Glowing tributes have been paid to former St. Catherine Club cricketer Roger Blades, who also played for Bermuda in the regional one-day Championship and the International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy.Blades, a fast-medium bowler and lower order batter, who had the honour of taking a beaver-trick in the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) First division (now Elite) Competition, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, aged 58, following an illness.He made his Division 1 debut for St. Catherine in 1982 and was a regular member of the team until 1989 before taking up residence in Bermuda where he served as a member of the Bermuda Police Force during the 1990s.On returning home, he again turned out at the highest BCA level for the Bayfield, St. Philip Club between 2000 and 2007.Blades played 119 matches in the First division Championship. He scored over 2400 runs and took 191 wickets at an average of 18.17.
