Famous Cricketers No 62 - Ken Barrington

At the end of the 1968 English Season, Barrington undertook two small tours overseas. Firstly he went to Israel with the Bournemouth 5705 Club (the Jewish Year the Club was formed) and was installed as President of the Israel Cricket Supporters Club. He then went on to Melbourne to join Colin Milburn in a Double Wicket Tournament and, after winning their first match against Kanhai and Griffith, he was taken ill and suffered a minor heart attack. On doctor’s advice he retired from first-class cricket in January 1969 at the age of 38. Although he was advised, subsequently, that he could play first-class cricket again if he wished, he gave way, quite contentedly, to discretion. Within two or three years he and his wife Ann were running a successful garage business in Bookham and Leatherhead, based on straight dealing, conviviality and a famous name. There was little Ken didn’t know about cars, having been apprenticed as a motor mechanic before joining Surrey. His son (Guy Kenneth) was born on 16th November 1969, Ken and Ann having been married since 1954. After his retirement, he wrote on cricket for newspapers and in 1975 managed a tour to South Africa for Derrick Robins. In the same year he was appointed as a Test selector. He managed the England Tour to India, Sri Lanka and Australia in 1976/77 when the captain was Tony Greig and the following year managed the team to Pakistan and New Zealand with Mike Brearley as captain. It was his ambition that a permanent England manager should be appointed, but this did not come about until after his death. He was Assistant Manager on three tours, first to Doug Insole on the 1978/79 tour to Australia which was captained by Mike Brearley, to Alec Bedser on the 1979/80 tour to Australia again captained by Brearley and, finally, to Alan Smith on the 1980/81 tour to the West Indies when Ian Botham was the captain. It was on this tour that Barrington suffered a fatal heart attack on 14th March 1981 during a Test match in Barbados whilst in the midst of a stressful period involving problems with the Guyanese Government who refused to let Robin Jackman participate because of his South African connections. The team was having a lean time and he put in a great deal of hard work to effect improvements. Alec Bedser, who was in the West Indies at the time told Alf Gover that Ken spent up to three hours in the hot sun bowling in the nets at the batsmen in an effort to show them how to tackle the West Indies attack. Surrey, through its Youth Trust, decided that a suitable way of commemorating Barrington would be to build a Cricket Centre with indoor nets and other sporting facilities, which would provide opportunities for youngsters in the community - many from deprived areas - to learn the game of cricket and develop their characters. After considerable problems and a “Save the Oval” appeal, the Centre was opened by Her Majesty The Queen on 31st July 1991 when both Ann and Guy were presented to the royal party. As Mark Peel so eloquently states in his biography of Ken Barrington “the Barrington legacy lives on, a fount of inspiration to future generations who attempt to cross the great divide between poverty and affluence”. With his Test record of 6,800 runs, Ken’s name has already become a legend in the history of Surrey and England cricket. 6