done a day's gardening in his life. He was competitive but always had a friendly word of advice.”

Kelly added: “It has been tough. The game was a nice way for him to be remembered. It was nice for his grandchildren and we want to make it an annual event.”

The Paul ‘Deano’ Deans memorial trophy has been named in his honour — and the first match was won by the Long Sutton XI.