Born in Lincoln on 19 December 1935, Chris Grant devoted most of his life to Newark, a town he moved to with his parents at an early age. He was educated at the Newark Magnus Grammar School, went on to Leeds University and after brief spell teaching in Nottingham returned to the Magnus School, where he taught history.
He played cricket and football to a high standard – including a trial with Nottingham Forest - but cricket was his preferred sport and he joined Newark CC as a teenager. His development as a determined left-hand opening batsman earned him a place in the Nottinghamshire Cricket Association representative side in 1958 and he remained a regular choice until 1969. In 1964 an innings of 93 not out for NCA v Manchester impressed the County Club and Grant made his 2nd XI debut in the same year; he was to play 17 matches in the 2nd XI Competition.
Grant hit 111 for the Seconds against Glamorgan at Retford in the first week of June 1968, then a week later, with Bolus, Sobers and White all injured, made his first-class debut v Derbyshire at Trent Bridge. Opening the batting with Frost, he scored an impressive 48 and was selected for the subsequent Gillette Cup game against Worcestershire and in two further first-class matches that summer. Christopher Grant continued in club cricket with Newark Cricket Club for many more years, holding, at one time or another, most posts within the club.
His other interests included opera and he appeared regularly in the local opera club’s productions. As an historian he also took part in tours of the battle fields of the First World War. A local councillor, he was elected Mayor of Newark in 1991. By this time he had left school life to set up a sports shop in Newark in 1974, in conjunction with his friend, Stan Green.
Chris Grant died after a long illness at Beaumond House Hospice in Newark on 22 October 2017, aged 81.
March 2020
Nottinghamshire First-Class Number: 452