Famous Cricketers No 72 - Lord Cowdrey of Tonbridge, C.B.E.

2000, Cowdrey became President of the Kent County Cricket, a delay no doubt influenced by a reluctance to be involved in the county’s administration while his sons were on the staff. With typical drive and enthusiasm he threw himself fully into the responsibilities. He last appeared on a Kent ground on the first Saturday of Canterbury Festival Week, 29 July, entertaining the gathering in the President’s Tent in high form. The following day he suffered a severe stroke from which he seemed to be making an encouraging recovery when he died suddenly in his sleep on the evening of 4 December 2000 at his home at Angmering Park in Sussex. He was a few weeks short of his 68th birthday. A memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey on 30 March 2001 attended by a wide spectrum of notable figures from cricket and the wider world, not to mention many more humble admirers. The Abbey could have been filled three times over. 1950 Cowdrey began the season still a pupil at Tonbridge School where he scored 1033 runs at 79 and took 47 wickets at 14 that summer. He also played representative schools cricket, scoring a century at Lord’s. Kent, at a time when promising young players were short (not many of the ten new players tried in 1950 progressed), failed to persuade Tonbridge to release Cowdrey for one early season match. However, free of scholastic commitments, he was tried in the last four county games of the season. In terms of figures it was not a conspicuous success, but the conditions and the quality of the bowling were against him. Derby and Gladwin and Jackson did not make for the easiest of debuts. Then to face the same pair again in the next match and the guiles of Alf Valentine in a third meant Wisden could nevertheless remark on a “promising debut”. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 1. Kent v Derbyshire, Derby, August 19, 21, 22 (Derbyshire won by an innings and 98 runs) c P.Vaulkhard b C.Gladwin 15 96 12 1 37 1 P.Vaulkhard lbw 345-6d 1 b C.Gladwin 26 151 2. Kent v Derbyshire, Dover, August 23, 24, 25 (Kent won by nine wickets) c and b D.C.Morgan 4 214 2 0 10 0 167 did not bat - 39-1 - - - - 83 1 3. Kent v Nottinghamshire, Dover, August 26, 28, 29 (Nottinghamshire won by 55 runs) b A.Jepson 27 237 2 0 10 0 157 c H.J.Butler b A.Jepson 2 81 - - - - 216 4. Kent v West Indians, Canterbury, August 30, 31, September 1 (West Indians won by 222 runs) run out 25 146 265 c C.B.Williams b A.L.Valentine 5 67 170-6d SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct County Championship 3 5 0 74 27 14.80 - - 2 Other Kent Matches 1 2 0 30 25 15.00 - - - Season 4 7 0 104 27 14.85 - - 2 Bowling O M R W BB Ave County Championship (6-ball) 16 1 57 1 1-37 57.00 10