ONE of the most popular cricketers ever to wear an England shirt will be the star guest at Worcester Nomads' 75th anniversary dinner.

Derek Randall, winner of 47 Test caps in the 1970s and 1980s and famous for his clowning, brilliant fielding and unorthodox batting, will entertain over 200 guests as speaker at the dinner.

This will be held tomorrow (Friday, June 14) at the Bear and Ragged Staff pub, only a six-hit away from the club's Bransford headquarters.

Nomads secretary Malcolm Jones is sure that the visit of Randall, nicknamed Arkle and now 51, will be a big hit, even though his first-class career ended nine years ago.

He said: "He has come highly recommended, and most people still know him, even the kids. He is still a household name."

Former players are coming from all over the country for the dinner, which rounds off a day of celebrations for the club, starting with an all-day match against Worcestershire Gentlemen (11.30am).

Nomads now run three Saturday and two Sunday sides, while their youth set-up is one of the strongest in Worcestershire and have distinguished themselves at national level.

It's all a far cry from the club's beginnings in 1927, when they fielded just one Saturday side and didn't have their own ground - hence the Nomads suffix.

But after playing at various venues, they settled at Whitegates Farm, Bransford in 1967 and have been there ever since.

The full history of the club is told in a special souvenir brochure which Jones has produced.

"It should be a good day," he said. "The response has been excellent - we've got a few old players, a few present players and people who are nothing to do with cricket coming.

"A lot of players in the Gentlemen side have played against Nomads for years and some of them are staying for the dinner."