Rest in Peace
We mourn the deaths of two Huddersfield bowlers following the recent passing of Ralph Simpson and Tommy Moseley.
Ralph Simpson
Ralph was a long-term member of Rastrick BC affectionately known by his teammates as the club's 'Overseas Bowler'. Ralph played in the successful Rastrick team in the Halifax Veterans League in the early 2010s and in the Huddersfield Veterans League up until 2018 when he retired from bowling.
Great clubman and well respected by all and he will be sorely missed by his family and bowling club mates.
Tommy Moseley
A Lockwood Con bowler over many years with committed service as the greenkeeper at the club, Tommy was an ever-popular member of the many Lockwood Con teams over a prolonged period. Tommy was a member of the highly successful club team that dominated the Huddersfield Veterans League winning the Division 1 title for 7 consecutive years from 2014-2021.
But Tommy was more than a good bowler being an important part of the Lockwood family of clubmen that had stayed and played together in different sporting environments over many years.
He was also a real character with two stories that have been related to me to emphasise that side of his personality. Both stories involve his hair problems as he suffered from a young age with alopecia. To counter this in later life Tommy was rarely seen without his stetson but in his youth, he resorted to wearing a wig. This created some problems for him at work and play.
The first story tells of his time working as a meter reader for an electricity company when he called on an elderly lady to read her meter. The meter was in the cellar of the property and Tommy duly descended down the stairs to complete his task. On the way back up his wig was knocked off by the low ceiling and he caught it in his hand as he returned to home level and the waiting elderly resident who was not expecting to see an almost bald man entering her home after showing the way down to a fully grown head of hair meter reader a few minutes earlier. This proved to be a moment too far and she screamed and fainted into Tommy's arms.
The second story has a sporting background as Tommy was a keen and capable footballer playing in a competitive local league where he always used to play wearing his wig. However, he was always mindful of protecting the expensive hairpiece to such an extent that as he was about to head the ball he would whip the wig off to protect it from the mud and water wrapped around the football. In the heat of the match, Tommy didn't always replace the wig as carefully into position as he normally would. This often became a regular source of amusement to players of both teams and any spectators especially when it ended upside-down on the head of the totally unaware pre-occupied wearer.
The formal obituary notice in The Examiner
Thomas Moseley
Died 3rd June 2023, aged 78 years. We would like to announce the peaceful passing of Tommy (Plum), beloved husband and friend of Pauline, father of Lee and Wayne, father-in-law of Lyndsey and Lisa, grandfather of Beth, Katie and Deran, brother of Anne and the late Harry, great friend to many. Tommy will be sadly missed by all who loved him. Funeral service at Huddersfield Crematorium on Friday 30th June, at 1:15pm. Family flowers only, but donations in lieu to Kirkwood Hospice. All enquiries to The Gables Funeral Service Marsh Tel: 01484 424235
If you have a memory or tribute about Tommy or Ralph that you would like to share then please use the Comments facility at the foot of this page or send it to me and I will post it for you.
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