Alf Pope

Alfred Vardy Pope (15 August 1909 – 11 May 1996) was an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire between 1930 and 1939. He was in the club's championship winning team of 1936 and took 555 wickets overall.

Pope was born at Tibshelf, Derbyshire and began work as a coal miner at the age of 14. Between 1923 and 1926, he was playing for the Tibshelf colliery cricket club which played in the Bassetlaw League and the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Collieries League. In 1925 at the age of 16, he was one of the scorers in a Derbyshire match at the County Ground. He joined Samuel Cadman's nursery at Derbyshire during the General Strike of 1926.

In 1940 and 1941 Pope appeared in matches for the Bradford League and in 1941 with Bill Copson took Saltaire to the Bradford League title. He played games for the North of England in 1942 and a non-status game for Derbyshire in 1945.

Following the war Pope took a number of coaching ad professional jobs. He was at one time employed as a P. E. Instructor at St Joseph's College, Blackpool where he lived in Cleveleys and cycled to work. Pupils' recollections refer to Alf Pope – a "cricketer" and his punishments with his favourite cricket bat. He then spent twenty years coaching and as groundsman at Berkhamsted School.

Pope died at Derby at the age of 86. His brothers George Pope and Harold Pope followed him into the Derbyshire team. His son Anthony played for Derbyshire 2nd XI and in various non-status matches for the MCC.