Lord Archer of Weston super Mare

Article by Sports Journalist and Museum Trustee Richard Walsh. Photograph courtesy of Museum Trustee, Mr Alain Lockyer

It was while he was growing up close to Clarence Park in Weston that he developed his love of Somerset Cricket and during the ‘Weston Festival’  in the 1950s the young Jeffrey would sell scorecards, help in the tea tent and working the scoreboard.

His mother, Lola, was employed as a journalist on, the Weston Mercury and at the age of 11 Jeffrey won a scholarship to Wellington School in Somerset.

He dreamt that one day he would play for Somerset which he got the chance to do in the early 1980s. 

“I had the great honour of playing for Somerset once in a charity match with Brian Rose as captain and my batting partner was Viv Richards. Although I’d known him for many years I hadn’t been told that he didn’t like to run singles, whereas I was an energetic individual, so I shot off for one and found myself standing next to him, so I decided I better walk back and be run out which was the wisest decision!”

In 1981 when he was the subject of ‘This is your Life’, the long running television programme that was hosted by Eamon Andrews, among those who appeared as guests was Somerset captain Brian Rose and a number of the ‘Glory Years’ squad.

For many years Lord Archer was an active member of the Somerset Wyverns an organisation set up for London based supporters and served as their President, regularly attending their functions.

Lord Archer was a great supporter of the Somerset Cricket Museum. He served as Patron of the museum for a number of years and in April 1989 performed the official opening duties.

In August 2009 Lord Archer officially opened Pegasus Court the development of residential flats that flank the Somerset Stand on the Coal Orchard side of the ground that was part of the redevelopment programme.

On Lord Archer’s visit to the ground in 2022 he said: “I am a Weston super Mare boy and started watching Somerset at Clarence Park when Mr Brocklehurst was captain and the side included Bertie Buse, Maurice Tremlett, Horace Hazell and  Harold Gimblett which was a good side and we were bottom of the table! 

“We were bottom of the table for four years in a row, a record that no other county has ever managed- only Somerset. However that didn’t stop me from the age of six loving them every bit and believing that with all the stupidity I could muster, that I would live to see Somerset win the County Championship.”

Lord Archer went on: “ They have been second on several occasions, and once actually equal top when we were robbed. However now I am 82 I’m beginning to believe that the odds of actually seeing my beloved Somerset win the County Championship are diminishing- but I have not given up!”

Sadly in 2026 again Somerset finished runners up again so Lord Archer never got to see the county he loved win the County Championship.

Brian Rose a fellow Westonian has fond memories of Lord Archer.

“Jeffreys presence at our games at Weston was very pronounced through his involvement with several ‘members of the team including myself who’d also grown up locally like he had. We had a lot in common in where we lived and as boys where we went to school and watched Somerset at Clarence Park.

“Although I haven’t been able to go down to Taunton as often as I’d liked in recent years one time I did go down Jeffrey was there, just by coincidence and we had a chance to catch up with each other. The great thing for me was when he came to Clarence Park in my playing days I always knew he was there and when I got my highest score there  he came up afterwards and had a chat in front of the pavilion, which is a great memory.”