Lives in Cricket No 10 - John Shepherd

apologise to Shepherd for pipping him to the honour. Derek Underwood remembers 43 how disappointed Shep had been as he had felt, with some justification, that he had done the hard work against the front-line bowlers but had had to concede the award to his captain who had played his fine innings when life was rather easier! The Gillette final at Lord’s in September was against Somerset and, batting in glorious sunshine, Kent seemed set for a formidable total when they were 129 for one at lunch, with Shepherd, again batting at three, going along nicely. But shortly after the interval there was a collapse with Shepherd falling for 30 and few of the rest of the team making much of a contribution. All out for 193. But it was, nevertheless, to be Kent’s day once Shepherd, despite a pulled thigh muscle, had removed Somerset’s top-scorer Robinson and the dangerous Australian Bill Alley. Shepherd had dropped his pace a yard or two because of a thigh strain and he bowled an accurate and very economical spell of two for 27 in twelve overs. Somerset were all out for 161 and so it was to be Kent’s first trophy for 54 years – and new boy Shepherd had played a full part. A celebratory dinner for the team in the Carlton Club, with keen Kent supporter and Leader of the Opposition Edward Heath and other Tory grandees, was to follow. The apprenticeship was going well. Whilst the Gillette Cup was the high spot of Kent and John Shepherd’s year, the County Championship was only narrowly missed with Kent finishing second to Yorkshire. Shepherd was an ever-present in the side scoring 804 championship runs, at 23.64 and taking 48 wickets at 20.93. With the deadly Derek Underwood in the team Shepherd’s chances to add to his wicket tally on poorer, uncovered wickets was limited – so it is all the more commendable that most of his wickets were taken on the better pitches. Among his personal moments to remember was an innings of 72, batting at three, against Hampshire at Maidstone which helped Kent to a comfortable innings victory: it was after this match that Shepherd was awarded his county cap in his full first season, then an unusual achievement. There was also a run of fine bowling performances in late August when he took 24 wickets in five games including a match-winning spell of four wickets in a couple of overs against Warwickshire which set up a Kent win. There was his then highest first-class score to celebrate in July when he scored 73 not out versus the Pakistani touring side and put on 142 in an unbroken partnership with Cowdrey. In the same match the Pakistani allrounder Asif Iqbal scored 41 in the tourists’ first innings before he was out caught Knott bowled Shepherd. Asif was to return in another capacity for the 1968 season! In August Shepherd was joined in the Kent side by Godfrey Evans – twenty-three years his senior – as the great wicket-keeper helped out when the county was short. As Shepherd grew in confidence there was a contribution of some importance in almost every championship match with the bat or with the ball – or in some cases with both. The allrounder spot in the Kent side was seemingly assured although medium-pacer Alan Kentish Apprentice 33 43 Interview with the author, 24 September 2008.