JACK NIXON REFLECTS ON THE PASSING OF JOHN AND DOROTHY HITCHEN
Followers of the game of cricket in the North East of Scotland have been saddened by the passing of one of its most respected characters who in his time as president of the Aberdeenshire Cricket Association played a major part in addressing the issue of indiscipline in the local game.
His introduction of a ”Fair Play Award”, underlining his fair minded approach not only to sport but life.
Sadly, only 11 days after the death of John Hitchen(89), his wife Dorothy(83) died in Inverurie Hospital after 58 years of marriage to her Indian born husband who was a twin whose family roots were in Yorkshire, while Dorothy (nee Murray) was born in Northumberland, although her brothers Ian and Billy Hawick in the Scottish Borders where she moved to shortly after the war.
The two met at a dance in Scotland’s premier rugby town where her brother Billy was captain of Hawick for two years, winning several caps for the Scotland ‘B’ team, and married in 1967 before moving to the North East to pursue John’s business interests in the communication industry in the oil industry.
His strong commitment to all things sporting flourished in Aboyne where he played and coached rugby, while first playing cricket at Kemnay and then Crathie Cricket Club where Dorothy became a catering legend, providing the most wonderful teas at home games.
The couple were also enthusiastically committed to numerous dogs and cats, according to John’s nephew John Gedye who is the son of Sallie, John’s twin.
”Going to Monymusk where John and Dorothy lived from 1990 was always a pleasure, especially for many nephews and nieces who used to visit. John’s two walking dogs, Labradors Brutus and Friday were big attractions, while John’s flamboyant manner was nicely balanced by Dorothy’s more unassuming nature,” said the Barnard Castle based nephew.
John Norman Hitchen played his last game of cricket against Dunecht when he was 82 but his innings will continue for those of us who were privileged to know him and his charming wife.
The couple are to have a joint funeral at Baldarroch Crematorium on Friday March 6th at 1pm.
CONTRIBUTED FROM CRATHIE CRICKET CLUB
John, or the Old Timer as we fondly called him, was a gregarious fellow who loved being part of a group, he was a founder member of Aboyne RFC (now called Deeside RFC) and though he didn’t play much he took club training and was extremely loyal in accompanying the team to every game, home and away, usually in the company of the white bearded Colonel Jones in a battered old Landrover. They both lived in Aboyne in the 1970s.
At about the same time, in the early 1980s, he joined Crathie CC and became an integral part of the club, before long taking on the role of Fixtures Secretary and official scorer. While he didn’t figure too prominently in the averages, by force of his personality and enthusiasm he loomed large, a metaphor literally personified by his voracious appetite for Sheridan’s finest mutton pies, devoured alongside Dorothy’s delicious quiches which she often prepared for the Crathie teas.
John’s hearing deteriorated later in life which made for some hilarious moments in the scorer’s box, if not a little frustrating both for John and his teammates. But his heart was always in the right place and as a supporter of Crathie he was instrumental in bringing a number of cricketers to the club. He was adroit in dealing with the machinations of various Aberdeen clubs who wanted to re-fixture games, usually to their advantage, and his steadiness at the helm made him entirely suitable to taking on the office of President of the Grades, the only Crathie man to do so. Here he brooked no argument and he was particularly tough on aspects of ill discipline within the Grades, a matter which he felt was a poor reflection on society at large.
John was possessed of much common sense, an elusive trait in many, and his opinions, while firmly held, were for the most part borne of a wise and well travelled soul. We at Crathie loved his presence, he always had a very positive outlook and he was intensely loyal; he wore his heart on his sleeve and you knew where you stood with John. What you didn’t want to do was share a room on tour with him, either at rugby or cricket. It is said he could wake up a whole hotel with his stentorious emissions and of course he would feign complete innocence in the morning. He was never short of a quip or two and he was particularly good with young cricketers; on one occasion he collared a young 10 year old Michael Leask who had just been bowled for a duck and walked with him around the perimeter at Crathie telling him about the ways of the cricketing world .. now that young man is central to the Scotland national team.
John was ever present at Crathie and he brought a colour and a solidity to proceedings. He had the Yorkshire trait of stubbornness aplenty, but we loved him and his generosity of spirit and we will miss him greatly. On a personal level, I last saw John on September 1. Knowing that young Archie McEwan was a keen rugby player and going off to Glenalmond (for the first time that actual day) he very kindly drove – very slowly – from his home to Ballater to deliver a rugby medal and a signed copy of David Sole’s autobiography, himself an old Glenalmond boy. It was typically thoughtful of John to go the extra mile and think of a young 12 year old with his future ahead of him. I suspect it was John’s final mission and I cherish that last touching memory of him.
John made a point of attending two recent Crathie funerals, those of Charlie Ogg and Andrew Johnston, and at each funeral he said his would be the next. Sadly, his innings has now come full circle but in sympathy with his last actual innings, when he scored 1 run unbeaten, his flame remains alight and .. Old Timer .. your spirit is with us and we will continue to enjoy those mutton pies.
Sizing up the bowling….at Dunecht…at the age of 82!