Famous Cricketers No 51 - Don Kenyon

1953 Don opened the season with the first century ever scored by a Worcestershire batsman in the tourist match against The Australians, the previous best being 85 by Charlie Palmer in 1948. A better Test Trial at Edgbaston, where he scored 32 and 62 not out, gained him selection for the First Test at Trent Bridge. In the first innings he edged an in-swinger in Ray Lindwall’s fourth over to Jack Hill at short-leg when he was 8 and then in the second innings lifted a full toss fromHill to Lindsay Hassett at mid-on when 16. He was retained for the Second Test match at Lord’s but again suffered early at the hands of Lindwall. In the first innings he was caught at short-leg by Alan Davidson off the last ball of his second over and in the second innings caught at mid-on by Hassett, having scored 2 on both occasions. He was replaced by Bill Edrich for the Third Test but continued to score heavily for Worcestershire. On 18 June he became the first batsman to reach 1000 runs for the season and went on to complete 2,278 for Worcestershire, including six centuries, with a career best 238 not out at Worcester against Yorkshire, the first of his seven double-centuries for Worcestershire. On 31 July he became the first victim of Bob Berry’s all ten after a partneship of 84 with Peter Richardson at Blackpool. Berry (10-102) was the second Lancashire bowler, following Johnny Briggs (10-55 in 1900), to take all ten against Worcestershire and later became a colleague of Don’s when he joined Worcestershire in 1955. Don scored 1,115 of his runs at New Road, only the second time that this had been achieved at the Worcestershire headquarters, but has since been repeated on nine other occasions. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 202. Worcestershire v Australians, Worcester, April 29, 30, May 1 (Match drawn) b R.Benaud 122 333-7d 542-7d 203. Worcestershire v Somerset, Worcester, May 2, 4, 5 (Worcestershire won by eight wickets) c H.W.Stephenson b R.Smith 90 361-8d 179 did not bat - 9-2 190 2 204. Worcestershire v Glamorgan, Swansea, May 9, 11, 12 (Glamorgan won by 1 run) lbw b D.J.Shepherd 33 374 378 b D.J.Shepherd 56 192 189 205. Worcestershire v Cambridge University, Fenner’s, May 16, 18, 19 (Worcestershire won by seven wickets) c and b D.C.Dickinson 16 89 99 1 c F.C.M.Alexander b T.Hare 77 205-3 194 206. Worcestershire v Yorkshire, Huddersfield, May 20, 21, 22 (Yorkshire won by 72 runs) c D.V.Brennan b J.H.Wardle30 166 258 2 c D.V.Brennan b J.H.Wardle10 228 208-5d 1 207. Worcestershire v Essex, Worcester, May 23, 25, 26 (Match drawn) c P.A.Gibb b K.C.Preston 54 335-7d 359-4d 1 b R.Smith 120 288-5d 282-9 2 208. Rest v England XI, Edgbaston, May 27, 28, 29 (Match drawn) c T.E.Bailey b J.H.Wardle 32 174 269-6d 1 not out 62 118-0 116-2d 209. Worcestershire v Derbyshire, Burton-on-Trent, May 30, June 1, 2 (Derbyshire won by three wickets) c A.C.Revill b C.Gladwin 63 233 178 1 lbw b H.L.Jackson 0 96 152-7 210. Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge, June 3, 4, 5 (Nottinghamshire won by ten wickets) c G.Goonesena b A.Jepson 5 70 270 c and b B.Dooland 73 204 7-0 211. Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire, Kidderminster, June 6, 8, 9 (Worcestershire won by 88 runs) st E.A.Meads b G.Goonesena 66 207 176 lbw b B.Dooland 19 251 194 1 212. ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, Trent Bridge, June 11, 12, 13, (15), 16 (Match drawn) c J.C.Hill b R.R.Lindwall 8 144 249 c A.L.Hassett b J.C.Hill 16 120-1 123 1 213. Worcestershire v Sussex, Dudley, June 17, 18, 19 (Worcestershire won by four wickets) b A.S.M.Oakman 53 195-6d 192 c and b A.S.M.Oakman 42 167-6 168-9d 20