Family pay tribute to Kings Langley man who died at cricket club

A popular cricketer for Kings Langley CC tragically passed away whilst playing the game he loved on Saturday, May 3. David Percy, affectionately known as “Percy” or “Perce”, was bowling when tragedy struck and he suffered a fatal heart attack. Sadly, David was just 50 when he died and he leaves behind his wife of 25 years, Tanya, and two children, Cassie and Ben. He had an extremely long and very successful association with the club, on Vicarage Lane, which resulted in numerous trophies and match winning performances. Senior Cricket Manager at the club, Kevin Rolfe, paid tribute to David. He said: “David was a one club man despite his talent and he was always loyal. “Dave started as a fast bowler and made his debut at a very young age to play for the KLCC thirds. He quickly worked his way up the sides to become the strike bowler for the first team.” “Perce” played a pivotal role in the side winning the 1998 Village Trophy and the 2006 Watford Observer Cup thanks to his superb pace bowling. His finest individual performance came way back on August 25 1984 when he took all ten wickets in the match to defeat Langleybury CC. His figures were 10-21. Eventually, the years caught up with David’s bowling and he produced his own form of bowling called “Sausage”, which he also became known as later in life. Playing in the second team and the thirds showed David’s selflessness as he wanted to let younger players have a go in the first team. He also earned the respect of his teammates and opponents alike, with the opposition often e-mailing or Tweeting Kings Langley CC after games to comment on “Percy’s” competitive nature. It wasn’t just his competitive nature the opposition commented on but also playing the game with a smile on his face and he was regarded as a “gentleman” on and off the field. His funeral took place on Friday, May 16 at West Herts Crematorium with the wake at Kings Langley CC after. Kevin added: “Despite being taken from us at the age of just 50, Dave lived life to the full and the huge numbers of well-wishers was full testament to Dave’s personality. “He has left us with wonderful memories, and he will of course always be loved and will never be forgotten. As Dave would have wanted, the celebration at KLCC went on well into the night with pictures of Dave and his favourite music to remind us of what a remarkable person he was.”