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

SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Other Matches 4 8 0 271 50 33.87 - 1 5 Career 139 249 17 8506 154 36.66 16 51 76 Bowling O M R W BB Ave Other Matches 3 1 6 0 - - Career (6-ball) 585.2 81 } 2293 40 4-22 57.32 (8-ball) 7 0 1956 For all the strengths of English Test cricket in this period, the problem of a reliable opening partnership remained and in 1956 Cowdrey was called upon to fill the position of which he had an almost pathological dislike. His ability to see the ball early, his impressive concentration and his skill against the quickest attack seemed to fit the bill. He took part in two big partnerships with Peter Richardson but overall the outcome was mixed. Wisden in particular noted that he “rarely did himself justice going in first”, while Bill Bowes in The Cricketer felt that “there was no evidence that England had solved their troublesome problem”. Performing the same role at the selectors’ request for Kent clearly affected his form there. Very few people in his home county thought that Cowdrey was at his best opening the batting. Although he scored a thousand runs for Kent for the first time, over 500 were scored before the end of May helped by a big score at Fenner’s (not opening). He made only one hundred in that position, a splendid 197 at Stourbridge. Otherwise only 121 down the order against Lancashire in Canterbury Week, when the two counties were at opposite ends of the table (Kent the lower), revealed his true form. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 140. Kent v Glamorgan, Canterbury, May 5, 7, 8 (Kent won by eight wickets) c A.J.Watkins b H.D.Davies 67 308-8d 246 not out 50 94-2 155 141. Kent v Cambridge University, Fenner’s, May 12, 14, 15 (Match drawn) * b S.Singh 24 124 302-9d 1 not out 204 365-3d 173-5 2 142. Kent v Essex, Dartford, May 16, 17, 18 (Essex won by nine wickets) lbw b T.E.Bailey 38 203 361 1 c K.C.Preston b R.Smith 80 178 24-1 143. Kent v Hampshire, Southampton, May 19, 21, 22 (Match drawn) c L.Harrison b M.B.Heath 13 244 384-5d b J.R.Gray 7 215-8 205-5d 144. Kent v Glamorgan, Swansea, May 23, 24, 25 (Glamorgan won by an innings and 21 runs) * c B.R.Edrich b D.J.Shepherd 0 130 353-9d 4 c H.G.Davies b A.J.Watkins 18 202 145. M.C.C. v Australians, Lord’s, May 26, 28, 29 (Match drawn) b R.G.Archer 0 203-9 413 146. Kent v Derbyshire, Gravesend, May 30, 31, June 1 (Derbyshire won by seven wickets) * c G.O.Dawkes b H.L.Jackson 4 183 206 1 c E.Smith b D.B.Carr 68 232 213-3 1 147. Kent v Nottinghamshire, Gravesend, June 2, 4, 5 (Match drawn) * c E.J.Rowe b A.Jepson 33 218 308 c A.K.Walker b K.Smales 15 257 164-9 148. Kent v Worcestershire, Stourbridge, June 13, 14, 15 (Match drawn) b L.J.Coldwell 4 74 310 1 b M.J.Horton 197 409 80-2 149. ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA, Trent Bridge, June 7, (8), 9, 11, 12 (Match drawn) c K.R.Miller b A.K.Davidson 25 217-8d 148 c G.R.A.Langley b K.R.Miller 81 188-3d 120-3 22