Famous Cricketers No 51 - Don Kenyon

DON KENYON Donald Kenyon was born in Alwen Street, Wordsley on 15 May 1924 in the heart of the Black Country and in an area well known for the manufacture of the finest crystal glass in the world. His father worked in this industry and played for the works cricket team and taught Don to love the game, encouraging his cricket for the schools that he attended. The first mention of Don in the press I found was in the local County Express , dated 26 July 1937, covering the Senior Schools Shield Final, promoted by Brierley Hill Athletic Club. ‘Kenyon was splendidly caught by Fradgley off the first ball sent down by Evans’ and there were nine other noughts in a total of 16 all out, losing by 11 runs, with Don bowling one over for five runs. His headmaster, Fred Dale, a useful cricketer himself, coached him at school and introduced him to the Birmingham League side Stourbridge and he appeared in their second and third elevens in 1938 at the same time that he was having nets at New Road. Worcestershire took more interest in Don the following season, the last one before the Second World War, but being born in Staffordshire he had to qualify for two seasons playing with the Club and Ground side whilst continuing in the Birmingham League. On the 3 August 1939 he hit 103 against Aston Unity, at the age of 15 years and 80 days, the youngest batsman to reach three figures in the oldest League. As it did to many sportsmen, the War put Don’s career on hold and after time in the Air Training Corps he joined the RAF shortly after his 18th birthday leaving his office job with Lunt Brothers. After his initial training he was posted to Cambridgeshire and was lucky to play regular cricket on what he said were good pitches and was selected for the Bomber Command X1, later with the RAF and the Combined Services. Don was still in the RAF when he made his first-class debut against Surrey for Worcestershire at New Road and was bowled by Jack Parker for 15 but returned first with the RAF, when he recorded a ‘pair’, and next with the Combined Services for whom he scored 107. On the strength of this he was offered a contract on being demobbed in December 1946 and appeared in every one of Worcestershire’s County Championship matches in 1947 receiving his County Cap. A month after the end of the season he went down the aisle with his long-time sweetheart, Jean, at St James’ Church, Wollaston and they were married by the Reverend Bamber. Not that Jean was to blame, I’m sure, but Don had a poor season in 1948 and lost his place to Fred Cooper but after that he became a tower of strength in the Worcestershire batting line-up. With an excess of 2,000 first-class runs in 1950 and 1951 he was selected for the MCC party under Nigel Howard to India, Pakistan and Ceylon for the 1951/52 season. Don, however, was homesick, missing the birth of their first daughter, Lesley, on 24 November 1951 but made his Test debut at Delhi and finished the tour with 733 runs at 29.32 with one century, 112 against Hyderabad. Don returned for another free scoring season of 2,000 plus runs and made two Test appearances against Lindsay Hassett’s Australians. At the end of this 1953 season, on 9 September, his second daughter, Susan, was born. He was at the height of his career in 1954 when he scored 2,636 runs at an average of 51.68, finishing fourth in the first-class averages behind Denis Compton, Tom Graveney and ‘Jock’ Livingston and arriving at 1,000 runs and 2,000 runs before any other batsman in the country. During the Winter of 1958/59 Worcestershire’s captain, Peter Richardson, fell out with the club and Don was appointed captain for the 1959 season, the second professional, following Reg Perks, to accept this honour. A lowly 14th position was the result but a steady improvement was achieved and on 25 August 1964 a dream was achieved when Worcestershire beat Gloucestershire by an innings and two runs and, after a wait of about two hours, the County Championship was won by Worcestershire for the first time in their history when Warwickshire failed to beat Hampshire at 4