Lancashire's last amateur captain dies

	Joe Blackledge: an unsuccessful experiment © Martin Williamson

Joe Blackledge, who was Lancashire's last amateur captain in 1962, has died at the age of 79.

Blackledge's entire first-class career consisted of that one summer, and his appointment caused more than a few raised eyebrows. "It is sometime that a county appointed a first-class county appointed a captain about who so little is known," noted The Times in October 1961. That was slightly unfair as he had led the county second XI in 1950 and 1951 after completing his national service. But at the AGM a few weeks later, the move was also attacked by members who felt that seeking an "untried club player" simply because he was an amateur was outdated.

A hard-hitting batsman for Chorley in the Northern League, Blackledge had finished the 1961 as the highest run-scorer in the league behind Rohan Kanhai. But he inherited a side in a mess with major dressing-room disquiet and was unable to reverse their fortunes - the county lost 16 matches and finished second bottom in the Championship. "Playing standards fell to an unbelievable low level," the county report for the season noted, adding that Blackledge's "luck completely deserted him". His own form was not good - in 41 innings he passed fifty only twice - and he stood down at the end of the summer.

A partner in a cotton manufacturing business, he later served on Lancashire's committee - despite a public attack on the club in 1967 when he accused the committee of being isolated from the players - and was president in 2001-02 and was subsequently elected vice-president.