It is with a heavy heart that we can confirm that Dave ‘Lardy’ Gardner passed away in the early hours of the 17th May at Great Western Hospital, after being poorly for the last few months.

‘Lardy’ was a stalwart of the Swindon cricket scene for over 30 years, having played with distinction for the BR Club from the mid-1950s until 1970, as well as representing Wiltshire, before joining Swindon Cricket Club in 1970. He then continued his remarkable playing career until 1985.

‘Lardy’, who opened the batting, topped the averages for several seasons, regularly amassing over a thousand runs in a season. He captained the club, in various guises, from 1972 to 1986 and again represented Wiltshire in 1976.

Within 10 years of joining Swindon from BR, he had scored in excess of 10,000 runs (a feat also achieved for BR!) in his own unique and unflustered style, with his trademark ‘flop-shot’ or late dab, down to the third man region yielding many a boundary.

Unbeknown to many, ‘Lardy’ played football for the Town’s youth teams and West Bromwich Albion and even represented England Schoolboys against Scotland in 1956 at Wembley, in front of 100,000 people.

‘Lardy’ had a dry sense of humour and often broke out in a wry grin when recounting stories of how he frustrated even the best of bowlers. He gave so much of himself to both of the clubs in Swindon with distinction; he should be rightly remembered as one of Swindon’s true sporting icons.

RIP ‘Lardy’, you will be greatly missed, but fondly remembered.

Words by Kevin Emery.