Famous Cricketers No 85 - Derek Underwood

SEASON’S AVERAGES Batting and Fielding M I NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 Ct Championship 27 32 8 105 18* 4.37 - - 7 Other Kent matches 3 4 0 29 27 7.25 - - 1 Other match 1 1 0 4 4 4.00 - - - Season 31 37 8 138 27 4.75 - - 8 Career 87 98 26 527 33 7.31 - - 28 Bowling O M R W BB Ave 5i 10m Championship 878.4 382 1950 83 6/26 23.49 6 1 Other Kent matches 91 33 271 5 2/53 54.20 - - Other match 13 6 38 1 1/38 38.00 - - Season 982.4 421 2259 89 6/26 25.38 6 1 Career 2992.5 1228 6843 291 9/28 23.51 14 3 1966 This was Underwood’s annus mirabilis. Although only twenty-one years old he took more than 100 wickets for the third time in four seasons. He was the first bowler to pass 100 wickets for the season and at its end headed the bowling averages - the first time a Kent bowler had done so since Blythe in 1914 and his tally of 144 wickets for Kent was the highest since ‘Tich’ Freeman topped 200 in 1935. Kent finished fourth in the Championship, their highest position for nineteen years. Underwood’s success was rewarded with two Test caps against the West Indies but his achievement at this level was disappointing. Own Team O M R W Opp Ct Total Total 88. Kent v Nottinghamshire, Trent Bridge, May (4), 5, 6 (Match drawn) c and b C.Forbes 0 100 4 2 14 3 C.Forbes c and b 133 1 A.A.Johnson b I.J.Davison c J.M.Prodger 8 5 8 0 50-1 89. Kent v Middlesex, Lord’s, May 7, 9, 10 (Kent won by 117 runs) did not bat - 170-5c 14.1 5 29 5 J.T.Murray c B.W.Luckhurst 112 F.J.Titmus b R.W.Hooker c A.S.Brown H.C.Latchman c J.M.Prodger R.S.Herman c J.M.Prodger not out 21 261-7d 30.3 11 58 5 W.E.Russell b 202 C.T.Radley c B.W.Luckhurst D.A.Bick c M.H.Denness D.Bennett c S.E.Leary R.S.Herman b 90. Kent v Middlesex, Gravesend, May 14, 16, 17 (Match drawn) lbw b R.W.Stewart 0 257 23 5 80 2 R.W.Hooker c A.P.E.Knott 337 1 M.J.Smith st A.P.E.Knott c E.G.Clifton b D.A.Bick 5 267-8 30 11 71 2 M.J.Harris c B.W.Luckhurst 222-6d C.T.Radley c A.P.E.Knott 91. Kent v Glamorgan, Gravesend, May 18, 19, 20 (Match drawn) did not bat - 322-5d - - - - 83 1 25 10 82 0 385-5 92. Kent v Worcestershire, Worcester, May 25, 26, 27 (Worcestershire won by 80 runs) not out 2 77 20 5 50 2 D.Kenyon c A.Brown 221-3c R.G.A.Headley c M.C.Cowdrey not out 1 226 28.1 14 39 4 T.W.Graveney c and b 162 1 B.L.D’Oliveira c M.H.Denness R.Booth b N.Gifford b 15