English club cricketer, Jonathan Mills recently died of cancer but, despite declining all medical treatments, made the most of his final year by hitting a century for Brookweald Cricket Club.
Who was Jonathan Mills?
Jonathan Mills was neither a celebrity nor a test cricket. He was an amateur club cricketer playing for Brookweald Cricket Club at Essex. But why should we pay tribute to him? It is solely to celebrate the soul of sport; to pay respect to a man who remained a dedicated loyalist of cricket.
Jonathan Mills was diagnosed with cancer in December 2022 after he experienced stomach pains. His tumours grew and spread despite six-months of medical treatment. So, Mills declined all further treatment in order to live out the rest of his life as normal.
“I decided that further palliative chemo was not the way to go and I’d just to try and get back to as normal [a life] as I could for as long as I can. That’s what I’ve tried to do,” Mills said to BBC after he hit 110 off 123 balls for Brookweald second XI just days after learning that chemotherapy treatment had not worked.
Mills made the most of his final year
Jonathan’s innings of 110 runs included 21 fours. He enabled Brookweald to post a total of 248-9 from their 45 overs in their away game at Woodham Mortimer on June 17, 2023. Brookweald had a thrilling one-run win.
Due to the effects of his chemotherapy, Jonathan did not run too much in the innings. “When I got to 100 I was too tired to worry about crying at that point. But job done, as it were, and I went and sat down,” Jonathan said.
Essex Cricket invited him to ring the pavilion bell to start their next county game in order to celebrate Mills’ century. His innings was voted performance of the month on various cricket websites.
But what was most astonishing was when MCC President Stephen Fry invited him at Lord’s in the president’s box during the Ashes Test. Jonathan Mills spent the day with a bunch of famous former players including Justin Langer, Sir John Major and Hugh Laurie.
Mills died on May 3, 2024. His twin brother Jim Mills and Jonathan’s partner Sharon, were with him. He was 55.
In an obituary, David Mills, Jonathan’s brother wrote:
“Jon’s whole life revolved around sport. He worked as a sales director for a beauty company largely because it allowed him to organise his own time fitting in as much rugby, golf and cricket as he could….
Every time he moved for work, he joined the local cricket and rugby clubs “and found 15 new friends….
Such was Jon’s passion for sport that our old school, Wolverhampton Grammar School, has established the Mills Golf Trophy, a claret jug presented annually in recognition of his contribution to the setting up of the now annual alumni sports festival.”
