Steve Coltman joined Lymington Cricket Club back in the late 1970s, lured, so it is said, by the quality of the Sports Ground pitches. He soon established himself as a highly accomplished, hard-hitting opening batsman, and in 1978 was the First XI’s top scorer with 307 runs. In 1981 Steve captained the Firsts, and the following season he was appointed as vice-captain to Jon Hardy. Steve was good against pace and, legend has it, once smashed ex-Hampshire quickie Butch White back over his head for a straight six at Ashley Rec. Predictably, the next five balls were not bowled in Steve’s half of the wicket!

Army postings often took Steve away from the club for long spells during the 1980s, but once he had retired from the forces he played regularly for Lymington's Third XI and Sunday sides, occasionally with son Nigel. Steve's cricket attire was legendary: a baggy sleeveless sweater, knitted by wife Judy we believe, an office shirt carefully rolled up above the elbow, distinctive blue batting gloves and a floppy white sun hat with a brim so deep it often appeared to cover his spectacles. When Steve's tattered old sunhat finally wore out, teammate Robin Goff was dispatched to find a suitable, more fashionable replacement, but turned up the following Saturday, not with a trendy wide-brimmed hat or a stylish cap, but an exact replica of the original, much to the amusement of the rest of the team.

Steve was wearing his floppy hat at Trojans in the summer of 1996 when he was drafted in to the Second XI to face the rapid West Indian test bowler Merv Dillon. Steve's innings may not have lasted too long that day but, typically, Steve never flinched or took a step back. Perhaps Steve's finest innings for the club had come during the previous season when he scored an unbeaten 124 for the Third XI at Godshill. He could bowl a bit too, appropriately enough at a military medium pace.

Steve will also be remembered for arriving early for games with wife Judy. The pair would set up their picnic table and chairs and partake in a hearty lunch with a couple of glasses of wine prior to the match. He also skippered the XL Club and turned out for The Elite evening side, and when his playing days were over Steve became a member of the South Coast Panel of Umpires.

Despite being commonly known by his friends at Lymington as 'The Major', Steve was in fact a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Signals. The military wasn't Steve's first calling apparently. According to daughter Charlotte, he first tried farming, then accounting before finally settling on a career in the army. Steve undertook charitable work for BLESMA, the charity for limbless veterans, and was duly presented with an OBE from the then Prince Charles in 1993 for his sterling work with that organisation.

Whilst we haven’t seen much of him in recent seasons Steve was always a keen supporter of the club and had been a vice president for many years. He was always great entertainment on and off the field and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

The funeral will be held on Thursday 9th April 2026 at 12 noon at Lady Immaculate Catholic Church in Westbourne, Bournemouth. The mass will be followed by a quiet family burial. A reception will follow at the Bournemouth Highcliff Marriott Hotel, BH2 5DU. Steve's family have asked for donations in lieu of flowers to either BLESMA (British Limbless Ex-Servicemen's Association) &/or the Ghurkha Welfare Trust.