ROBIN Feather, a Keighley woolman who captained Yorkshire's Second XI and went on to give long service as a Bradford representative on Yorkshire County Cricket Club's general committee, has died in Harrogate aged 82.

Christened Robert Leigh Feather but known generally as Robin, Mr Feather was also a vice-president of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

He was a former chairman of the finance sub-committee, as well as sitting on the cricket sub-committee, but said in January, 1984 that he would not defend his Bradford seat if Geoffrey Boycott were reinstated as a player at the club's special general meeting.

That is exactly what happened and Mr Feather was as good as his word, former Yorkshire and England bowler Bob Appleyard replacing him without being opposed.

A native of Keighley, Mr Feather lived at his parents' house on Bradford Road before moving to Braes Castle, Harden, in the early 1960s.

He was the son of Leigh Feather, a partner in the Keighley firm of Henderson and Feather, wool merchants and topmakers, on Dalton Lane.

After National Service in the Army, Mr Feather went to Oxford University, where he obtained a BA degree studying law and he then went to work with his father in the wool trade, later becoming a director of the firm.

He played a lot of cricket in Oxford and in the Army and he made his debut for Yorkshire Seconds under Ted Lester's captaincy in 1958, when the team went on to win the Minor Counties' Championship.

He took over the Second XI captaincy in 1962 when a number of outstanding young players like Geoff Boycott and John Hampshire were beginning to make their mark and he led the side for four seasons before standing down for business reasons.

Also in 1962, he was talked of in some quarters as a possible Yorkshire captain when it was announced in July that Vic Wilson would stand down at the end of the season but the job went to Brian Close, who led the team through a golden period in their history.

Mr Feather was elected to the Yorkshire general committee in 1967 when a vacancy occurred in the Bradford district because Herbert Sutcliffe had been made a vice-president, and he gave continuous service until his resignation in 1984.

He enjoyed long spells on both the cricket and finance sub-committees and was chairman of finance in 1982 and 1983 when he also served on the executive committee.

An enthusiastic amateur cricketer, Robin enjoyed his batting with the Second XI but was never consistently successful, his highest score being 53 against Durham at Middlesbrough in 1960.

He attended Harrow School and was captain in 1952, leading them to victory by seven wickets over Eton College at Lord's when he opened the batting and scored 38 and 16.

Husband of the late Christine, Robin leaves three children, four step-children and seven grandchildren.

A service of thanksgiving will be held at St Nicholas Church, West Tanfield, North Yorkshire, on Wednesday, August 12 at 3pm. Donations can be made to St Michael's Hospice, Harrogate.