Ken Biddulph, among the most affectionately remembered of Durham County cricketers, has died. He was 70.

Biddy, as generally he was known, took 300 wickets in 82 matches for Durham between 1962-72 and was professional for Hartlepool, Sunderland, Whitburn and Boldon.

Previously he had six years with Somerset and liked to recall that during his time the county finished a highest ever second in the championship - better than when Botham, Richards and Garner, the Big Bird, landed together at Taunton 20 years later.

For Ken's 70th birthday last May, the cricket journalist Stephen Chalke made a card listing some of the big names - men like Colin Cowdrey, John Edrich, Peter May and Tom Graveney - who'd fallen to his right-arm fast medium.

"Batting greats crash to 68 all out, Biddulph takes all ten" it said - and half of them clean bowled.

"Those were the days you bowled at the wickets, especially on the green 'uns at Taunton," recalls former Durham wicketkeeper Bobby Cole, a long-time friend.

Born in Essex, Ken returned south to run a coaching school in Gloucestershire. He became ill while returning from a coaching session and died last Tuesday. His wife was in the same hospital after breaking her hip in a Boxing Day fall.

For Durham, he 17 times claimed five wickets in an innings and three times ten in a match. His batting had little improved since Somerset days, however, averaging just nine.

"He was a big tall chap, an extremely enthusiastic cricketer who loved the game and loved the North-East," recalls county scorer and statistician Brian Hunt.

Former Durham all-rounder Jack Watson recalls - as did Don Mosey in his biography of Geoffrey Boycott - a game against Yorkshire II at Feethams in which Yorkshire needed 40-odd to win in 90 minutes.

Jack, acting captain, thought they could hang on for a draw and asked Biddy and fellow opening bowler Stuart Young to add six yards to their runs. "They did brilliantly," says Jack.

It would probably have worked, he says, if Yorkshire hadn't someone in to run out Boycott.

"Kenny loved playing for Durham, gave his all in every match, never said a bad word against a soul."

His funeral is in his home village of Amberley, Gloucestershire, at 1.45pm on Thursday.