Lord Tim Hudson 1940 -2019 played 2nd XI cricket for Lancashire and Surrey before departing via Canada for California where he conducted a varied career, both making and losing fortunes on the way. He was a DJ, a Voice Over actor, Pop group manager, Property developer and Restaurateur. He married four times but the 4th with Maxi lasted until her death earlier in 2019. Hudson with Maxi bought Birtles Hall and with it the local cricket ground. Birtles Bowl was to be the location of many pro-am cricket matches. Viv Richards, Brian Close, Franklyn Stevenson, Ian Botham, Mohammad Azharuddin, Carl Hooper, Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Bedi, Reg Scarlett played there as well as many Lancashire and Yorkshire overseas professionals. Hudson somewhat infamously managed Ian Botham for a while projecting him as more than just a cricketer but a national superstar. However the two fell out and Hudson was sacked. Hudson and Maxi created a fashion range around the cricket from traditional cricket blazers and cravats to T-shirts, Sweat shirts and more but also involving his Flower Power symbols. He claimed to have invented the phrase ‘Flower Power’. Hudson was in love with the razzamatazz marketing of big sporting events in USA like American Football, Baseball and Basketball and sought to bring this to the world of cricket. He failed but his ideas were to inspire many others within and without the official game. For those who played at Birtles it was great fun.

The Birtles Hall was adorned with much cricket memorabilia, paintings by Ralph Bellamy and a mass of erotica plus children’s toys. Guest rooms included the Viv Richards Suite and the Ian Botham suite. The pavilion painted in the Hudson Hollywood colours included much erotica in the changing rooms mingled with cricketana.

In later life Hudson recreated himself as a painter of primitive erotic art with which he had more success in California than he did in Cheshire.

Eccentric but a Visionary

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