Colin Cowdrey

Michael Colin Cowdrey, Baron Cowdrey of Tonbridge, (24 December 1932 – 4 December 2000) was an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club from 1950 to 1976, and in 114 Test matches for England from 1954 to 1975.

He was born in Ootacamund, Madras Presidency, British India and died in Littlehampton, West Sussex.

Cowdrey was a right-handed batsman who played in 692 first-class matches.

He scored 42,719 career runs at an average of 42.89 runs per completed innings with a highest score of 307 as one of 107 centuries.

He was an occasional right-arm leg spin bowler, taking 65 first-class wickets with a best innings return of 4/22.

An outstanding slip fielder, he held 638 career catches.

Cowdrey was the first player to make 100 appearances in Test cricket and also the first batsman to score a Test century, both home and away, against six other countries.

Colin Cowdrey was born on his family's tea plantation at Ootacamund, Madras Presidency, although his birthplace has often been misrecorded as Bangalore, 100 miles to the north.

His father, Ernest Cowdrey, was a keen cricketer who had played in the Minor Counties Championship for Berkshire.

Ernest made an application for Colin to join Marylebone Cricket Club while still an infant.

Colin's mother was Molly Cowdrey (née Taylor), who played tennis and hockey.

He had no schooling in India, but his father and the servants taught him how to play cricket from a very early age.

When Cowdrey was five, he was taken to England where he attended the Homefield Preparatory School in Sutton from 1938 to 1945.

In 1945, aged 12, he went to Alf Gover's Cricket School for three weeks and his father enrolled him at Tonbridge School so that he could qualify for Kent County Cricket Club.

On Gover's recommendation, Cowdrey was selected for the school's first team.

In July 1946, aged thirteen, Cowdrey played at Lord's for Tonbridge School against Clifton College.

He scored 75 and 44 and, bowling leg spin, took 3/58 and 5/33.

Tonbridge won the match by two runs.

The school later established the Cowdrey Scholarships for sporting excellence in his memory.

Cowdrey was asked to play for Kent Young Amateurs in 1948 and made 157 against Sussex Young Amateurs, 87 against Middlesex Young Amateurs and 79 against Surrey Young Amateurs.

He was asked to join the Kent Second XI in 1949 and played three matches in August against Norfolk, Wiltshire and Devon in the Minor Counties Championship.

In 1950, he was made captain of his school cricket team and scored 126* for the Public Schools XI against Combined Services at Lord's. Less than a week later, Kent selected Cowdrey for his first-class debut in a County Championship match against Derbyshire at the County Ground in Derby.

He held a catch and took a wicket in Derbyshire's first innings of 345/6 declared.

He was fifth in the Kent batting order and scored 15 in his debut innings before he was caught by Derbyshire captain Pat Vaulkhard off a ball by Cliff Gladwin.

Kent were all out for 96 and Vaulkhard imposed the follow on.

Cowdrey made Kent's top score of 26 in the second innings.

He was bowled by Gladwin whose match return was 10/86.

Kent were all out for 151 and Derbyshire won by an innings and 98 runs.

Cowdrey left Tonbridge School in the summer of 1951 and, having been offered an exhibition, became a student at the University of Oxford.

Before going into residence at Oxford in the autumn of 1951, Cowdrey scored his maiden first-class century against them for the Free Foresters.

This match was played at the University Parks 2–5 June and Cowdrey scored 143 at a run a minute in the first innings.

Free Foresters totalled 317 all out but the university replied with 395/5 declared.

In their second innings, Free Foresters scored 355 all out.

Errol Holmes was the top scorer with 162 and Cowdrey contributed 39.

Oxford needed 278 and won by 8 wickets.

Cowdrey made his debut in the Gentlemen v Players series soon afterwards, playing for the Gentlemen.

In his first match for them at North Marine Road, Scarborough, he scored 106.

He joined the Oxford University Cricket Club and, in each season from 1952 to 1954, played for them in the early weeks and then for Kent till the end of the season.

He was there till the summer of 1954 and studied geography at Brasenose College.

He captained the Oxford team in 1954.