A Wisden occasion

The directors of Wisden gave a luncheon in the Committee During Room at Lord's on Tuesday, December 6, 1977 in celebration of Norman Preston receiving from HM The Queen that morning at Buckingham Palace the MBE awarded in The Queen's Silver Jubilee and Birthday Honours in his 27th year as Editor of Wisden.

William Gray, Managing Director of John Wisden and Co. was in the chair and offered his personal congratulations; David Chipp, Editor-Chief of The Press Association, looked back on Norman Preston's long connection with that agency, and Denis Compton CBE, in happy vein, spoke of the high respect cricketers held for Preston's faithful reporting and comments of their deeds on the field.

In his reply, Norman Preston thanked William Gray and his directors for making it such a memorable occasion, not only for himself but for the members of his family who were present. The full company who attended were:

Mr and Mrs Norman Preston, Mr and Mrs Brian Preston, Mrs Helen Laurie (daughter), David Clark (President, MCC), Sir Leonard Hutton, Denis Compton, Bill Edrich, J. A. Bailey (Secretary, MCC), D. B. Carr (Secretary, TCCB); five directors of John Wisden and Co. - William Gray, Mrs Valerie Gravatt, John Tipper, Ronald Blake, and David Norman; Harold Abel, David Chipp, Geoffrey Copinger, Patrick Eagar, Basil Easterbrook, W. H. Frindall, R. J. Hayter, Philip Jurd, Peter Lush, A. L. Mace, Gordon Ross, Alan Smith, Leslie Smith, F. H. C. Tatham, and Ronald Whiting.