Player, sponsor, Chairman, President, mentor and friend, Charlie’s association with Formby stretched across more than four decades. He helped lead the club through two promotions, oversaw a period of significant growth and gave generously to improve Cricket Path.

But those achievements only tell part of the story.

To generations of players, Charlie was the man waiting in the clubhouse with a beer after the game. To overseas players arriving thousands of miles from home, he was the man at the airport ready to welcome them into the Formby family. And for players experiencing difficult moments in their lives, he was often the person they sought out for advice.

Cricket Path wasn’t simply Charlie’s cricket club. It was his home.

Charlie first arrived at Formby in the late 1970s.

Originally from Crosby but by then living and working in Formby, it was simply his love of cricket that brought him to Cricket Path.

A middle-order batsman and fine slip fielder, he played predominantly for the Second XI throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, while also making the occasional First XI appearance. Like all cricketers, though, Charlie had at least one moment he would never be allowed to forget.

During a friendly match, he famously dropped future Australian international Dean Jones at slip off the bowling of Fran Rainford. It became precisely the sort of story that lives forever inside cricket club bars – increasingly funny with every retelling and long outlasting the scorecard itself.

Work eventually took Charlie to London and away from Formby. For the best part of two decades, his involvement with the club largely disappeared. But in 1998, Charlie and his family returned to Formby. And so did Charlie’s relationship with Cricket Path.

Initially, Charlie returned as a father following his son through junior cricket. By 2004, his involvement had developed into sponsorship through his business. But, typically, Charlie saw an opportunity for cricket to provide something more.

His professional life was devoted to education, particularly children for whom mainstream education had not worked. Children from his schools began visiting Cricket Path for cricket sessions, while Formby’s club professional James Marshall was invited into the schools to help coach.

Two of Charlie’s great passions – education and sport – had come together. His involvement continued to grow. Sponsorship increased. He began hosting Formby’s overseas players. And when First XI opening bowler Mark O’Connor started dating Charlie’s daughter Lucy, Charlie became even more entwined with club life. By the middle of the 2000s, he was firmly back at the heart of Formby Cricket Club.

Following a disappointing 2006 season, Charlie was asked to become Chairman. The response was immediate. Under his leadership, Formby’s First XI won Division One and secured promotion to the Liverpool Competition Premier League. It demonstrated one of Charlie’s defining qualities: leadership.

Charlie wasn’t somebody who simply wanted a title next to his name. He wanted Formby Cricket Club to succeed, and he was prepared to put the work, energy and time into making that happen. He stepped down as Chairman in 2010.

Over the following seasons, Formby experienced several quieter years, generally finishing around mid-table in Division One. But an important anniversary was approaching. Formby Cricket Club would celebrate its 150th year in 2015 and Charlie had a clear ambition: the club should be playing Premier League cricket when that anniversary arrived. So he returned to the Chairmanship. Charlie brought Ian Cockbain to Cricket Path as captain and once again helped provide the leadership and direction the club needed.

The outcome was promotion.

Formby returned to the Premier League in time for its 150th anniversary. Mission accomplished. In 2015, Charlie moved from Chairman to President. And if his periods as Chairman demonstrated his ability to lead the cricketing side of the club towards success, his Presidency demonstrated something broader.

Charlie had a vision for what Formby Cricket Club could become. Charlie understood that a successful cricket club couldn’t simply be about what happened in the middle. He wanted Cricket Path to be somewhere people wanted to spend their weekends, whether they were playing cricket or not.

During his Presidency, house membership subscriptions were reduced.The idea was simple: make membership accessible, encourage more people through the gates and create a larger social membership around the club.

It worked. House membership increased considerably.

Charlie also supported the growth of the club’s marquee event, helping it develop into an increasingly important part of Formby’s social and commercial calendar. An experienced club manager was appointed and the club experienced genuine commercial growth.

But Charlie also understood something much simpler about running a successful club. Standards mattered.The clubhouse and ground were expected to look immaculate.

Cricket Path was Formby’s home and Charlie wanted everyone associated with the club to be proud of it.The result could be seen on summer Saturdays. Cricket Path was packed.

The clubhouse was busy. Members socialised while watching the cricket. Players joined supporters after the game. Families spent their Saturdays at the ground.There was a buzz about the place.For Charlie, that mattered enormously. Formby Cricket Club wasn’t simply eleven players walking onto a cricket field on a Saturday afternoon. It was a community.

For all the positions Charlie held and improvements he oversaw, ask many of the players about him and their memories are much simpler. They loved him. After a match, the players knew Charlie would be there. And they also knew there would probably be a beer waiting for them.

But his relationship with the players went much deeper than that. Charlie cared about them as people rather than simply cricketers who could score runs or take wickets for Formby. When someone was experiencing a difficult period away from cricket, players would often seek Charlie out. They trusted him. He listened. For many young men who passed through Cricket Path, Charlie became something approaching a father figure.

Perhaps that shouldn’t have been surprising. Because long before Charlie became President of Formby Cricket Club, helping young people had already become his life’s work.

Outside cricket, Charlie’s other great passion was education. He began his career as a PE teacher before becoming Headmaster of a specialist boarding school for children with behavioural difficulties.

From there, his career developed considerably. Charlie went on to establish a national group of specialist schools and children’s homes, dedicating much of his professional life to providing education, support and opportunity for children who faced challenges within mainstream education.

After a brief retirement in 2010, Charlie discovered that retirement wasn’t really for him.He established Charlie Mills Education and returned to the sector he loved, opening further specialist schools for children with behavioural needs in Crosby. His contribution to education extended far beyond the organisations he personally established.

Charlie served as a governor of St Anselm’s College and St Mary’s College in Crosby and as Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool Hope University. And eventually another of Charlie’s lifelong passions became intertwined with his commitment to education.

Charlie helped found and served as a governor of Everton Free School, created to provide education and opportunities for young people who had left or become disengaged from mainstream education.

He also served as a trustee of Everton in the Community, the club’s official charity. Education wasn’t simply Charlie’s profession. It was something he believed could transform lives.

And perhaps that explains something about the way he behaved at Formby Cricket Club.

Charlie had spent his working life understanding young people, listening to them, giving them opportunities and helping them through difficult periods. At Cricket Path, he naturally did the same.

Few people experienced Charlie’s hospitality more than Formby’s overseas players. Charlie would invariably be the person collecting a new arrival from the airport. Before they had even properly settled into their new surroundings, however, Charlie would make one condition perfectly clear.
If they wanted him to take them under his wing, they would have to agree to support Everton. Football was never far away with Charlie. He had followed Everton everywhere during the great days of the 1980s and remained fiercely passionate about the club. But once an overseas player had passed Charlie’s Everton test, they were looked after.

For players arriving thousands of miles from home, Charlie quickly became far more than a club official. When their parents travelled to England, Charlie would host them. He would take them around Liverpool, show them the city and make sure that they immediately felt part of the Formby family. That same hospitality extended to visiting teams and officials. On match days, Charlie would often be the first person to greet the umpires when they arrived at Cricket Path. And when the final ball had been bowled, he would be waiting.

Win or lose, Charlie made a point of finding the opposition captain as they walked from the field and being the first to shake their hand. Those seemingly small gestures revealed a great deal about him. Cricket could be fiercely competitive for six hours on a Saturday afternoon. But afterwards, you shook hands, shared a drink and welcomed people into your clubhouse. That was cricket as Charlie understood it.

For somebody who achieved so much professionally, Charlie didn’t require much to be content. Give him Cricket Path on a summer’s morning and a newspaper. On quiet weekdays, when there wasn’t a match being played and the clubhouse wasn’t packed, Charlie would sometimes head down simply to sit and read. There was nowhere else he would rather be.

He loved the place. And over the years, through his leadership, generosity and personality, he helped shape it.

Charlie passed away suddenly in 2023. For Formby Cricket Club, the loss went far beyond losing a former Chairman and President. The club had lost one of its great characters and one of its great custodians.

But Charlie’s influence remains visible – not simply in the physical improvements he helped fund or the success achieved during his leadership, but in the culture of the club.

Formby has now ensured his name will remain part of Cricket Path for generations to come through the creation of the Charlie Mills Club Contribution Award. It is presented annually to somebody whose contribution to Formby extends beyond performances with bat or ball.

There could scarcely be a more appropriate award to carry Charlie’s name. This year’s recipient, Zak Eastwood, makes it particularly poignant.

Charlie was especially fond of Zak.

A wonderful young man, Zak contributes to Formby both on and off the field. He helps coach the club’s juniors, volunteers whenever help is required and represents precisely the sort of club spirit Charlie valued.

There is something fitting about Charlie’s name now being associated with people like Zak.

Because the award isn’t really about cricketing ability. It’s about giving something back. It’s about being there. It’s about putting the club before yourself. It’s about being a clubman.The title he would have treasured most

Perhaps the greatest measure of Charlie’s legacy arrived in September 2026.

Three years after his sudden passing, Formby Cricket Club’s First XI achieved something no Formby side had managed before.

They became league champions. Charlie wasn’t there to see it. But the foundations of the club capable of achieving that historic success had been laid over many years, and Charlie had played an enormous part in building them.

During two spells as Chairman he drove the First XI back towards Premier League cricket. He brought Ian Cockbain to the club and ensured Formby returned to the top flight for its 150th anniversary. As President, he then worked to make the entire club stronger. Membership grew. The clubhouse became busier. Commercial revenues increased. Facilities improved. The ground was immaculate.

Saturdays at Cricket Path became occasions people wanted to be part of.

And throughout it all, Charlie looked after the players. Some of those contributions could be seen. Others couldn’t. The beer waiting after a difficult defeat. The conversation with a player going through a tough time. The overseas cricketer collected from the airport. The encouragement offered to a young player. The insistence that Formby should always strive for something more. Those things helped create a culture. And cultures can outlive the people who helped establish them.

That is why Formby’s first league championship carries a particular poignancy. Anyone who knew Charlie knows what watching that team become champions would have meant to him.

This was, after all, a man who followed Everton everywhere during the great sides and great occasions of the 1980s. He witnessed some extraordinary sporting moments as a supporter. But seeing Formby Cricket Club crowned league champions for the first time would, without doubt, have been the proudest sporting moment of his life.

Because this one was personal. This was his club. His ground. His players. His Cricket Path. A legacy measured in people

It would be easy to measure Charlie Mills’ contribution to Formby Cricket Club through achievements. Two spells as Chairman. Two promotions. A return to Premier League cricket for the club’s 150th anniversary. Years as President. Growing membership. Commercial development. Improved facilities.

And, ultimately, helping to lay the foundations for a club that would go on to become league champions for the first time in its history.

All are significant chapters in Formby’s story. But they aren’t Charlie’s greatest legacy. His legacy is people. And now, a generation of Formby cricketers who can forever call themselves league champions.

Charlie first walked through the gates of Cricket Path in the late 1970s as a middle-order batsman who simply loved cricket. Over the next four decades, he became a player, sponsor, Chairman, President, mentor, host and friend.

But there is one description that encompasses them all.

Charlie Mills was the ultimate clubman.

On quiet summer mornings, he needed nothing more than his newspaper and Cricket Path. On busy Saturdays, there was nowhere else he would rather be.

And when Formby finally became league champions in 2026, there was only one thing missing.

Charlie should have been there to see it