Devon Cricket Board - Former cricketer wants ashes scattered on favourite ground

Dave Mitchell collecting the Narracott Cup from Roxanne Narracott in 1964

IF ever there was a man for all seasons it was Dave Mitchell, who has died aged 81.
Mitchell, a retired printer, played football as a young man, mainly for Chelston and latterly St Marychurch Rovers, as well as turning out for Torquay United Reserves in the mid-1950s.
He played cricket for YMCA and Willows CC before 1951, when he joined the Chelston club, which had been formed two years earlier.
It was the start of a lifetime association with the club, which continued up to his death and included two spells as chairman.
Mitchell played tennis, table tennis and snooker at club level and, when his active cricket career as player and umpire ended he turned to bowls.
Winters were spent indoors at the Torquay United club while summers were spent at Kings and latterly Babbacombe.
Dave Mitchell enjoyed a real sporting life and had a cupboard full of medals to prove it.
"His flat is full of medals he won and photos of the teams he played in," said son Steve. "It is going to be a mammoth job sorting them out.
"My father lived for sport - playing if he could, watching if he couldn't play - and passed that to me and my brother Gary.
"He played cricket until he was in his early 70s and could still score runs, although the fielding was a bit tricky as he needed a new hip then.
"When my father couldn't play any longer he turned to umpiring and was still doing that until the summer before last, when 90-odd overs on his feet got a bit much for him.
"He helped Andy Hele run a football team at the Grammar School well into his 70s - and after that was a regular up at Plainmoor with Gary and myself watching Torquay.
"My dad hated missing a match and still went to virtually every game until fairly recently."
Mitchell was born in Torquay in 1931 and educated at Cockington Primary School when it was in Old Mill Road.
Secondary education was at Homelands Technical College opposite the Torquay United Ground.
After two years in London training to be a printer, Mitchell did his National Service with the Army in Malaya during the Communist insurgency when troops were on active service.
"My father was a physical training instructor and spent almost all his National Service playing football or cricket," said Steve.
"He only spent one day in the jungle and said he was extremely lucky.
"Dad always said those who were on patrol in the jungle for any time came back changed by the experience, much like the Americans in Vietnam.
"He was captain of the football team and one of his players was Ray Crawford, who played for Wolves, West Brom and England after his National Service.
Mitchell returned to Torquay after National Service and embarked on his civvy career as a printer. Over the years he worked for Bendles, the Herald Express, Devonshire Press and the Printing Place before retiring in his early 60s.
On the cricket pitch Mitchell played for and captained Chelston's 1st and 2nd XIs for more than 40 years. Chelston were the midweek cup kings of the 50s and 60s, winning the Narracott Cup four times in six seasons and the Brockman Cup on five occasions. More often than not it was Mitchell who lifted the trophy.
There were cups won with Chelston FC in the South Devon League, Devon & Exeter League and the Devon FC cup competitions, as well as a Herald Cup win in 1951-52.
He took up football refereeing when he stopped playing, and helped run the Grammar School team after that.
"Dave rang me up out of the blue offering to run the line, do the bucket or look after the sponge - and he was brilliant to have around." said Hele, who was team manager.
Mike Janes, a rival on the football and cricket fields as a young man, said Mitchell was a tricky inside forward who was a bit before his time.
"I played with Mitch in the Reserves at Torquay United and he was a very good player," said Janes.
"These days a school like Millfield would have picked him up at a young age and groomed him for a career in sport.
"It was different then. He was in his 20s when he played for Torquay and it was going to be hard to break through.
"I think the manager changed at some stage and that was it for Dave. He played a long time for Chelston after that - I remember watching him in a Herald Cup final - and was captain for a long time.
"We used to meet on the cricket field when Chelston played Cockington and had a tremendous friendly rivalry. He loved playing and hated losing, which is how it should be."
Dave Mitchell was married to Wendy for 30 years. The couple, who had two sons, separated in the early 1980s.
His funeral will take place at Torquay Crematorium on Thursday, May 28 at 1pm.
"We are all going back to the Drum at Cockington afterwards, which seems the right place to be as dad played so much cricket on the pitch behind the pub and wants his ashes scattered there," said son Steve.

Winning captain Dave Mitchell with the 1957 Brockman Cup team