I WAS sad to hear of the sudden death of cricket stalwart Eddie Hart who, for me, was the ultimate unsung hero.

Eddie was cricket through and through and dedicated his efforts in to making sure the Blackburn and District Amateur Cricket League thrived - a league he served in all capacities for more than 40 years.

He started off as a fan, watching his dad play, then going on to serve the league as treasurer and secretary.

When I first started this job, Eddie and Len Rigby were my two contacts at the league and were always willing to help me out, given my limited knowledge of cricket.

There was many a time I wanted to have a sit down chat with Eddie about his time in cricket which, I am sure would have made for a wonderful read.

But Eddie, being Eddie, he didn’t want the fuss.

He was more than happy to remain in the background and carry on his hard work.

He was nominated for the Lancashire Telegraph Grassroots Heroes Awards a couple of years ago and would have been a worthy winner.

No doubt, he had to be dragged there not wanting to be in the limelight.

I had a chat with him on the evening and he was pleased to be there.

It is people like Eddie and Len (who sadly passed away a few years ago) that are vital to amateur sport.

A fitting tribute would be for someone to carry on his hard work.