Members of the Pixies Cricket Club past and present, OPs and friends were out in force on Friday evening, 5 May 2017, for a dinner in recognition of Malcolm Milne (OP 55-62, Former Staff 71-03) who has given over 50 years of dedicated service to the Club.
The idea of a ‘Thank You’ dinner for Malcolm was the brainchild of several members of the Pixies, including Matt Atkinson (85-93)and Pixies President, Tim Hughes (53-62).
Malcolm recently handed over the organisation of the annual Pixies’ tour to Charlie Lambert (01-08), so Malcolm could start to take more of a back seat, although he is still involved and will be on the tour this summer.
Matt commented: “A few of us thought it would be appropriate to have a dinner to say thank you to Malcolm and show our appreciation for all his work with the Pixies and OPs over the years. Once we had a venue sorted, we contacted the OP office and Rachel and Leanne swung into action to help us organise it.”
It is obvious that Malcolm is held in high regard by so many OPs, Pixies and friends across the generations with 70 guests attending the dinner on the night, including seven of the ‘remaining’ players from the original Pixies XI who took the field at Edgbaston in 1969. Many others who were unable to attend sent goodwill messages and anecdotes to pass on to Malcolm. Another OP very generously gifted the dinner in his honour.
At the dinner, Tim Hughes welcomed guests and announced Marcus Townend (72-82) as the new Pixies President. Both Matt Atkinson and David Nuttall (Former Staff 63-02) gave speeches. Matt recalled a number of stories and memories from the many Pixies tours over the years and proposed a toast to absent friends, whilst David spoke about the origins and history of the Pixies and introduced us to ‘Pixie Mal’. The overall message was clear, that without the dedication and commitment of people like Malcolm, the Pixies and OPs wouldn’t be what they are today.
Malcolm also said a few words of thanks to those present; although overwhelming, he appreciated and enjoyed the evening very much.
Seven of the 'remaining' players from the original Pixies XI who took the field at Edgbaston in 1969. L-R: Colin Johnson, Roger Middleditch, Paul Jackson, Roy Flitton, Malcolm Milne, Ian Bird and Tim Hughes