PCA PRESS RELEASE
A tribute to one of the founding members of the PCA.
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Famed Lancashire captain John David ‘Jack’ Bond has passed away overnight. A founder of the Professional Cricketers’ Association in 1967 and inaugural winner of the PCA’s Player of the Year award in 1970, it was the Kearsley-born batsman’s prowess in the early years of one-day cricket that forged his reputation on the field.
A cricketing career that began in 1955, the proud Lancastrian led the Red Rose to back-to-back Sunday League titles in 1969 and 1970, the first two years of the competition’s existence. Bond’s Lancashire also won consecutive Gillette Cups in 1970, 1971 and 1972. A feat never equalled.
It was during the 1971 final against Kent at Lord’s that saw Bond assume legendary status with fans. His near superhuman diving catch of overseas star Asif Iqbal, when fielding at extra cover to the bowling of Jack Simmonds, turned a match that Kent was threatening to run away with. His judicious use of spin bowling in limited-overs cricket was to prove his signature as a captain and his legacy as a tactician.
Bond went on to lead Nottinghamshire in his final year as a player in 1974, assuming the mantle from the great Sir Garfield Sobers. Playing 362 first-class matches and 99 List A games, he was also a hugely popular and longstanding member of the first-class umpire’s list. He was 87.
Everyone’s thoughts at the PCA are with Jack’s wife Florence and all of his family and friends.
