By BRIAN TILLEY

Last updated at 10:05, Friday, 08 January 2010

A CORBRIDGE woman has died, just weeks after being crowned Tynedale Sports Council’s personality of the year.

Proud moment: Margaret Robson Tynedale’s sports personality of the year last month.

Margaret Robson (72) was the unanimous choice for the Michael Sharman Trophy because of her extraordinary dedication to Corbridge Cricket Club.

She was a loyal and conscientious scorer at the Stanners ground for well over 50 years.

As well as being recognised locally, Margaret was also honoured regionally with an “OSCA” – Outstanding Service to Cricket Award – in a ceremony at county champions Durham’s Riverside ground at Chester le Street last season.

She first took up the scorebook for the second team in the 1950s, before being entrusted with the first team scores in the next decade.

She featured in the club’s centenary book in 1986, which noted that she had only missed the occasional match because she was attending a wedding – and that proud record had continued ever since.

Even a stroke failed to keep her out of the scorebox on a Saturday afternoon, armed with an array of different coloured pens, as well as sticking plasters, safety pins, and friendly advice to meet any cricketing emergency.

Club stalwart John Maude said: “Margaret was held in great esteem and affection by generations of Corbridge cricketers, and had a record of service and dedication that few will equal.”

Margaret’s devotion to a task was matched in her working life.

As a 16-year-old, she went to the doctors’ surgery in Corbridge “to help out” – and continued to work there as a formidable receptionist/secretary for the next 44 years!

Margaret never married, living with her parents in staff accommodation at Howden Dene, where her father was head groom, and later chauffeur for the Straker family.

After their deaths, she continued to live in a cottage at Howden Dene, until moving to Trinity Court in Corbridge, after suffering a stroke.

Her doctors said she might not walk again, but she confounded them by not only walking, but getting behind the wheel of a car again.

She returned to the cricket club initially as a spectator, but soon found herself back in the scorebox.

Her funeral takes place at Newcastle’s West Road crematorium

First published at 09:39, Friday, 08 January 2010
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk