FORMER St.George's Cricket Club opening batsman Irvin (Toppy) Pascoe was laid to rest last week.

Pascoe, 75, was a hard-hitting right-handed batsman who represented St.George's in the annual Cup Match classic from 1949 to 1954.

He is also believed to have been the first ever batsman to hit a six in Cup Match at Somerset Cricket Club grounds. Pascoe dispatched the late Nathaniel Proctor over the boundary to get off the mark as a colt in 1949.

"That was a glorious six. It was the first Cup Match played at the present Somerset Cricket Club field and both teams scored over 300 runs in the first innings," recalled Leroy (Tubby) Richardson, who captained St.George's from 1951 to 1954.

"In 1951 he (Pascoe) scored 53 valuable runs when we were chasing 173 for victory. We lost three wickets but he and Sam Paynter (deceased) (44 not out) guided us safely home. That was the first Cup Match St.George's had won since 1944," Richardson added.

The 83 year-old former St.George's skipper described Pascoe as a "hard-working player".

"You could rest assurred everytime he went to the wicket he made his presence felt," he said.

"He never fielded or batted with a hat on and he had a strange but unique personality. Pascoe was a true team player and he never complained about anything. He just got on with the game."