Famous Cricketers No 51 - Don Kenyon

1965 Worcestershire, defending their Championship Pennant, had to wait until their sixth match before they tasted victory. Many blamed it on to the two month tour in the close season but that was forgotten when they won the last seven matches and retained the title at Hove with seven minutes of the season left. Don was appointed a Test Selector and joined Chairman Doug Insole, Alec Bedser and Peter May with England winning the home series against New Zealand and losing against South Africa without the help of any Worcestershire players. He replaced Willie Watson, the Huddersfield Town, Sunderland, Yorkshire, Leicestershire and England double international. Worcestershire, however, didn’t look Champion material when by 23 July they had won just 3 matches out of 17 but by winning 10 out of their last 11 success was again achieved in their centenary year. I well remember listening to the Midlands Home Service commentary during the partnership of Roy Booth and Dick Richardson and later, when Booth was out for a golden 38, the support that Doug Slade gave Richardson in securing a four-wicket win. Unfortunately Don had a poor season and didn’t add to his 67 centuries for Worcestershire. He scored 458 runs at an average of only 14.31 but missed games because of his duties as Test Selector when the Championship side was led by Tom Graveney. His best performance of the season was a match winning innings of 77 at Kidderminster, in the second innings of a low scoring match. Don hit 6 of his 12 fours off the in-form Fred Rumsey and 3 sixes off Brian Langford in the only three figure opening partnership of the season of 110 with Ron Headley. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 573. Worcestershire v New Zealanders, Worcester, May 5, 6, 7 (Match drawn) b R.O.Collinge 23 255 260 c B.E.Congdon b R.C.Motz 26 56-1 160-5d 574. Worcestershire v Essex, Worcester, May 8, 10, 11 (Match drawn) c B.Taylor b T.E.Bailey 3 278-8d 176 1 b B.E.A.Edmeades 2 126-7d 208-6 575. Worcestershire v Essex, Brentwood, May 12, 13, 14 (Essex won by 46 runs) lbw b B.R.Knight 2 135 302 1 c T.E.Bailey b B.R.Knight 9 289 170-6d 576. Worcestershire v Surrey, Kennington Oval, May 19, 20, 21 (Match drawn) c J.H.Edrich b G.G.Arnold 6 207 216 c D.Gibson b R.Harman 48 237-7d 169-5 577. Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge, May 29, 31, June 1 (Match drawn) c and b A.J.Corran 15 200 194 c G.Millman b C.Forbes 27 176-2d 73-6 1 578. Worcestershire v Kent, Dartford, June 2, 3, 4 (Kent won by an innings and 8 runs) c M.C.Cowdrey b A.Brown 40 164 364-8d 1 c P.E.Richadson b A.L.Dixon 12 192 579. Worcestershire v Derbyshire, Worcester, June 5, 7 (Worcestershire won by eight wickets) lbw b H.J.Rhodes 8 161 129 2 did not bat - 38-2 69 1 580. Worcestershire v Gloucestershire, Worcester, June 19, 21, 22 (Match drawn) b A.S.Brown 2 322 1 0 14 0 249 - - - - 189-5 581. Worcestershire v Somerset, Bath, June 26, 28 (Somerset won by an innings and 5 runs) c R.T.Virgin b F.E.Rumsey 25 143 190 1 c W.E.Alley b F.E.Rumsey 0 42 582. Worcestershire v Leicestershire, Leicester, June 30, July 1, 2 (Match drawn) not out 3 217-3d - - - - 214-3d c G.A.R.Lock b J.Birkenshaw 11 100-5 10 1 50 0 237-1d 583. Worcestershire v Warwickshire, Worcester, July 3, 5, 6 (Match drawn) c M.J.K.Smith b D.J.Brown 2 235 212 1 c J.A.Jameson b D.J.Brown 4 200-4d 84-3 584. Worcestershire v Sussex, Worcester, July 28, 29, 30 (Worcestershire won by eight wickets) b J.A.Snow 0 106 110 did not bat - 115-2 110 46