Famous Cricketers No 51 - Don Kenyon

1957 Worcestershire had a bad start to the season losing to the West Indian tourists by an innings in two days but success came later in May at Bristol when Don scored his first century of the season , with 12 fours in two hours and forty minutes. The return game in July, chosen as his benefit match, was troubled by rain with only two hours play possible on the Saturday. He scored his fifth double-century, 200 not out in a total of 292-6 declared, hitting 32 fours against Nottinghamshire at Worcester. During this innings, when he was 154, he completed 20,000 runs for Worcestershire and at the age of 33 years and 50 days was the youngest to this milestone for the county until beaten by Graeme Hick in 1998. At Eastbourne on 1 July he scored 123, his 45th century, the most by a Worcestershire batsman, beating the 44 by ‘Doc’ Gibbons between 1927 and 1946. For the seventh time in eight seasons he completed 2000 first -class runs and here is an interesting quotation from the Worcestershire Yearbook for 1958 “one is forced to wonder whether the organisation of a benefit is good for a man’s cricket” - 2,231 runs, average 37.81 with six centuries in a rather rainy summer! Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 332. Worcestershire v West Indians,Worcester, May 1, 2 (West Indians won by an innings and 77 runs) c C.L.Walcott b A.L.Valentine 26 80 290-9d c G.St A..Sobers b F.M.M.Worrell 0 133 333. Worcestershire v Warwickshire, Dudley, May 4, 6, 7 (Match drawn) lbw b J.D.Bannister 18 227 329-7d b W.E.Hollies 88 176-6 187-1d 334. Worcestershire v Cambridge University, Fenner’s, May 11, 13, 14 (Match drawn) b O.S.Wheatley 4 263 202 2 lbw b C.S.Smith 6 194-5d 124-7 1 335. Worcestershire v Surrey, Kennington Oval, May 18, 20, 21 (Surrey won by eight wickets) c P.B.H.May b A.V.Bedser 3 108 109 1 c M.J.Stewart b G.A.R.Lock 13 90 90-2 336. Worcestershire v Gloucestershire, Bristol, May 22, 23, 24 (Worcestershire won by five wickets) c D.G.Hawkins b C.Cook 115 313-9d 307-8d c D.M.Young b G.E.E.Lambert 8 218-5 223-5d 337. Worcestershire v Lancashire, Worcester, May 25, 27 (Lancashire won by an innings and 22 runs) c W.Heys b J.B.Statham 17 101 260 lbw b J.B.Statham 2 137 338. Worcestershire v Somerset, Taunton, May 29, 30, 31 (Match drawn) c W.E.Alley b J.H.Harris 27 318-8d 321-9d b W.E.Alley 13 201-5d 78-2 339. Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge, June 1, 3, 4 (Nottinghamshire won by six wickets) b B.Dooland 34 311 307 c E.J.Rowe b A.Jepson 40 171 176-4 340. Worcestershire v Oxford University, The Parks, June 5, 6, 7 (Worcestershire won by 178 runs) c J.A.D.Hobbs b R.W.Wilson 43 288-7d 188 st M.D.Scott b R.L.Jowett 119 207-5d 129 341. Worcestershire v Essex, Worcester, June 8, 10, 11 (Match drawn) lbw b I.M.King 46 331 199 250-8 342. Worcestershire v Derbyshire, Derby, June 15, 17, 18 (Match drawn) b D.C.Morgan 175 403-7d 288 c G.O.Dawkes b H.L.Jackson 21 191-3d 228-8 343. Worcestershire v Combined Services, Worcester, June 19, 20, 21 (Worcestershire won by nine wickets) lbw b D.B.Pearson 61 216 224 2 not out 54 97-1 88 1 344. Worcestershire v Glamorgan, Worcester, June 22, 24, 25 (Match drawn) b P.M.Walker 17 148 114 c P.M.Walker b L.N.Devereux 53 159 59-0 29