Famous Cricketers No 51 - Don Kenyon

1946 Don made his first-class debut for Worcestershire whilst still serving in the RAF, scoring 15 before being bowled by Surrey all-rounder Jack Parker at Worcester. On his next visit to New Road, for the RAF a month later, he was met by Len Oakley, another Stourbridge born cricketer, who had him caught behind by Hugo Yarnold in both innings before he had scored, the first of the four ‘pairs’ he collected during his career. The next New Road visit, however, was much more memorable. He scored the first of his 74 first-class centuries , 107 for the Combined Services in 135 minutes, before being dismissed by the Singleton brothers, caught ‘Sandy’, bowled George. Spasmodic appearances for Worcestershire continued during that season, scoring 171 runs for them, with a top score of 90 against Middlesex, an innings that was to remain a career best against the men from Lord’s throughout his career. If he had managed those ten runs by 1959, when he hit 121 against Lancashire at Southport, he would have been the first batsman to score centuries against all 17 counties, including Worcestershire. By a strange coincidence Glenn Turner was the first to this achievement when he scored 109, also against Lancashire at Southport in 1979. Glenn had scored his hundred against Worcestershire in 1973 with 143 at New Road for the New Zealand tourists. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 1. Worcestershire v Surrey, Worcester, May 25, 27, 28 (Match drawn) b J.F.Parker 15 110-3 241 2. Combined Services v Oxford University, The Parks, May 28, 30, 31 (Match drawn) c B.H.Travers b D.H.Macindoe 5 308 209 324-7 3. Worcestershire v Essex, Chelmsford, June 8, 10, 11 (Worcestershire won by five wickets) b R. Smith 5 81 214 not out 10 171-5 33-1d 4. R.A.F. v Worcestershire, Worcester, June 19, 20, 21 (Worcestershire won by 45 runs) c H.Yarnold b L.Oakley 0 183 326 1 c H.Yarnold b L.Oakley 0 192 94-4d 5. Worcestershire v Glamorgan, Ebbw Vale, June 22, 24, 25 (Worcestershire won by two wickets) c A.J.Watkins b P.F.Judge 8 117 211 1 c H.G.Davies b J.C.Clay 6 263-8 167-6d 6. Combined Services v Northamptonshire, Kettering, June 29, July 1, 2 (Combined Services won by eight wickets) c W.T.Nevell b J.H.C.Toon 11 218 273 did not bat - 233-2 177 7. Combined Services v Surrey, Kennington Oval, July 17, 18, 19 (Surrey won by six wickets) c A.J.W.McIntyre b J.C.Laker 29 288 318 b J.C.Laker 18 125 96-4 8. Combined Services v Worcestershire, Worcester, July 31, August 1, 2 (Combined Services won by five wickets) c A.P.Singleton b G.M.Singleton 107 429 232 lbw b G.M.Singleton 2 84-5 280 1 9. Worcestershire v Essex, Worcester, August 3, 5, 6 (Match drawn) run out 26 203 250 1 did not bat - 327-8 310-6d 10. Worcestershire v Middlesex, Worcester, August 21, 22, 23 (Middlesex won by five wickets) b J.M.Sims 10 128 332 3 c J.A.Young b W.J.R.Harrington 90 236 33-5 1 11. Worcestershire v Somerset, Worcester, August 24, 26, 27 (Somerset won by 212 runs) c A.W.Wellard b W.H.R.Andrews 1 121 171 b H.L.Hazell 0 123 285 1 12. Combined Services v Surrey, Kingston-upon-Thames, September 4, 5, 6 (Match drawn) not out 0 12-1 132 6