MORE than 20 years’ service to youth cricket in Devon by coach Jon Mears was recognised at the Devon Cricket Board awards evening.
Mears, who played for Tavistock, Plymouth and Plymstock, started coaching in 1994 and has been involved ever since.
He retired at the end of the season just ended having had one last summer coaching Devon U15s.
Over the years Mears has run coaching groups, county age-group sides and trained new coaches.
The Bryan Hayter Award remembers a former treasurer of the Devon Cricket Board and is awarded for services to youth cricket.
Mears record speaks for itself and – what a record it is!
After playing for Devon Schools at U15 and U19 level as a teenager, and representing West of England U19s in 1975 and 76, Mears concentrated on league cricket with Plymouth.
He set helped set up a league club forum with the late Mike Woodward of Plymouth and moved towards coaching after switching allegiance to Plymstock CC.
“I took up coaching as I wanted to give something back to the sport,” said Mears.
Mears took the level one course in 1994 under Alan Swift, another old hand at Plymouth.
By 1996 Mears was an advanced coach and in 1999 he was appointed an ECB staff coach. He ran coach tutoring in the area until 2015.
Along the way Mears had joined the Plymouth Cricket group and ran coaching in and around the city for youngsters.
Plymouth Cricket evolved into the West Devon Coaches’ Association then West Devon Cricket, which ran District squad coaching across the age groups from U11-U15. Mears was part of the management until 2005.
The West Devon Cricket Development Group came next, set up with DCB support from Matt Evans, Stuart Priscott and Matt Theedom.
Mears became DCB Coaches’ Association chairman in 2007, which meant attending meetings all over the country as well as coaching players.
Mears had a long association with Devon U14s 1997-2005 and 2008 until 2015, following the team up to U115 level for 2006, his last season.
Heather Knight, the captain of the England Women’s team, played in the U14 boys’ side.
Mears cricket career has been honoured before, by the ECB in 205 (outstanding services to cricket) and a similar citation from the ICC in 2009.
Devon’s coach education team under Mears won the ECB Coaching Association tutor team of the year award in 2013.
What had previously been a voluntary job became the day job in 2010 when Mears joined the staff at Plymouth College, where he was educated almost 40 years earlier.
“I was made redundant by Santander and as I was already helping with the cricket at Plymouth College they asked me to run it full time,” said Mears.
“Looking back I probably should have been a teacher not a surveyor, but I would not now be retired.”
Looking back on his coaching career, Mears said there were almost too many highlights to single out.
“Highlights have been seeing the young players develop as cricketers and people,” said Mears.
“Josh Bess making a century for the U14s – that hadn’t been done before – and Ross Acton taking eight wickets in a match to spring to mind.”
Mears has had a tremendous sporting life – he played first-class rugby for Exeter too – but enough is enough.
Having tried to retire before, this time he means it.
“I will miss it but I have done my time and it is time for change for me and my family,” said Mears.
“I do not intend to stay involved.”
Martin Webb, a long-time coaching colleague of Mears in Devon age-group cricket and former chief of the coaching association, paid a glowing tribute before handing over the Bryan Hayter trophy.
Jon has played a truly exceptional part in the development of Devon Cricket,” said Webb.
“What he provides is something very, very special: honesty, trust, excellent communication, enthusiasm and exuberance.
“Jon is conscientious, hard working, pioneering, inventive, kind and passionate.
“He is a great friend. He will be a huge loss to the county and I really do hope that Devon will utilise him in some way in the future.”
