Surprisingly agile given his large 6ft 2ins frame, Allan Edgar was nicknamed “the cat” by his colleague and teammate on Durham Police’s cricket team Alan Courtney.
In his prime, in the 1970s, the popular PC also played for Bishop Auckland Cricket Club and was described by fellow cricketer Keith Hopper as "the best wicket keeper who didn’t play for Durham County."
But if there was one thing that overshadowed his cricket ability, it was his colourful personality.
Mr Edgar was a good friend to many and when he swapped catching criminals for pulling pints there was never a dull moment in the pubs he managed, which included the North Briton in Aycliffe Village.
On cricket tours, he would entertain everyone with impromptu stand-up comedy performances, the most famous involving taking apart and reassembling a pub piano.
His recent death at the age of 70 has prompted an outpouring of tributes from his many friends.
Born in Ferryhill Station in 1944, Mr Edgar attended Broom Cottages School and played for Mainsforth Cricket Club in his youth.
On leaving school he worked at Patons and Baldwins Wool Factory in Darlington, before joining Durham Police in 1964.
He stayed in the force until 1977 when he left to manage the bar at Bishop Auckland Cricket Club.
Five years later he became the landlord of the North Briton where for a decade he worked happily alongside his good friend Phyllis Blenkinsopp.
Many well known cricketers stayed at the pub during this time and it became a Mecca for those who enjoyed good banter and sport chat.
Alongside cricket, Mr Edgar, who never married, enjoyed horseracing, an interest which culminated in him and his friends at the North Briton buying a racehorse.
In the early 1990s, Mr Edgar moved to Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, where he managed a French cafe bar before taking over the Honest Lawyer.
Last week, his brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Carol Edgar, from Bishop Middleham, visited the real ale pub to chat to the regulars.
Mrs Edgar said: “People came up to us and said they wanted us to know how well liked he was. They couldn’t speak highly enough of him. He really was wonderful, the ultimate host.”
Bob Edgar added: “He was just Allan. He was daft as a brush and lived life to the full. He never complained about anything.”
Mr Edgar’s funeral takes place at Woodlands Crematorium, Brumby Wood Lane, Scunthorpe, on Wednesday, August 26 at 2pm.
