Famous Cricketers No 49 - Don Shepherd

When the career of a player with Shep’s reputation and statistics is reviewed, what is written soon turns to eulogy. With modern Glamorgan players, however, that can easily be offset, for around every corner lurk the trenchant views of Wilfred Wooller to bring us down to earth. No better view of the real Shepherd can be given than by quoting Wooller’s appreciation of him from his benefit year in 1960. “He was not a natural cricketer, in my opinion, when my attention was called to his medium pace bowling during his National Service in the Fleet Air Arm in 1947.” That was no problem for a county side which was only just emerging from the days when you only needed to own a pair of whites to be pressed into service. “He came an awkward and unsure fielder, but steadily he mastered an outfield style,” wrote Wooller. “His inelegant lope and smooth pick-up hide a deceptive speed of throw which comes like a bullet over the sticks and with it many a run out. There is no Shepherd pretence to academic batsmanship. It is a huge joke, although on desperate occasions he will block with what he fondly imagines is a straight bat.” On most occasions, though, Shepherd was one of those number elevens who launch bat at ball unworried in which direction the ball will fly because if he does not know where it is going the fielders surely do not. Like all those hitters every once in a while he would turn a low-scoring match. 1950 In 1948, Glamorgan’s championship winning year, the young medium pace bowler was sent to the M.C.C. ground staff to learn his trade. At the start of 1949 he turned out for Glamorgan in what was then a regular series of pre-season matches against club sides. He took 2-9 against Cardiff, one wicket against Barry and then settled down to a spell in the county second team. A young Derek Richardson was an early victim when Worcestershire Seconds came to Usk, and Shepherd had figures of 4-32 against Devon at Barry. His figures were not spectacular but he made enough progress to be given a regular county place as an opening bowler in 1950. Wooller recalls that he was also given charge of the team’s baggage as they travelled from match to match by train. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 1. Glamorgan v Surrey, Kennington Oval, April (29), May 1, 2 (Match drawn) c M.R.Barton b A.V.Bedser 0 145 10 3 25 0 192 1 2. Glamorgan v Somerset, Arms Park, Cardiff, May 3, 4, 5 (Match drawn) not out 15 232 13 2 28 1 S.S.Rogers b 314-9d did not bat - 220-7 5 0 19 0 217-8d 1 3. Glamorgan v Leicestershire, Pontypridd, May 10, 11 (Leicestershire won by six wickets) b J.E.Walsh 0 75 2 1 5 0 95 b J.E.Walsh 0 121 7.2 4 11 2 K.D.Smith c H.G.Davies 103-4 M.Tompkin b 4