Ronald Aird (4 May 1902 – 16 August 1986) was an English

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officia ...

er and administrator. Ronnie Aird was born in

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. After Eton, he went up to

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refound ...

, winning his

blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

in 1923. He played 136 first-class matches as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium bowler for

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

and

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

between 1920 and 1938. He was a good cricketer, but he will be remembered for his work at Lord's for sixty years. He was appointed Assistant Secretary of the

Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...

in 1926, following the promotion of W. Findlay to Secretary. He continued to serve under Colonel Rait Kerr, until his eventual appointment as Secretary in 1952. He retired in 1962 and continued to serve the club as President (1968–1969), Trustee (1971–1983) and as a Life Vice-President (1983–1986). He died at his home in

Yapton Yapton is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. It is centred three miles (4.8 km) north east of Bognor Regis at the intersection of the B2132 and B2233 roads. The parish of Yapton lies on the coastal plai ...

, Sussex following a long illness aged 84.

References

Ronnie Aird
on Cricinfo
Ronnie Aird
on CricketArchive {{DEFAULTSORT:Aird, Ronnie 1902 births 1986 deaths Recipients of the Military Cross Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge English cricket administrators English cricketers Hampshire cricketers Hampshire cricket captains Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Cambridge University cricketers Presidents of the Marylebone Cricket Club Secretaries of the Marylebone Cricket Club Gentlemen cricketers People educated at Eton College People from Paddington People from Yapton